Beware litmus tests
Back in 2005, I went to work for a woman running as an independent for the House of Delegates in Virginia. She had been a lifelong Republican and had a wall of fame in her house with photos of her and every major Republican figure since Richard Nixon. She was running...
Binker
I would be remiss if I wrote another blog post about North Carolina politics without first talking about Mark Binker. Mark was a reporter who covered politics in the state for the past dozen years. He was as much a part of the political dynamic here as the politicians...
Fundamentals favor Democrats in 2018
If ever somebody was interested in running for office as a Democrat, 2018 would be a good year to take a chance. Nothing is guaranteed in politics and in today’s world of hyper gerrymandering, winning an election often takes a wave. Early indications suggest such a...
Repeal and replace and repeat
Republicans have really gotten themselves into a mess with their pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. They’ve already suffered an embarrassing defeat when they tried to repeal it earlier this month and had to withdraw the bill. Now, they’ve got a...
Cringe-worthy crossover bills
Crossover and the end of session are when bad things happen in the legislature. This week is crossover, the period in the legislative session where any bill must have passed at least one chamber to stay alive. Bills are flying, people are tired and shenanigans are...
The terrorists among us
Last week, Noah Rothman wrote a piece in Commentary Magazine that blasted the press and police for refusing to call out Islamic terrorism in an attack in Fresno, California. After a man shouting Islamic slogans killed three people, police ridiculously said, “We do not...
Political plundering
The tribalism affecting our politics has harmed the process as much as it has skewed the issues. Republicans in control of government are using any means possible to rig the political system while reducing accountability. Nowhere do we see this more than in North...
Obamacare repeal, take two
It seems the so-called “repeal-and-replace” bill for Obamacare is still alive. A few weeks ago, Republicans in Congress embarrassed themselves by failing to implement the issue they told voters was their top priority. Most observers thought the issue was dead, at...
Craft brewers vs. Big Beer
Back during World War II, the US Army held military exercises called maneuvers in Anson County. My grandfather had a peach farm in Lilesville and also held the franchise for several brands of beer. The Army contracted with him to turn one of his packhouses into a PX....
Passing the buck on school funding
Republicans in the North Carolina legislature are trying to reconfigure how public schools are funded in the state. The constitution says that school funding is the responsibility of the state, but the GOP wants to pass the buck to local government. To do it, they’re...
