Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Politics Takes Control
After Roe vs. Wade for decades Republicans said, ‘Taking an innocent life is wrong. A fetus is alive. We can’t do that.’ After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, Republicans lost elections in 2022 and 2023 – eyes locked on the next election Republican political gurus started telling candidates: Voters don’t like banning abortions…
Character
Richard Nixon beat George McGovern by a landslide in 1972, got caught in a lie – on tape – was out of office. Lyndon Johnson promised he’d never send American boys 10,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to fight in Vietnam, beat Barry Goldwater in a landslide – after the election sent 500,000 boys to…
A Forgotten Memory
The first speech I heard Ronald Reagan make was six weeks after Russian tanks rolled into Saigon in 1975 and we lost the Vietnam War. Voice mellow, soothing, humble, his speech wasn’t a history lesson it was a reminiscence, a man telling a story he’d watched, lived through, remembering storm troopers goose-stepping into Vienna, the…
Kate Barr For the Win
Kate Barr’s campaign slogan is “Kate Barr Can’t Win.” Barr is a Democrat running in North Carolina Senate District 37, Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, which the legislature gerrymandered into a safe Republican seat. Barr flipped the script. She says: “District 37 is so gerrymandered that I don’t stand a chance. But we deserve to have…
Democrats Show Up
Democrats are fired up. Republicans are fleeing the fight. Democrats have candidates competing for 168 of the 170 state House and Senate seats. Republicans fielded candidates in only 137 races. It’s clear which party has energy and enthusiasm going into 2024. When Anderson Clayton was elected state Democratic chair last February, she pledged to contest…
Tillis vs Trump
Senator Thom Tillis stood up to MAGA Mark Robinson. Now he should stand up to Donald Trump. Tillis, North Carolina’s senior Senator, endorsed Bill Graham over Robinson in the Republican primary for governor. Robinson promptly labeled Tillis one of the “RINO elites” plotting “to take me down.” Previously, Robinson blasted as “cowards” unnamed Republicans “who…
Coopercare
Some 600,000 North Carolinians will get quality, affordable health care now – thanks to the tenacity of one man: Governor Roy Cooper. When Medicaid expansion took effect last week, some headlines called it “bipartisan.” But Republicans had fought it since Obamacare passed in 2010. They supported expansion only after seven years of patient, persistent prodding,…
Abortion
Two Republican candidates Democrats were hammering on abortion asked me before the election last year: “Should I answer those attacks – the party’s telling me to ignore them, that they don’t matter?” I said abortion mattered to swing voters, answer the attacks. Neither did. Both lost. This election Republican political wizards moved from ignoring abortion…
Time to Turn Back the Clock?
Years ago when President Richard Nixon was in the White House politicians could take unlimited contributions and take corporate contributions. Nixon raised millions. Scowling, ruling Congress, Democrats passed laws that limited campaign donations – no one could give more than $1,000 and corporations couldn’t give at all. Thirty years rolled past. The Supreme Court upended…