North Carolina – Republicans
One-Party Rule
Raleigh has never seen this kind of one-party control. Hold on, you say – especially my Republican friends: Democrats had one-party control for over 100 years. No, not like this. For most of those years, the Democratic Party was two parties. Think Terry Sanford and I. Beverly Lake. Or Jim Hunt and…
Read MorePay to Play, the Sequel
Within just a few days last week, the Perdue campaign-fund serial wrapped up, Sweepstakesgate ramped up and Governor McCrory cleaned house at the Board of Elections. Grab a big bag of popcorn and settle in. This will take a while. Especially since a majority of the previous board called for an investigation. And especially…
Read MoreWorrying About Primaries
A legislator looked at a bill, winched, looked at another legislator and said, ‘Well, if I don’t vote for it I guess I’ll land in a primary.’ ‘You think,’ the second legislator said, ‘that Republicans in your district are for people carrying guns in bars?’ The bill allowed people carry guns in bars, restaurants…
Read MoreJamie Kirk Hahn
Absolute good met absolute evil in a quiet Raleigh home Monday evening. Early Wednesday morning, Jamie Hahn lost her fight to live. Her husband Nation and her family are devastated. But, as always happens at times like this, the best in people comes out. All day Tuesday, friends streamed into WakeMed to do what…
Read More‘I Am The Senator’
Dwane Powell’s return to the N&O captured in one cartoon – a depiction of the Republican elephant gone wild – what thousands of words fail to describe. (Congratulations, incidentally, to Powell on being selected for the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame.) Even a Republican TAPster wrote: “This cartoon just about sums it up.…
Read MoreSchool Daze
The Republicans’ education agenda finally comes into focus: It’s about creating a market for private enterprise. They want to privatize Medicaid and privatize the Department of Commerce, so why not privatize schools? It’s the only thing that makes sense. You might be wondering: How do they propose to make public schools better when they…
Read MoreMurdering Santa Claus
For years Jesse Helms wrote every speech he made, typing each on an old reporter’s typewriter, then one year when he was unusually harried he decided it was time to hire a speechwriter – so we hired ‘John.’ John was an unusually gifted writer but for all his virtues he had a peculiar view…
Read MoreWhen a Politician Goes Too Far
Republicans and Democrats over in the legislature have been battling hammer and tongs but, still, it raised eyebrows last week when the News & Observer reported Republicans have declared war on the cities. House Speaker Thom Tillis explained the new conflagration philosophically, saying ‘Part of the conflict is due to a different world view…
Read MoreUNC vs. GOP
Now that UNC-Chapel Hill has a new chancellor, maybe it can move beyond the battles over sexual assaults and athletics-versus-academics and get on with the real war – the one with the new Republican majority in Raleigh. And it will be war. This is a fundamental social, cultural and political conflict. It is…
Read MoreA Swell Idea
A laurel and hearty handshake go out to Rep. Robert Brawley for boldly speaking up for the right of legislators to take free gifts from lobbyists. Right on, brother! The legislature should pass this bill. Because it then would take almost no time before most of the members are in jail or forced out…
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