What we can learn from North Carolina’s political IQ
Last week, Elon University released one of the more interesting and informative polls for political nerds like me. They tested North Carolinians political knowledge. They asked people if they could identify their elected officials, which party controls the...
What a bad idea
In December, the Federal Communications Commission voted to end net neutrality. Conservatives hailed it as a victory for the free market since it removed regulations that prevented internet providers from charging more for certain content or denying access to other...
A good problem for Democrats
The number of grassroots groups popping up and supporting progressive causes and candidates is staggering. They’ve got a slew of names and they probably overlap in activities. The common goal, though, is to elect Democrats in November—or at least ending Republican...
At least Rubio showed up
We should applaud Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He showed up at a townhall meeting hosted by CNN, aired on national television, in front of an audience he had to know would be hostile to many of his positions. Some would say that he was only doing his job. In today’s...
When #MeToo meets #NeverAgain
Political pundits and analysts have focused on the potential of a wave election this year. Donald Trump’s numbers are in the tank, the generic ballot favors Democrats, Republicans have few real accomplishments despite controlling the federal government and Democrats...
No easy fixes to gun violence
The legislature is forming a new committee to consider how to keep our schools more safe. Among the considerations is arming teachers. Speaker Tim Moore made sure to emphasize that no decisions have been made about what to do and that a lot of options are on the...
Guns are part of the culture wars that conservatives are losing
In watching the division that plagues so much of our politics, it seems each side has had some victories, meaning each side has had some losses. The liberals have generally won the culture wars over reproductive health and sexual orientation and identity....
A newfound voice of outrage
The horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida, is bringing out the cultural divide that mars our politics but it also shows the shift that’s happening in our country. On one side state Rep. Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County expressed sentiments that many people see...
Mass shootings show how broken our political system is
I wish I could say I’m shocked to be writing about another mass shooting, but I’m not. In fact, I expect to be writing about another one in a few months. I just hope it’s not a few weeks. This time, it’s another school shooting. A troubled 19 year old killed 17 of his...
What the Trump Republican party stands for
For eight years, Republicans told us that deficits and debt were too big a threat for more government spending. Even when the Recession was at its worst and businesses and people were losing money, the GOP balked at stimulus spending proposed by Obama and the...
