Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Trump is both creature and creator of today’s hyper-speed, Twitter-hype news cycle. To win in 2020, Democrats need a candidate who beats him at the communications game. The New York Times reports: “By all accounts, Mr. Trump’s consumption of cable television has actually increased in recent months as his first scheduled meetings of the day…
With Rob Christensen’s retirement, we lose North Carolina’s most experienced, knowledgeable and insightful political reporter. There were, still are and always will be other great political reporters in North Carolina. But nobody stayed on the job for 45 years. Nobody had Rob’s wealth of history and sources. Nobody worked harder, worked sources harder, listened longer…
After President Trump signed the new NAFTA agreement I thought, Trump got that one right – but then, before the ink dried, Trump erupted, twice, tweeting he hoped Michael Cohen would spend a long time in jail and that he and the President Xi of China were “the only two people who can bring about…
My blogging partner Carter Wrenn hit the big time yesterday. He had the “Quote of the Day” in The New York Times: “I’m old fashioned, but anytime somebody may have broken the law, it’s appropriate for the state to look into it.” Carter was quoted (as “the dean of North Carolina’s Republican strategists”) in a…
Democrats, repeat after me: “Impeachment should be done only on a bipartisan basis. Ask Republicans what they think about impeaching Trump.” This is smart for two reasons. First, it’s the right thing to do. Bill Clinton’s impeachment showed that it shouldn’t be done on party lines. The country is divided enough already. Second, it’s good…
The election-fraud story in the 9th Congressional District has a long way to go, but three things are clear. First, real news and real journalism are alive and well. I won’t single out any reporter or news outlet, because so many have performed so well. A salute to each and every one of you. A…
As its decade of political dominance nears an end, the Republican Party reeks of the stench of corruption from top to bottom, from Washington to Wisconsin to Georgia to Raleigh and all the way to Bladen County. The Bladen scandal once again puts North Carolina at center stage – and Republicans in the spotlight. The…
Democrats 30 years ago would be shocked at how Democrats today are extolling and eulogizing President George H.W. Bush. In 1988, while Bush talked about a “kinder, gentler” America and “a thousand points of light,” he let Lee Atwater run a viciously negative, racist (Willie Horton) campaign against the hapless Michael Dukakis. Atwater apologized on…
The news last night looked like a mashup remake of “The Godfather” and Watergate. Michael Cohen flipping on Trump is like consigliere Tom Hagen turning state’s witness against Don Corleone. Then Trump came on saying Cohen was “a weak person” whom he hired “because he did me a favor a long time ago.” Did Cohen…
How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…
Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…
Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…