Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Years ago some crafty Democratic gnome sitting cloistered in a cell pouring over reams of demographics (trying to figure out the political inclinations of people who didn’t vote) had a revelation: If those folks did vote, a lot more Democrats were going to get elected. Now, in a way, that sounds odd (after all,…
Read MoreToday I yield my time and space to Nation Hahn, my social-media guru and guide to all things New Politics. He’s one of the state’s bright talents and one of my prime hopes for the future. He offers a timely and telling warning to Democrats: “Gary called for a Democratic Moses recently. It…
Read MoreMy grandmother used to say, ‘Idle hands are the devil’s workshop’ – and while legislators are waiting for the Senate to introduce its budget over in the General Assembly, they’re making a strong case that temptation and too much time on your hands is as deadly a combination as ever: One legislator sponsored a bill to make…
Read MoreThe more you hang around, the more things come back around. Like controversial Dix land transfers and privatizing the Department of Commerce. At the dedication of N.C. State’s new Hunt Library last week, one visitor took note of a Duane Powell cartoon in Governor Hunt’s office. It poked fun at his hotly debated plan…
Read MoreFerrel Guillory & Co. at UNC J-School’s Program on Public Life have taken a discerning deep dive into the 2012 election results – and show why last year reversed the results of 2008 and what lies ahead. The most interesting finding in the latest DataNet report is how Governor McCrory outperformed Mitt Romney among…
Read MoreYou can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. You can rationalize doing what you said you’d never do, but it’s still hypocrisy. To wit, this from Bruce Siceloff in Under the Dome: “During his first campaign for governor in 2008, Republican Pat McCrory hammered his opponent, Bev Perdue, on…
Read MoreA TAPster and Jones Street veteran urges us to remain calm: “Democrats and other doomsayers who believe our state is on the brink of a GOP-led apocalypse should be reassured by encouraging signs from Jones Street. “House leaders used good judgment by making it clear that legislation to establish a state religion was…
Read MoreI admired Roy Parker Jr. so much I almost moved to Fayetteville. Roy, who died this week, was one of North Carolina’s great reporters and editors. He was founding editor of the Fayetteville Times. Back in the 1960s, he was a political reporter at The News & Observer – and a classic newsroom character.…
Read MoreLost in the desert, North Carolina Democrats should learn from scripture and history that you need a Moses to lead you to the Promised Land. In 1948, Kerr Scott led the farmers’ revolt against the bankers and utilities executives who ran things. In 1960, Terry Sanford mobilized the WWII vets against Luther Hodges’ conservatives…
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Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his…
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Does a message about “workers,” “working families” and “working-class voters” really work for Democrats? Or does…
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I’ve resisted the temptation to rail every day about Trump’s cruelty, corruption and incompetence – and…
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