Posts by Gary Pearce
Phil flushes Pat
As Governor McCrory paddles furiously to stay afloat, it becomes clear that Senator Berger sold him down the HB2 river. This is a three-fer for Berger: (1) He makes his base happy; (2) he screws his enemies in the cities and (3) he punches a hole in McCrory’s reelection boat. Why does Berger want McCrory…
Read MoreMcCrory: “Oops”
After weeks of staunchly defending HB2 and slamming opponents as a “politically correct” mob of perverts, left-wingers, their allies in the media and their corporate lackeys, Governor McCrory rose from his sickbed – at least, via video and one careful interview – to waffle, wiggle and waver. As one wit said of McCrory’s executive order,…
Read MoreDoes McCrory have HB2-flu?
His staff says he has a “viral contagion.” Like the viral contagion of jobs, visitors, entertainers and businesses avoiding North Carolina like the plague. The Governor cancelled all his public appearances – and avoided all HB2 questions – this weekend. Monday, he summoned up the strength to announce his proposed health budget. But he still wasn’t up to…
Read MoreJob killers
With the PayPal pullout, HB2 has now officially killed more jobs than Obamacare. Maybe that’s the plan. See, Republicans are strong in rural areas, which are losing jobs and population. They’ve tried to reverse that since 2010, with no success. So now they figure it’s easier to stop the explosive growth in strong Democratic urban…
Read MorePlaying the bathroom card. Again
“Do you want Negroes using your toilet facilities?” Campaign flyer, Willis Smith for US Senate, 1950 Every time equal rights take a new step forward, opponents run for the bathroom. They’re doing it now with HB2. They’re scaring people with horror stories about predators attacking girls in bathrooms. In the 1970s, they claimed the Equal…
Read MoreMcCrory’s March Madness
If Pat McCrory loses in November, he’ll regret March. He came into the month like a lion. John Davis wrote that McCrory’s big primary win and passage of the Connect NC bonds positioned him well: “(His) seven terms as Mayor of the City of Charlotte seasoned him well to lead an urban dominant swing state.…
Read MoreNew Slogan for NC?
The way things are going, Pat McCrory will have to change North Carolina’s new branding slogan from “Nothing Compares” to “Nobody Comes to NC.” While the Governor and his media minions are freaking out over the Hate Bill 2 media frenzy, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is making hay. This week Deal, a Republican, vetoed a…
Read MoreOld news
A close examination of newspaper ads shows why newspapers are dying: Those of us who get the print edition are about to die. Here, in order, are the ads on one random day: A half-page ad about reverse mortgages for seniors. A full-page ad for hearing aids (“a virtually invisible personal sound amplifier”). A quarter-page…
Read MoreMcCrory lays an Easter egg
If you’re not mad at Pat McCrory about the pick-on-LGBT-people bill, try this: Over Easter, his administration has ordered state troopers to ticket people going 56 in a 55 mph zone or 71 in a 70 mph zone. Forget about drunk drivers, texting drivers and truly reckless drivers. Let’s crack down on old farts like…
Read MoreMcCrory caves to the bullies
Pat McCrory is like the schoolboy who knows it’s wrong for the bullies to pick on the weak kid. But instead of standing up, he goes along with the bullies. It is an absolute failure of moral leadership. Republicans can spin it how they will, but this is about picking on politically vulnerable people to get…
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