Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Carter Wrenn and I were on WUNC’s Due South this week talking about the decline of civil discourse – and how two adversaries became friends and blogging partners. You can listen here. We told how we met negotiating rules for the debates between Jim Hunt and Jesse Helms. “There was ice in the room,” Carter…
A reader who worked for years as a corporate lobbyist in Raleigh and Washington offers this take on today’s Republican Party: “I read that Trump will unblock funds for critical infrastructure improvements if the Senate minority leader will put Trump’s name on Penn Station and Dulles airport. Trump has said in the past that if…
This is the best move I’ve seen in a while: “Democrats Confront the Party’s Questionnaire-Industrial Complex.” How many hours and how much agony do Democratic campaigns waste responding to multi-page, mind-numbingly detailed interest-group questionnaires loaded with political dynamite? Jonathan Martin reports in Politico that, “Majority Democrats — a group of young Democrats that have won…
Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the history of the planet, is wrecking what used to be one of the greatest newspapers ever – one that held politicians and the powerful to account. He laid off 300 of the 800 journalists at The Washington Post. He “decimated the organization’s sports, local news and…
I wasn’t surprised when the N&O reported that a new poll found Trump’s approval rating in North Carolina has fallen to 41% – with 48% disapproving. I was surprised by this about the High Point University poll: “And if you’re wondering the political makeup of those polled, 35% consider themselves Republicans, 28% Democrats and 32%…
Democrats’ drive to abolish ICE is understandable, but not smart politics. It could hurt us as much as “defund the police” did. Trump won in 2024, in part, because voters thought President Biden and Democrats were too soft on illegal immigration. Now, people think Trump is too harsh. “Abolish ICE” lets Republicans off the hook…
Trump thought he’d win political points by inciting protests and violence in Minnesota. But the brutality and overreaction of ICE stormtroopers is backfiring on him. Resistance is rising – among the American people and even among Republican politicians. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis called for “a thorough and impartial investigation” into the shooting Saturday of…
For a quarter century, Bob Phillips championed better government, fair elections and healthy democracy. He retired last month after 25 years as executive director of Common Cause in North Carolina – building one of the biggest, most active and most effective state chapters in the country. Never flashy or addicted to the spotlight, Bob labored…
Will 2026 be a celebration of 250 years of independence – or a reprise of the violent revolution that began our nation? It’s clear – from every poll and every recent election – that, after just one year, most voters are done with Trump and ready for change. It’s also clear that Trump is determined…
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…
A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…