A perpetual state of uncertainty
For the third decade in a row, North Carolina’s election process is being interrupted because a court found redistricting unconstitutional. Republicans blame the court for the disruption but they have nobody to blame but themselves. They drew the dubious districts and...
Perdue redux?
Four years ago, Gov. Bev Perdue announced that she would not be running for re-election. In the midst of the Great Recession, her approval ratings, like those of governors across the country, were in the tank. In addition, her administration was under investigation by...
It’s a shame
Ted Cruz created a firestorm in the days leading up to the Iowa caucuses when he sent out a letter meant to encourage people to go vote. He used a tactic called “social pressure” by some and “shaming” by others. It’s also a tactic that derived from research about what...
PAC man
Campaign finance reports are out. They’re boring reading for most people but they tell a lot about campaigns. Political insiders use them to help decide which campaigns are competitive and which are not. Watchdog groups use them to see which organizations are paying...
The GOP establishment got a win in Iowa
The Iowa Caucuses are over and the presidential primaries are officially underway. The results last night gave shape to the GOP race and altered conventional wisdom. On the Democratic side, not much changed. The winner of the GOP caucus was the Republican...
Seeds of realignment
If you’ve been following the presidential race lately, you’ve probably seen several pundits speculating that Donald Trump is killing the Republican party. Don’t believe it. Something may be attacking the GOP but it’s not The Donald. It’s the people. Donald Trump is to...
Creating a corrupting influence
Charter schools have been making a lot of news lately. It started when Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest decided to bury a report on the schools that was less than favorable. He didn’t like the results so he was going to fish for data that validated his point of...
I’ll show you mine…
The finance reports are coming in. In the governor’s race, incumbent Pat McCrory released what he thought was an impressive haul of $2.6 million dollars only to be outdone by challenger Roy Cooper who raised $2.9 million. McCrory’s spokesperson, Ricky Diaz, lamely...
Trust, transparency, and speaking truth to power
If this election should tell us anything, it’s that Americans have lost trust in their government and lost faith in the political establishment to fix it. Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and Bernie Sanders express the frustrations of average citizens who believe the system is...
Grandfather voting for victims of Jim Crow
The trial over voter ID is in full swing. Republicans say the law protects against voter fraud. Democrats say it’s designed to restrict voting. As for me, I’m not against voter ID on principle, but the law in North Carolina is clearly part of a larger strategy to rig...
