McCrory’s referendum on HB2
If Pat McCrory wanted to make this election a referendum on HB2, last night he got his wish. The NCAA announced that it was pulling championship games out of North Carolina, including the opening round of the NCAA basketball tournament. Stripping away the NBA All-star...
Field matters
Hillary Clinton has opened at least 30 field offices in North Carolina. Donald Trump has not opened any. Republicans downplay the discrepancy by saying they’ve been knocking on doors and making calls and don’t need bricks-and-mortar space. According to one reporter,...
Flailing
Pat McCrory is starting to flail. It’s not pretty when incumbents realize that they are trailing and time is running out. They start looking for something—anything—to change the dynamic of the race. In the final throes of her loss in 2008, Sen. Elizabeth Dole accused...
Two steps forward, one step back
For a brief period following the Civil War and Reconstruction, African-Americans enjoyed voting rights similar to those of white people. They elected mayors, legislators, and even Congressmen. They were all Republicans because Lincoln freed the slaves. By the end of...
Honestly, folks
New York Time’s columnist Paul Krugman worries that Hillary Clinton is going to get “Gored.” In the 2000 election, Al Gore was defeated by innuendo and perceptions rather than facts. Voters believed that he was less than sincere while George Bush was the type of guy...
Actions speak louder than words
“A review of these documents shows that North Carolina GOP leaders launched a meticulous and coordinated effort to deter black voters.” The Washington Post, 9/2/16 The Washington Post’s expose’ on the voter suppression law passed by Republicans in North Carolina...
Protesting too much
If you want to get a good laugh, go read the GOP response to the nonpartisan redistricting exercise that Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Common Cause put together. Quite clearly, Republicans are upset that somebody exposed how badly they rigged the system....
Cold turkey
Regardless of whether they were Democrats, Republicans, or some other party, conservatives in this country have been consistently wrong on matters of race for the entire history of our nation. They opposed ending slavery when our Founding Fathers wrote the...
One to watch
I don’t usually write about legislative races but one has caught my attention. I’m a sucker for long shots where good candidates compete against long odds. To me, these are the races that make politics exciting. The race is in N. C. House District 67 in Stanly and...
Accommodation
If you want to see the forces that created Donald Trump, watch North Carolina. In 2013, the GOP took over control of state government. Almost immediately, the forces of reaction that had been kept in check for almost 50 were unleashed. Instead of trying to temper...
