North Carolina – Republicans
They’re Fed Up
The instantly iconic front page of The Daily Tar Heel tells you three things about their generation: They’re fed up with gun violence and school lockdowns They’re fed up with politicians who protect guns, not people They’re so fed up they printed the text “GUYS I’M SO FUCKING SCARED” in big, bold red type. That…
Read MorePPP to the Rescue
I certainly don’t begrudge the Raleigh consultants who took PPP relief during the pandemic. If they’d gone under, the economic consequences could have been devastating for certain Capital City watering holes, fine dining establishments and upscale clothing stores. Danielle Battaglia revealed the deals in The News & Observer (“How US allowed pandemic relief to go…
Read MoreFight Back. Vote.
Since Monday’s shooting at UNC, the gun lobby’s flacks, flunkies and apologists have been furiously tweeting/X’ing to justify inaction. One state legislator said “it’s a mental health and woke society issue.” A long-time Republican operative saw a dark link between Covid, Wuhan and the UNC lab. Another, mightily offended that Congressman Jeff Jackson said “our…
Read MoreMark Misquoted?
Pardon back-to-back blogs on Mark Robinson, but he says he was misquoted. By his autobiography. In the 2022 autobiography, “We Are The Majority,” the Republican candidate for governor said K-5 education should focus exclusively on reading, writing and math: “In those grades, we don’t need to be teaching social studies. We don’t need to be…
Read MoreGovernor Bonkers
Way back in the 1970s, Jerry Brown got tagged as “Governor Moonbeam” in California for far-out ideas that turned out far-seeing, like environmental consciousness and the state launching its own space satellite. Mark Robinson would be Governor Bonkers. A HuffPost article, “The Unbelievably Bonkers Conspiracy Theorist Running For Governor Of North Carolina,” collected some of…
Read MoreSchools Lose This Bet
When North Carolina’s legislature debated whether to start a lottery 20 years ago, one argument overcame concerns about gambling and corruption: All the money would go to public schools. The result was the Education Lottery. Back then, Republicans opposed the lottery – period. They pilloried then-Lt. Governor Bev Perdue for casting the tie-breaking vote to…
Read MoreTomato Sandwich Wars
I started a Twitter war over tomato sandwiches, and I got my all-time record reaction. Last I looked, I had over 32,000 views, plus lots of likes, dislikes, retweets and comments pro and con. It started when a Republican legislator tweeted that Wednesday would be “Tomato Sandwich Day” at the General Assembly. I responded, “Much…
Read MoreNo Defense
The Republican Party used to stand for a strong national defense. North Carolina’s two Republican Senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, boast of their support for the state’s military personnel and veterans. But neither Tillis nor Budd, nor any Republican Senator, has the backbone to stand up to Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama (pictured), a…
Read MoreRolling the Dice
Twenty years ago, Republicans opposed the North Carolina Education Lottery on “moral” grounds. Now they can’t break ground fast enough on casinos across the state. Campaign donations are flowing like free drinks on a casino floor. Lobbyists are hitting the jackpot. It’s not just Republicans. Some Democrats say casinos are good for North Carolina. I’m…
Read MoreAll About Tricia
Why did once-progressive state Rep. Tricia Cotham switch to Donald Trump’s Republican Party? Because she’s just like Trump: Politics is all about her. That comes clear in an insightful article by Kate Kelly and David Perlmutt of The New York Times, “Inside the Party Switch That Blew Up North Carolina Politics.” A friend in Charlotte…
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