North Carolina – Republicans
How Democrats Vetoed Redistricting Vetoes
The News & Observer said former Governor Roy Cooper is “to blame” for governors not having the power to veto redistricting bills. Actually, a lot of Democrats who were in the legislature in the 1990s have to share that blame. In fact, some Democrats in the state House then – including then-Speaker and now-Senator Dan…
Read MoreThey’re For Trump, Not For You
Republican legislators just did something that swing voters dislike most about them: “put loyalty to Donald Trump over loyalty to our country” – and loyalty to the people of North Carolina. They re-gerrymandered Democratic Congressman Don Davis’ district so a Republican will win it – because Trump told them to. In a recent poll of…
Read MoreOcracoke to Harvard
It’s not easy to get to Ocracoke from Raleigh. It’s even harder to get from Ocracoke to Harvard. But Katie Kinnion (photo) did it – thanks to North Carolina’s public schools. I read about her during our two-hour-plus ferry ride from Swan Quarter across Pamlico Sound to Ocracoke last week. You have to take a…
Read MoreA Sign of Hope
‘What did you think of those students?’ Gary asked after we spent an hour at a forum at N. C. State University. The students weren’t anything like politicians you watch on TV these days –– no one ranted, strutted; voices calm, when they disagreed, politeness held. Gary saw that as a sign of better days…
Read MoreBoliek’s 435 Pages
My friend Ron is cynical about government, and he couldn’t contain himself when he read that State Auditor Dave Boliek produced a 435-page report on fixing the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. “435 pages!?” Ron sputtered. “How much time and taxpayer money did that take?” He raged on, “And Boliek’s big idea is to move…
Read MoreOddities
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…
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