Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
The Department of Health and Human Services has to be my favorite part of state government – it’s the perfect blend of bungling, chicanery and politics all built on a foundation of good intentions. Over the past year Secretary Lanier Cansler – who’s sort of a combination of Fagan and Houdini – has been…
Back in the old days in political campaigns there were usually three ‘voices’ talking to voters. Today there’re more voices than anyone can count. For instance, back in 1984 when Jesse Helms ran against Jim Hunt the three ‘Voices’ voters heard were Helms,’ Hunt’s, and the press. Twenty-six years later we’re in the middle…
Conventional wisdom is that runoffs are hurtful. Not always. Elaine Marshall’s runoff helped her. Helped her especially with her most important target right now: the national fundraising community. If Cunningham hadn’t called for a runoff, doubts would have lingered about Marshall’s electability. As in: “She couldn’t even get 40 percent against a…
Thirty five years ago when our current Mayor Charles Meeker migrated from Washington to Raleigh our local “Progressive’ politicians – and the Mayor joined their camp – were laboring mightily to give birth to the ‘New South.’ A generation later the ‘Progressives’ had triumphed: The old fogey southern WASP’s had been routed and whatever…
The Powers That Be on the WakeCounty school board are once again demonstrating their fatal flaw: They pick needless fights. What is the sense of this fight over changing the name of EnloeHigh School? Clearly, it’s payback – and spite. If Margiotta and Tedesco were bigger men – and real leaders –…
General Stanley McChrystal and his hard-driving team probably didn’t say anything about their civilian bosses that military leaders haven’t always said about their civilian bosses. McChrystal & Co. just said it in front of a reporter. From Rolling Stone, no less. No wonder these guys can’t catch Osama. McChrystal never quite hit…
Carter and I taped WRAL’s “On the Record” today for airing Saturday night at 7 p.m. Or you can watch it on the station’s website. We were with anchor Bill Leslie and WUNC radio’s Laura Leslie (no relation to Bill). The topic, of course, was Tuesday’s runoffs and the November elections.
A while back President Obama’s administration was giving cell phones to people on welfare and, now, State Senator Doug Berger has sponsored a bill to have the “E-NC Authority” provide broadband Internet service to the same folks. It is unclear how hard-pressed welfare recipients will get computers. Senator Berger’s bill may be seen as…
Raleigh is reviving an old Southern trait: We don’t cotton to outside agitators invading paradise and stirring up folks. First my old friend Grady Jefferys wrote a provocative piece in the N&O complaining about “big city” ideas ruining old Raleigh. This week, after losing his Republican congressional primary, Bernie Reeves lamented that we’re…
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…