Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
America’s biggest problem is the economy. So, of course, national politics plunges into culture wars – or, more like, sex wars. I guess it’s because Republicans in Congress and Rick Santorum just can’t resist the lure of legislating morality. And maybe it’s because people know more about sex than about the economy. …
Last week when I was standing in the back of the bookstore my cousin Winifred, who’s past eighty and pure steel magnolia, walked through the doorway and made a beeline straight to me and snapped, Were you at that convention? Last week at the Republican convention the Chairman, Susan Bryant, called Bev Perdue was…
Maybe you think the legislature ought to cut taxes and spending a lot more. Or maybe you don’t like legislators requiring vaginal ultrasounds for women. Tough – for about 2 in 5 voters. John Frank of the N&O reported: “Nearly a quarter of the state legislature won re-election Wednesday without a single…
An eagle-eyed reader caught a typo on my blog “The Democratic Field” on the governor’s race. The first paragraph should have read: “Dan Blue’s decision NOT to run didn’t surprise many Democrats. They had seen him do this dance before.” I had left out “not.” As an old copy editor, I’m embarrassed. Not.…
My cousin Spencer sat down, opened the newspaper, stared at the headline and landed in a world where old white WASP’s (like him) are dinosaurs. Being a historian by avocation Spencer set about studying the collapse of WASPdom; at first he figured immigration (not modern immigration but old-fashioned immigration back in the 1820’s and…
In almost every any conversation about the Democratic governor’s race, somebody says something like: “Walter Dalton is a nice guy, but …. “ What follows “but…” is generally a variation of, well … “dull.” Not “dull” as in “not bright.” But “dull” as in “not exciting.” You’d think his name is Walter Dullton. …
Dan Blue’s decision to run didn’t surprise many Democrats. They had seen him do this dance before. Bob Etheridge’s decision to run did surprise a few. They think he is hurt by the “loser” tag, the “who are you?” video and consequent difficulties raising money. But he’s ahead in the polls, so why not…
The John William Pope Foundation took issue with my recent blog “Reading Ayn Rand.” I’m always flattered that the Pope people read my blogs and think they’re important enough to take issue with, so I’m happy to post their comments. Note, however, that there is nothing here to change my basic point: The best way…
I hope North Carolina Republicans get to do this year what North Carolina Democrats did in 2008: decide their party’s presidential race. Obama clinched the nomination when he won North Carolina’s primary, according to none less than the late Tim Russert of NBC. So I’m pulling for Rick Santorum to win tonight –…
The political sniping began even as chaos still reigned at the White House Correspondents Dinner. My…
A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…
Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…