General
Tuning In
Even if she doesn’t know what it means, Laura Leslie is pioneering the future of journalism in North Carolina. The long-time Raleigh reporter for WUNC Radio is now the “multimedia statehouse reporter” for WRAL-TV. Here’s how Laura defined her new job: “I’ll be on TV a little, but most of my work…
Read MoreTax Bites Media
How many times have you read stories in the media along these lines: “Tax reform is difficult because special-interest groups always complain when their tax loopholes are threatened”? Then you’ll enjoy the following email from Randall Gregg of The Raleigh Telegram, president of the Triangle Press Club: IMPORTANT NOTICE: NC Tax Being Proposed…
Read MoreBlood and Tears
President Obama soared. Sarah Palin bombed. And, of course, John Boehner almost broke down. Let’s examine all three performances – and the implications. When even Fox News and Glenn Beck praise him, you know Obama hit a home run. But the most remarkable thing about a remarkable speech was that he had to…
Read MorePower Center
Forget the politicians in Raleigh. The most powerful person in North Carolina is Bill Johnson. Under the Duke-Progress merger, Johnson will be CEO of the new company – one of the biggest utilities in the nation and a corporation on the scale of ExxonMobil. He will be a powerful force not just in…
Read MoreListening to NPR
The last two mornings listening to National Public Radio while driving to work has been like being assailed; folks are calling-in mad as hornets and every media pundit is thoroughly morally outraged and they’re all blasting away at the Tea Party, saying overheated political rhetoric caused the shootings in Arizona and Sarah Palin all but…
Read MoreA Voice of Sanity
Well, I predicted it Monday (“Commence Firing”). And while overheated political rhetoric may not necessarily lead to violence, violence certainly leads to overheated political rhetoric. Sarah Palin says it’s a “blood libel” to criticize her for placing Democrats — including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords — under crosshairs during the 2010 election and talking about…
Read MoreOur Governor
The Reckoning
Unlike some Democrats, I’m not in despair about the Republican Party’s new power. It’s not just that I’m glad the GOP will share some – or bear all – of the blame for unpopular cuts. Rather, it’s time we finally decide how much government we want – and how much we’re willing to…
Read MoreCommence Firing
It’s predictable that some Democrats will implicate Sarah Palin and the Tea Party in the Arizona shootings. It’s predictable that Republicans will accuse those Democrats of seeking to exploit a tragedy perpetrated by a nut. The unfortunate truth is that in the history of our politics, as Rap Brown once said, violence is…
Read MoreUnintended Consequences
To cut spending Republican leaders in the General Assembly, the News and Observer reported the other day, are considering allowing Governor Perdue’s Cabinet Secretaries to decide what to cut in their departments. In other words the legislature will decide that, say, the Department of Transportation budget must cut $200 million to balance the budget,…
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