Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Pat McCrory and Walter Dalton are debating whether North Carolina lost its competitive edge. The question is: Who are we competing with? And is competition just about taxes? Rob Christensen’s N&O story Sunday asked whether we’re still a “Dixie Dynamo.” But some people who work in economic development think that’s too narrow. We’re not…
Read MoreGun rights vs. gun control: Except for race, it is the starkest divide in America today. The Batman killings revived the familiar debate. One side says, “When are we going to do something about the easy availability of guns and bullets in America?” The other says, “If somebody had been packing a gun in…
Read MoreThis presidential campaign has a hint of 1980. A Democratic President is running for reelection in a bad economy. Americans are feeling down. The President’s poll numbers are worrisome. He is criticized as weak and disconnected. The Republican is veteran campaigner who lost the nomination four years ago. He’s attractive, but his record…
Read MoreYears ago, Congress passed a law saying able-bodied people who receive welfare should work for their benefits. That sounded fair. And reasonable. After all, sometimes even the hardest working folks land hard in a place but, when they do, requiring them to work in return for a helping hand is better for everyone. However…
Read MoreThis is why people turn off television news. A couple of weeks ago, Rep. Becky Carney’s miscast vote led to enactment of the fracking bill. This week, WSOC-TV in Charlotte breathlessly reported: “Now, for the first time, Rep. Becky Carney is telling only Channel 9 what went wrong.” Not exactly, WSOC. Rep.…
Read MoreThe Democrats’ treasure chest has vanished. Year after year in elections, Democrats like Jim Hunt and Marc Basnight had war chests brimming with cash. Bev Perdue defeated Pat McCrory last election by outspending him by $7 million. But now the Democrats’ larder is empty. Phil Berger’s outraising Martin Nesbit (Basnight’s Senate heir) seventeen to one…
Read MoreGiven the fiscal cliff facing states, maybe it’s not a bad time for Democrats to let Republicans own Raleigh. Speaker Thom Tillis says Republicans already “own” North Carolina’s economy. If Pat McCrory wins and they keep the House and Senate, they’ll have sole ownership of the state budget. The State Budget Crisis Task…
Read MoreMy friend David Burney (of New Kind and Johnny Folsom Four fame) makes an insightful comment about Mitt Romney’s doomed struggle to separate himself from Bain Capital: “The question as to whether or not he was the active CEO during a specific time when Bain shipped jobs overseas is irrelevant. Romney created a company…
Read MoreOne hundred and eighty thousand people, from Maine to California, contributed to Jesse’s campaign when he defeated Jim Hunt in 1984 and about a month after the election, having dinner with Jesse, Tom Ellis said, “Let’s ask each of ‘em to buy CBS stock – then start a proxy fight to take over CBS.” Jesse…
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