Remembering McCrory
Almost exactly a year ago, Pat McCrory, on camera, said he didn’t “see a need” to transfer the SBI from the Department of Justice to the Department of Public Safety. In fact, he said, nobody had “presented the argument” and that he had “enough on my plate.” What a...
Delusions of grandeur
Last week, Kay Hagan responded to an offer by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters to host a debate by accepting their proposal and urging Thom Tillis to do so, too. In her letter, she encouraged Tillis and his campaign to agree to a debate schedule “worthy...
On the backs of the children, the sick and the elderly
Well, the senate decided to give teachers a real raise. Unfortunately, they decided to make children, the sick and the elderly pay for it. It’s clear now that the raise is intended to take a political issue off the table instead of helping to make our public schools...
The difference between Moral Mondays and the Democratic Party? William Barber
There have been a flurry of stories trying to interpret the impact of Moral Monday protests and several have implied that they are a tool of the Democratic Party. That’s incorrect. The Moral Monday movement is an issue-based campaign that has roots going back several...
Sideshow Pat
In the credit-where-credit-is-due department, the state senate should get accolades for the teacher pay plan it’s introducing today. Whether you agree with all of it or not, it’s a serious proposal that significantly increases pay while offering flexibility aimed at...
With the VA, Burr is throwing Tillis a political football
I’m not quite sure what Richard Burr is up to. He chose Memorial Day weekend to start a fight with veterans’ groups. He did it in an “open letter” so obviously he knew what he was doing. In a state like North Carolina with a huge veteran population and one of the most...
Musings on poverty, race, class, and politics
A few years ago, Thom Tillis told an audience in Madison County that Republicans need to get the deserving poor to “look down on” those who "choose" poverty. He says, "We may end up taking care of those babies, but we’re not going to take care of you.” He called it a...
Mayor McCrory missing in action
As the legislature went back into session last week, Pat McCrory said that he was going to be more aggressive this year. He must have meant more aggressive in avoiding the press. So far, the governor has been missing in action. The legislature got off to a bang. The...
PoliticsNC’s social media primer
Earlier this week, I wrote a piece mocking Thom Tillis’ twitter remarks. Tillis periodically posts stupid comments on twitter that are usually all about him or all about his perception of his Senate race. That said, Tillis is far from the only politician who doesn't...
“The Carolina Comeback:” statistics vs. personal reality
Republicans in Raleigh have a problem with their storyline. They keep insisting that North Carolina is on a “Carolina Comeback” but nobody’s feeling the benefits--except the rich. They cite falling unemployment numbers but those are just statistics and don’t reflect...
