North Carolina – Republicans
Oddities
In the old days a political party had to win an election to keep its majority in Congress. So it rolled up its sleeves and went to work to convince people it was right. Times have changed. These days politicians roll up their sleeves and go to work on redistricting. Take a look at what’s…
Read MoreA Blessing
The circus is back in town. Next year’s Senate campaign’s off and rolling. And it’s like watching the rerun of an old tv show. Full of shadows, dark music, Republican’s first ad whacked Roy Cooper, called him a ‘wreck’, told people when he mismanaged a hurricane 100 people died; on social media Republicans described Cooper…
Read MoreSitting in a Hard Place
Things are heating up here in North Carolina. Lara Trump’s out, not running for Senate. Michael Whatley’s in, with President Trump backing him. And it looks like Roy Cooper’s going to announce next week. With no real primary in either party the general election is probably going to heat up pretty quickly. Last week, in…
Read MoreAn Uphill Climb
I read Gary’s column about Roy Cooper – I’ve only met Roy a couple of times but, even though we disagreed on issues, he was always polite, courteous. And that’s rare in politics these days. Trump unending Senator Thom Tillis came as a shock – most folks figured Tillis would work out a deal with…
Read MoreTillis Told the Truth
Democrats have been gloating over Senator Thom Tillis’ political demise. We should be quoting him. Tillis is the single best validator of Democrats’ single most powerful issue against Trump and Republicans: the deep, devastating and life-threatening cuts in healthcare they rammed through Congress last week. He challenged them in a floor speech: “So, what do…
Read MoreGOP Sheep
The sheep, not the elephant, should be the symbol of today’s Republican Party. N.C. House Speaker Destin Hall said this last week about who will replace Senator Thom Tillis: “We must unify behind whoever President Trump picks.” “Whoever President Trump picks”? As of last week, there were 2,290,923 registered Republican voters in North Carolina. But…
Read MoreNever Boring…
You see a lot of strutting, and the truth can fly out the window in the blink of an eye, but the one thing you have to say about politics is…it’s never boring. Ole Thom Tillis sat in the Senate happy until the day Trump posted on Truth Social ‘he’s got to go’ – so…
Read MoreTillis and Cooper
Thom Tillis and Roy Cooper now have the opportunity – no, the obligation – to turn the tide of history against Trump. Tillis made a political decision not to run for reelection. Now he should make a patriotic declaration of conscience. For the next 18 months – unbound by reelection concerns – Tillis can be…
Read MoreConflicts of Interest
When I covered the legislature for The News & Observer, we reported on a House member who sponsored a bill that directly benefitted his business. We asked him, isn’t that a conflict of interest? He was defiant: “This bill doesn’t conflict with my interests.” This week, Lucille Sherman reported in Axios, “House Rules Chairman Rep.…
Read More“Rank Hypocrisy”
It was poor judgment for Democratic state Rep. Julie von Haefen to post a picture of a “beheadings” protest sign. She had the character and courage to admit it and apologize on the floor of the House (photo). Republican Speaker Destin Hall professed outrage over the post and admonished House members to “hold yourselves to…
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