North Carolina – Republicans
Alvin York
I didn’t see much sense in making a lady in Indiana (or anywhere else) cater a gay wedding if she didn’t want to, so I said the Religious Freedom Act sounded like a fine idea – which turned out to be like lighting the fuse to a stick of dynamite. Before I knew it I’d…
Read MoreFalse Equivalence
John Drescher of the N&O called foul on Governor McCrory’s public-records stonewalling. But will the media referees let McCrory manufacture a counterpunch against Roy Cooper? It’s called “false equivalence.” It’s a favorite media-manipulation trick. Let’s say your candidate has a big, fat negative. Like you haven’t fulfilled a public-records request dating back to last July.…
Read MoreCrazy Train
The “religious freedom” train ran off the rails on Jones Street yesterday. House Republicans realized the state would lose business and some of them would lose elections. It was a telling turnaround for a body that had pushed through a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages just a few years back. If you ever doubted…
Read MoreGood Old Days
WRAL’s documentary on Jim Hunt brings back fond, and not so fond, memories. It implicitly brings up the dramatically different philosophy that marks North Carolina’s leadership today. It shows the toll that politics can take on all involved, especially families. And it tells a largely untold story about one key to Hunt’s success, Carolyn Hunt.…
Read MoreWizards
If there’s a lonesome pilgrim out there hoping the recent Supreme Court decision will restore honor and fairness to redistricting… well, the Wizards have him surrounded. When Republicans dreams came true and, at long last, they got to draw their own districts, they set out to find a special kind of Wizard. Next…
Read MoreRecalculating…
A TAPster more knowledgeable than me offers a word of praise for one thing the legislature is doing: The legislature this week will continue its napalm assault on long-standing policies and practices in the civil war to create a conservative nirvana in North Carolina. And, while most Republican efforts have hurt the poor, the…
Read MoreCarter’s Right!
To my readers: Because you often come here through Facebook or Twitter, you may not see Carter’s blogs. But you should. Because even when you don’t see eye-to-eye with him, you get to see where he’s coming from. And sometimes, shockingly enough, you may find yourself agreeing with Carter. So I wanted to be…
Read MoreThe Return of Elmer Gantry
The Reverend William Barber stepped back up onto his soapbox and thundered it’s time that Richard Burr and Thom Tillis left the chains of hatred behind and joined the chorus for justice by voting to confirm Loretta Lynch. The Reverend went on to explain how he’s looked into Ms. Lynch’s heart and how he…
Read MoreCrossing the Line
Pat’s attacking Phil’s tax cut plan, and the Senate’s Sales Tax Plan, and the Senate’s Religious Freedom Act (about gay marriage) was a mixed bag – after all, voters like tax cuts and are split on gay marriage (with almost all the Republicans agreeing with Phil). But next Pat hit the mother lode, attacking…
Read MoreThe Way of Things
Roy whacked Pat. Pat then slapped Phil. Phil poked Pat back. And no one laid a glove on Roy. That was last week. This week Roy whacked Pat again. And Pat gabbed Phil three times. Last week Pat said Phil was cutting taxes too much – and this week he said Phil…
Read More