Posts by Gary Pearce
Trump vs. GOP
The last two Republican Presidents aren’t there. The last two Republican presidential candidates aren’t there. The Republican Governor of the state hosting the convention isn’t there. Pat McCrory isn’t there. And former Republican N.C. Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr says he can’t vote for Trump for the nomination or election because “I think he’s singularly…
Read MoreLone star
As you watch the Republican convention, you see why Donald Trump picked Mike Pence as his running mate: There’s no chance Pence will steal the spotlight from the star. There’s only one star in this show, and it’s Donald Trump. And all the co-stars, like all his products and possessions, are also named Trump (Melania,…
Read MoreThe Donald Trump Show
For a time, we all had high hopes for this Republican convention. Maybe it wouldn’t be the usual snooze-a-thon. Maybe it would fulfill the fantasy of all political junkies: an open convention! That would mean fireworks. A dump-Trump move. A party divided. Angry protests. A whiff of violence in the hall. Bitter fights between Establishment…
Read MoreCooper’s cash coup
There’s no need for Roy Cooper’s campaign to spin this one, and no use in Pat McCrory’s campaign trying to spin out of it. Cooper is crushing McCrory in fundraising. There are only two ways to keep score in politics before Election Day: polls and money. The polls are close in the Governor’s race. The…
Read MoreMatters of life and death
A nation already deeply divided by race and politics is now divided more deeply by race, murder and retribution. Videos show police officers killing black suspects. Videos show the carnage as a black sniper kills police officers in revenge. We line up: Black Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. To invoke one or…
Read MoreGoing post-factual
Surveying the Presidential race and the Brexit vote, a smart young political pro observed this week, “We’re living in a post-factual world.” Facts and truth don’t matter. You can say what you want, and you can pick whatever facts, Internet rumors or just plain lies fit your opinion. Way back in the dark ages, when…
Read MoreUnforced errors
This election should be a slam dunk for Hillary Clinton. But turnovers are keeping the game too close. She is superbly qualified to be President. She has long fought on the right side of progress. Her opponent is one of the most despised, dreaded and dangerous men ever to run for President. But then (always)…
Read MoreTrump’s cap
When you come back from overseas, you look at American politics with fresh eyes. The first thing that caught my eye was the stupid cap Donald Trump wears. That’s reason enough to disqualify him from the Presidency. He wears the stupid cap, of course, to keep his stupid hairstyle from flying about wildly. Any man who…
Read MoreBaltic Sea sights
Here are a few things I saw and learned on a cruise from London to the Baltic Sea this month. Amsterdam: You can window-shop for sex and buy joints in “coffee houses.” Then, just a few blocks from the red-light district, Ann Frank’s house reminds you where the politics of hate can lead. No Guns:…
Read MoreCricket
A good friend got it right when he called to console me on the death of my sister, Cricket. He said, “The longer I live, the more I see there are two kinds of people in the world. There are the lovers, who love people, care about people and want to lift them up. Then…
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