Posts by Gary Pearce
I don’t care
The Tricia Cotham soap opera doesn’t interest me. Were Democrats mean to her? I don’t care. Did PAC donations play a part? I don’t care. Will a once-pro-abortion progressive find peace, love and joy in the Republican caucus? I don’t care. Things I do care about: the public-school crisis, the behavioral-health crisis, the gun crisis,…
Read MoreGetting to 55 percent
One of today’s sharpest political analysts, Simon Rosenberg, has mapped out a path for Democrats to get 55% of the national popular vote in 2024, up from President Biden’s 51.4% in 2020. And North Carolina is on Rosenberg’s map. He was one of the few who wasn’t swept away in 2022 by the Republican/media “red…
Read More“Democratic,” not “Democrat”
We Democrats expect it from Republicans. But not journalists. A recent news story referred to “Democrat leaders” (emphasis added). Media folks, please note: Democrats take offense at the use of “Democrat” as an adjective. It should be “Democratic.” Donald Trump said in 2021, “You know I always say Democrat. You know why? Because it sounds…
Read MoreMore On Wisconsin
More than a century ago, Wisconsin pioneered progressive politics in America. More than a decade ago, it pioneered regressive right-wing politics. This month, it may have signaled a sharp turn away from MAGA extremism – and lit a path out of the darkness for North Carolina Democrats. It wouldn’t be the first time Wisconsin and…
Read MoreIn Praise of (Some) Republicans
I don’t often say nice things about Republicans, so brace yourself. I’m reading The January 6th Report: Findings from the Select Committee to Investigate the Attack on the U.S. Capitol. The report shows that, at crucial moments, Republicans in key positions stood up against the Trump-MAGA attack on democracy. Then Republicans testified about what happened,…
Read MoreNo Quit
State Democratic Chair Anderson Clayton clearly felt she needed to buck up morale. She tweeted on Friday, “I understand folks feeling defeated by the news cycle this week. But hold on. Just hold on. As my fellow Democracy Defenders, the #TenneseeThree have said — this is going to ignite and awaken the people. And our…
Read More“Sunday always comes”
History echoed in the halls of the Tennessee legislature last week when the House expelled two young Black representatives. The two, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, had used a bullhorn to disrupt the House and protest its inaction after the Nashville school shootings. They echoed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was murdered in Memphis 55 years…
Read MoreOn Wisconsin!
“Fight, fight, fight, we’ll win this game.” – From “On Wisconsin,” school fight song. While North Carolina Democrats seethed over a party-switcher, Wisconsin Democrats celebrated a landmark election victory. They elected a progressive, Janet Protasiewicz, to the Supreme Court by a ten-point margin. She will dramatically shift the court’s rulings on abortion, gerrymandering and 2024…
Read MoreHe’s No Reagan
Watching Trump’s rambling, raging Mar-a-Lago speech Tuesday night, I was reminded at first of another Republican President whose hair had an unnatural tint. But Trump is no Ronald Reagan. I didn’t care much for Reagan, but I liked one thing: He had a sunny, optimistic vision of America. In his farewell address, he called it…
Read MoreParty Pooper
NC Rep. Tricia Cotham managed to make big news the same day Donald Trump was hauled into a criminal courtroom. She joined a list of prominent, if not distinguished, North Carolina Democrats who switched parties – or loyalties. They all say it’s about principle, but it’s always more about pique, personal ambition and a power…
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