Posts by Gary Pearce
The Power of Prosecutors
“Plamegate” in Washington and “Deckergate” in Raleigh make me wonder about the political power of federal prosecutors. For years, Democrats took great glee over the investigation into who outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. Especially when it looked like Karl Rove would be the ultimate victim. Just as North Carolina Republicans take great glee over the…
Read MoreDid 9-11 Really Change Everything?
Thatâs the cliché de jour, but I think 9/11 changed our lives in ways we canât yet see â or even imagine. Itâs not just leaving your shampoo and toothpaste out of the carry-on bag. History is an unpredictable thing. Think about Vietnam. Thirty-five years ago, nobody could have imagined how deep and searing the…
Read MoreUnion Power
Unions have long been politically weak in North Carolina. But the state may see a new, more aggressive and more politically savvy union offensive in elections over the next three years. The Service Employees International Union – which The News & Observer called “the nation’s largest public employee union” – gave $100,000 to the House…
Read MoreWhat if we win?
What if we Democratic dogs catch the car and win both houses of Congress this year? If I’m a Democratic presidential candidate, I’m not sure I’m happy about that. Here’s why: Democrats suddenly share the blame for anything that goes wrong, doesn’t go right or doesn’t get passed. Republicans get to run against Congress. Democratic…
Read MoreMending “the broken branch” of government
David Broder of The Washington Post wrote recently that Congress is the “broken branch” of government. Broder bemoaned problems ranging from “runaway budgets to the lobbying scandals to the near abandonment of effective oversight of executive agencies.” Also, “impotence and inaction, not just on immigration, but on energy, health care and the war in Iraq.”…
Read MoreA Political Hurricane Coming?
Election forecasts are less reliable than hurricane forecasts. But Democrats have realistic chances to take control of both the House and Senate in Washington. If they do, the political world will be turned upside down: George Bush can look ahead to two years of total political irrelevancy; Democrats in Congress will put forward a raft…
Read MoreA Storm of Confusion
The more TV weather I watch, the more confused I get. Thursday afternoon, I watched two forecasts back-to-back on two stations. The local cable system news, Channel 14, said top winds from Ernesto were 70 mph. The Weather Channel said top winds were 30 mph. Click to Read & Post Comments
Read MoreNo Shelter from the Storm
New Orleans hasn’t recovered from Katrina. Nor has George Bush. And neither one’s prospects look good. Bush has never recovered politically because his actions in the storm’s aftermath burned an indelible image in the nation’s mind: an aloof, disengaged patrician totally unable to grasp the suffering of thousands of Americans. No one can imagine Bill…
Read MoreNature or Kids
What does Raleigh need more: another nature park or a place where teenagers can play basketball and stay out of trouble? It seems to me that is the issue in the Horseshoe Farm debate. Horseshoe Farm is a 146-acre tract of land off U.S. 401 in northeast Raleigh, bounded by the Neuse River. Nature lovers…
Read MoreThe Pope Political Legacy
I didn’t know John Pope, the uber-wealthy retail king who died this week. And I don’t know much about the business empire he built at Variety Wholesalers. But I know about his political empire. I don’t like it, but I damn sure respect it. Pope was the big money behind the John Locke Foundation and…
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