Thom Tillis should just go away
Thom Tillis really just needs to go away. Six months after being elected to the Senate, his approval ratings are in the tank. As long as he stays in the public eye, they aren’t going to get much better. But Tillis can’t help himself. He’s drawn to cable news shows...
Time for Blue?
The 2016 US Senate race in North Carolina is still making top ten lists despite Democrats not having a candidate. State Treasurer Janet Cowell effectively took her name out of consideration last week when she announced she was running for re-election. Kay Hagan says...
Layers of hypocrisy
Many years ago, when I was young, impatient and impulsive, (as opposed to now when I’m old, impatient and impulsive) I threw a hammer in a fit of frustration. Unfortunately, I threw it straight into a clothesline and the clothesline threw it back. The claw hit me in...
Lost causes
The legislature and Pat McCrory might be dumping the religious freedom bill but Lt. Governor Dan Forest isn’t. He’s taking up the lost cause and launching a lobby day out of his office tomorrow. Forest is working hard to become the champion of the social conservatives...
The death of the religious freedom bill signals new political realities
The religious freedom bill in North Carolina is dead for this session. It’s demise is a testament to how far and how fast views have changed on LGBT rights. We also saw three trends that will play out in North Carolina in coming years. First, the LGBT community has...
The perils of hollow rhetoric
Volvo took a pass on North Carolina. John Wynne’s smart analysis gets to the heart of the matter. Companies want certainty and the in-fighting between Pat McCrory, the Senate and the House leaves them wary of locating here. And, as John notes, McCrory needs a big...
Happy Earth Day, Solar Bees
Republicans love to complain about government boondoggles, perpetually deriding government waste and lack of accountability. A few years ago, one of their favorite sources of ridicule was money spent on the Teapot Museum in Sparta, NC. Now, the GOP is pushing to...
Time for real reform addressing real issues
The Supreme Court sent North Carolina’s legislative and Congressional districts back the State Supreme Court for review. Both sides are jockeying for position. Democrats say the districts are about to be redrawn. Republicans claim that the districts will ultimately be...
For-profit Pat
Contrary to what many, if not most voters believe, most people enter elected office with the intention of doing good. They genuinely want to make a difference in how government works and serves the citizens. And most never change. They serve their terms and then...
State of uncertainty
Republicans were caught off guard by the response to the so-called religious freedom bills in Indiana and Arkansas. Businesses, large corporations in particular, rebuked leaders for supporting the thinly-veiled anti-LGBT legislation. In both states, the governors had...
