General
Kicking the Can down the Road
It was like watching the rerun of a bad old black and white movie: Obama won reelection then, the next day, at a press conference in Washington John Boehner stood up and announced he was ready to compromise and accept new taxes â but only on one condition. Obama had to accept big spending cuts.…
Read MoreDix Politics
This isn’t the first Dix land fight. And it’s not the first time the state did the right thing despite short-sighted politicians. Exactly 28 years ago, in late 1984, another outgoing governor had plans for Dix land. Governor Hunt wanted to give a chunk of it to N.C. State University for a research park.…
Read MoreHow Politics Works
Back in 2005, Governor Mike Easley pulled strings and got his wife a job at North Carolina State University running what he called a ‘speakers series;’ then the Governor pulled more strings and got his wife a new job paying more, $170,000 a year; then the Governor’s string-pulling landed on the front page of the…
Read MoreHow Democrats Can Win on Voter ID
It’s shameful that Republicans believe their political future rests on voter suppression. But Democrats can turn this chicken shit into chicken salad. First they tell voters: “Republicans are doing all they can to make sure only angry old white men can vote. If you’re young, old, a minority or anyone who doesn’t look like…
Read MoreAnother Perdue Gift
Well, Governor Perdue’s stepped in another mess. She’s announced she’s going to sidestep the normal nominating process (she set up) to pick a new Supreme Court Judge before Pat McCrory takes office. Perdue explained how her plan made sense, saying, I can’t imagine that the person I select will be anything but the finest…
Read MorePerdue’s Last Gift
For Republicans it was like old times – just when they were getting into a funk because they won’t have Governor Perdue fumbling through press conferences anymore, instead of riding quietly in the sunset the Governor held one last press conference. And it was like manna from heaven. Senator Phil Berger (meta-phorically) let out a…
Read MoreNo to Senator No
Maybe I should be more forgiving when it comes to naming a building for Jesse Helms. Maybe I should let the past go, let bygones be bygones and let go of old grudges. No way. Helms was a racist. He was a gay-baiter. He was a hater. On television and in the Senate,…
Read MoreFig Leaves
There’s a lot of talk up in Washington these days about compromise: President Obama’s ready to compromise and John Boehner’s ready to compromise but, so far, amid all the cooing no one’s laid a deal on the table so it’s hard to tell if Congressmen and Senators are going to say, Gosh, that compromise is…
Read MoreMansfield for Chair?
Eric Mansfield is emerging as a leading challenger to David Parker for state Democratic chair. The one-term state Senator from Fayetteville – and unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in this year’s primary – is sounding out Democrats about seeking the post. Mansfield’s boosters see him as a fresh face who can energize the…
Read MoreSorting Us Out
The 2012 election and its aftermath show how sharply – and bitterly – divided we are in America. Elections are no longer choices between candidates or debates about issues. They are holy wars between Red and Blue America. Ferrel Guillory at the UNC School of Journalism recommended an excellent book about this split:…
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