Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
What do Marco Rubio and Larry Hall have in common? They made the mistake of giving their party’s response to the State of the Union and State of the State speeches, respectively. Inevitably, this ends up looking like a hostage tape or the speech given by the leader of space aliens who just invaded…
Read MoreTea Party types must have gone into cardiac arrest last night when Governor McCrory said he’s “kind of an Eisenhower Republican.” Just not as ambitious. Ike built the Interstate highway system; Pat wants to “fix the lights” on the Interstate. And, like Ike, he’s afraid to confront the Joe McCarthys in his party. …
Read MoreLike a bull seeing a red cape Karl Rove lowered his head and horns swinging, charged straight for Cole Porter’s adoring but unhappy wife;— as soon as actress Ashley Judd (who starred in De-Lovely) became a possible Senate candidate in Kentucky Rove had put out an ad out saying, “Ashley Judd’s an Obama-following, Obama-loving, radical…
Read MoreThe Economist newspaper says North Carolina has bid “farewell to purple.” But an article in The New York Times Magazine gives Democrats reason for optimism. The Economist notes: “North Carolina has a Republican governor, a conservative majority on the state Supreme Court and Republicans controlling both legislative chambers.” Plus, Republicans have nine of our…
Read MoreCautiously holding their fingers to the wind most politicians avoid controversies like the plague – but State Auditor Beth Wood, a farm girl who put herself through East Carolina University, has a trait that’s all but extinct in politics: Grit. Last year, after Wood audited the state’s new Medicaid Processing Computer System, she blistered…
Read More“We are being compassionate,” said state Rep. Mike Hager of Rutherfordton. “We have a mindset of pulling…government burden off these small businesses.” Well, that sums it up. Republican compassion is for businesses and corporations, not people. Remember: People aren’t corporations, my friend. First North Carolina Republicans slashed help for people who can’t find…
Read MoreI settled into my chair, rocked back, opened a book, and a few minutes later Obama’s measured voice floated across the room saying John Boehner ought to delay the Sequester, then Obama explained how government ought to do more for people with less and it’s only fair the well off pay a little bit more…
Read MoreAfter receiving a typically enthusiastic introduction from former Governor Jim Hunt Tuesday, Governor McCrory said, “Note to staff: Never have me speak after Jim Hunt again.” Here’s another note he should send them: Know my audience. McCrory was speaking at N.C. State’s Emerging Issues Form on manufacturing. He seemed to think he was…
Read MoreAfter Tea Party candidates rolled to victory in 2010 they headed for Congress to cut spending, and late one night, six months later, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner announced they’d made a deal to pass the biggest annual spending cut in history. Now, two years later, it turns out the cuts were…
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