Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
George Bush ran as a “compassionate conservative” but hasn’t governed that way – until it came to immigration reform. But his own party is having none of his compassion toward immigrants. By voting 38-18 against his immigration bill, Senate Republicans officially certified Bush as a lame duck President. This is no surprise. Republicans reverted to…
Read MoreDemocrats must have a cadre of people working “round the clock” to find ways to skirt the state Ethics Laws. Take this example. Lobbyists in North Carolina for Time Warner Cable – just to pick an example mentioned in The News and Observer – are banned from contributing to Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue’s campaign for…
Read MoreHere’s a peculiar poll. And a good example why – if you’re a candidate – depending on polls is more reliable than depending on your instincts. John McLaughlin and Associates, a respected Republican pollster, reports Fred Thompson has gained nine points on Rudy Giuliani since April. Giuliani dropped from 28% to 24%. Thompson rose from…
Read MoreThe pro-immigration camp, politically, is small. It’s only 10-20% of the voters. They are mostly liberals though not all liberals – by any means – support the President’s plan to legalize twelve million illegal immigrants. The anti-immigration camp is huge. Roughly 70% of the voters. They are primarily Republicans and conservatives. But not entirely. Many…
Read MoreHere’s another unusual footnote from eastern North Carolina. After ten years – and $1.2 million of taxpayers’ money – government officials still haven’t proved a shipwreck buried in the mud in Beaufort Inlet belonged to Blackbeard the pirate. The problem, they say, is lack of money. Now, how much would it be worth to prove…
Read MoreHere’s a really outrageous story. The head of the northeastern North Carolina Regional Mental Health Agency’s salary is: $319,000 a year (Charlotte Observer, 06-03-07). Plus a $1000 a month car allowance. Of course, the Governor only makes a fraction of that – as does the head of the much bigger Mecklenburg County Mental Health Agency…
Read MoreIt looked for a while like disgraced ex-speaker Jim Black might have stolen a march on Hanging Judge Jim Dever. But Dever taught Black and his lawyers a lesson in the law and politics. Black’s lawyers asked Dever to recuse himself from sentencing. The N&O said they “argued that Dever, a Republican and former Raleigh…
Read MoreAre the “netroots” the Democrats’ Moral Majority? The Internet-powered antiwar left gives the Democrats grassroots energy, just like religious fundamentalists have for the Republicans since 1980. But the netroots can be dictatorial and extreme, like the Religious Right. Here’s how powerful they are: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid both were afraid to buck them on…
Read MoreThere are three sides in the debate on immigration. The liberals. The conservatives. And what I will call Wall Street. The crux of the difference between liberals and conservatives is assimilation. Liberals believe immigration is humanitarian and immigrants will assimilate like the Irish, Italians, and Germans assimilated. Millions of new immigrants won’t reject our culture,…
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