General – Page 108 – Talking About Politics

Trumped

By Gary Pearce | July 16, 2015

Democrats are cheering and Republicans are chafing as Donald Trump hogs the spotlight. Presumably, at some point he will implode or get tired of the game. But how much damage will he do to the Republican brand by then? And suppose he keeps going through the debates, through the primaries and maybe even through November…

$8.3 Million Each

By Carter Wrenn | July 16, 2015

Here’s all you need know about the President’s plan to defeat ISIS: Right now, he’s training 60 rebels in Syria to whip ISIS. The cost? $500 million. Or $8.3 million per rebel. Meantime, after we’ve lost two wars (in Afghanistan and the first war in Iraq) he’s decided to cut the size of our army…

Atticus Finch, a racist?

By Gary Pearce | July 15, 2015

Say it ain’t so, Harper Lee. How can the upright icon of To Kill a Mockingbird become the twisted racist of Go Set a Watchman? Your fans are gobsmacked. But Southerners of a certain age get it. Take two TAPsters who recall their grandfather, a prominent judge and Democratic Party power back in the day.…

A Blessing in Disguise

By Carter Wrenn | July 15, 2015

According to PEW Research, during the past two Congresses 19,709 bills were introduced – and only 3% were enacted into law. Which sounds pretty abysmal. But stop to think about it: How much more harm could Congress have done if they’d passed, say, 4%?

Since Little Bighorn

By Carter Wrenn | July 14, 2015

Since Little Bighorn The President trooped over to the Pentagon to work on his plan to whip ISIS then came out of the meeting and announced: We’re leading a 60 member coalition against ISIS. Huh? Who’re the other 59 nations? That ideas – not guns – defeat ideologies. You go to Ramadi and…

Pure Power Play

By Carter Wrenn | July 13, 2015

Flexing its muscles, the Republican Establishment decided to put Donald Trump in his place – but missed that while Trump may be part whacko he’s also pure cutthroat: When the GOP Doyens sitting around the bar in the Capitol Hill Club in the basement of the Republican Headquarters in Washington tore into Trump (on immigration)…

Trump Up

By Gary Pearce | July 10, 2015

How is this possible? How can this poll be right? How can Donald Trump be leading the Republican presidential race in North Carolina with 16 percent of the vote? Why isn’t his lead much bigger? How can Republicans not support the self-described “most successful person ever to run for President”? A “really rich man.” A…

Playing with Fire

By Carter Wrenn | July 9, 2015

Like him or not, Phil Berger’s about the most powerful politician around; last year, just so no one got confused about who rules the roost in Raleigh, he and the Senate Bull Mooses put the kibosh on the Governor’s pet ‘puppy mills’ bill and, this year, they’re creatively discovering ways to expand their power no…

Dump Grant?

By Gary Pearce | July 9, 2015

After Rob Christensen and I engaged in a high-toned debate on whether Alexander Hamilton should be on the $10 bill and I proposed that we instead dump Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill, a TAPster had a terse reply: “Hell no. Dump Grant, who was responsible for killing thousands of Americans and was a half-ass…

Not so fast, Rob

By Gary Pearce | July 8, 2015

Rob Christensen is right that Alexander Hamilton did much to create today’s America. But there’s another side to Hamilton’s coin – er, $10 bill. Yes, Hamilton’s contributions were remarkable. He became one of George Washington’s most effective combat commanders in the Revolution. He became President Washington’s most trusted counselor. He became the son that the…