Posts by Gary Pearce
Cooper and refugees, continued
Several Democratic friends took issue with my defense of Roy Cooper on the refugee issue. One tweeted, “Absolute bull!” Another sidled up to me at the Y: “I agree with your blog 97 percent of the time, but this….” On Facebook, another posted a line-by-line rebuttal. Certainly, I take no offense. My reaction is more…
Read MoreCooper’s critics get it wrong
Roy Cooper caught flak from the left when he said Washington should pause before admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees and make sure we balance humanitarianism with security. He’s right, and his critics are wrong. And it’s not a case of “he had to do it politically.” It’s the right thing to do. Period. It’s wrong for…
Read MoreTerror politics
The Great Ebola Panic hit America a year ago this October, right before the 2014 midterm elections. President Obama’s poll ratings plunged, and races that had been within Democrats’ reach – including the U.S. Senate and legislative races in North Carolina – shifted to Republicans. This year, the Paris terrorist attacks remind us how dangerously…
Read MoreA moment for Hillary
The Paris attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis quickly brought out the worst in Republicans. Will it now bring out the best in Democrats, especially Hillary Clinton? Of course Republican politicians are doing what they do best: stoking Americans’ worst fears, deepest suspicions and darkest prejudices. No surprise. The politicians saw what bashing Mexicans did…
Read MoreFeeling the heat
Governor McCrory is in hot water, and his spokesman sounds like a teapot on a hot stove. Democratic Rep. Larry Hall said of Prison-Gate, “It’s obvious they went to great lengths to ensure this contractor had special access and opportunity. There’s a pay-to-play, quid pro quo way of doing business that’s happening right now.” Josh…
Read MoreDemocrats losing white America
Seven years ago this month, Democrats across America were celebrating the election of an African-American President. It was an extraordinary historic achievement. But no good deed goes unpunished. Vox sums up what has happened since: “Under President Obama, Democrats have lost 900+ state legislature seats, 12 governors, 69 House seats, 13 Senate seats. That’s some…
Read MoreAsking hard questions, made easy
The Republican presidential candidates are right: the questions asked at the CNBC debate were awful. But not for the reasons the candidates complain about. By straining to ask “tough” questions, the panel made the debate too easy on the candidates. There’s a better way. Less is more. The hardest questions to answer are short, sharp…
Read MoreThe Soiling of the Governor 2015
“Very bad decision. Sorry, but this will soil our Gov…” – Secretary of Public Safety Frank Perry The amateurishness of Governor McCrory’s office is chronic and sometimes comic, but now it has veered dangerously close to serious trouble. The Governor’s fierce counterattack against the N&O story (“McCrory brokered meeting on contract for friend and campaign…
Read MoreThere’s no ! in Jeb anymore
Poor Jeb looked like an aging big-leaguer striking out on three straight pitches from a Little Leaguer with a wicked fastball. Now Marco gets his moment on the mound. So four questions from last night’s Republican playoff game: When will the rats desert the SS Bush? You almost feel sorry for the Establishment Republicans, including…
Read MoreShorter sessions don’t mean better government
A TAPster beat me to the punch in dismissing Rep. Gary Pendleton’s headline-grabbing but misguided idea of limiting the length of legislative sessions: Rep. Pendleton bravely talks about how other, larger states get their work done in 60 or 90 days and North Carolina’s General Assembly languishes for eight or nine months, sometimes longer. He’s…
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