Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Jiggering the Districts
Laying in bed reading a short biography of Abraham Lincoln by James McPherson, one of those lost jewels of history popped up: McPherson wrote how before the 1858 election the Illinois politicians redrew state legislative districts to favor Democrats – which made a difference because back in those days United States Senators weren’t elected by…
His Own Character
If Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz had run an ad like this back during the primary Donald Trump might not be the Republican nominee for President. Link to ad. Delegates Unbound (which is one of the Republican ‘Never Trump’ groups) has set out to make the case Donald Trump doesn’t have the…
Trump’s cap
When you come back from overseas, you look at American politics with fresh eyes. The first thing that caught my eye was the stupid cap Donald Trump wears. That’s reason enough to disqualify him from the Presidency. He wears the stupid cap, of course, to keep his stupid hairstyle from flying about wildly. Any man who…
Baltic Sea sights
Here are a few things I saw and learned on a cruise from London to the Baltic Sea this month. Amsterdam: You can window-shop for sex and buy joints in “coffee houses.” Then, just a few blocks from the red-light district, Ann Frank’s house reminds you where the politics of hate can lead. No Guns:…
Famine on the Potomac
Britain’s vote to get out of the EU sent tremors through the financial markets in London and New York – stocks plummeted, banks tottered, billionaires fled to high ground – and, in the meantime, reports of Donald Trump’s flagging fundraising sent a shock wave through the Republican Political Class in our nation’s capital. Summer and…
A Clash of Titans
Here’re the highlights of Pat and Roy’s first debate: Pat: I’m against Mental Health addiction. Roy: My mom taught me to love education. Roy again: Pat doesn’t do enough about mental health. Pat: The way Roy ran the crime lab when I was Mayor was a disaster. Pat again: Roy was part of the Good…
Cricket
A good friend got it right when he called to console me on the death of my sister, Cricket. He said, “The longer I live, the more I see there are two kinds of people in the world. There are the lovers, who love people, care about people and want to lift them up. Then…
A Sign
It’s hard these days to tell who’s on top in the Governor’s race: One day one poll has Pat up. A few days later the same poll has Pat down. Then another poll – by Civitas or High Point University or Elon University or PPP – has Pat up again. It’s a muddle. But, sometimes,…
Trouble in the Suburbs
Here’s one reason it looks like Donald Trump may cause Republicans heartburn this fall: 30% of the voters in North Carolina almost always vote for the Republican candidate and 35% almost always vote Democratic. Conservative Rural Democrats are the first (and smallest) group of swing voters and they’re a blessing to Republicans. They’re only around…