The Art of politics
A few months ago, I wrote a blog that said progressives should stop focusing on Art Pope and start focusing on rebuilding their party. Since then, I’ve started to write follow up blogs to clarify what I meant. Yesterday, an article called “How Art Pope killed clean...
Fix it
The March for Innovation, a pro-immigration reform group, launched a North Carolina campaign today, hashtag #iMarch. I'm proud to support them. It's time to get this done. Personally, I think taco trucks are reason enough to pass comprehensive immigration...
Foul ball
Something is wrong with the McCrory communications shop. They’ve managed to turn a one day story into a week-long saga that is now being called “ball-gate.” This is a self-inflicted PR disaster. On Monday, the governor got caught playing catch at the same time a group...
Insider baseball
It’s been a great week for baseball in North Carolina. On Sunday, N. C. State secured a place at the College World Series in Omaha. Yesterday, UNC beat South Carolina to join the Wolfpack. And on Monday, Governor Pat McCrory played catch outside the capital. The...
Then they laugh at you…
What do Bashar al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi and Pat McCrory all have in common? They each blamed protests against their governments on “outsiders.” When leaders make absurd comments like these, it’s hard to know whether they are just living in a bubble believing their...
Religious awakening
It’s appropriate that the News & Observer’s tribute to Will Campbell is on the same day that clergy lead the Moral Monday protests. Brother Will would have approved. As a preacher during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ‘60s, he supported sit-ins and...
What happened to North Carolina
If you're interested in what has happened to North Carolina politically, you should read the article by Chris Kromm and Sue Sturgis that lays out a more comprehensive version of the state of things in the Old North State. Over the past six months, pundits,...
Recovery comparison: MN vs. NC
In the summer of 2007, I drove across a bridge in Minneapolis that spanned the Mississippi river. It was slow going because road construction narrowed it to one lane in each direction. Less than 24 hours after I crossed, the bridge fell into the river killing 13...
There’s no “there” there
A friend of mine this morning noted that he’s worked in three administrations and that administrations tend to reflect the personalities of their leader. The Hunt administration, like Hunt himself, moved non-stop, trying to get things done. The Easley administration,...
McCrory: The Rodney Dangerfield of governors
Instead of rejecting civil disobedience as “unacceptable,” maybe Pat McCrory should join the protests. The protesters object to having their concerns and grievances routinely ignored by the GOP majority in the legislature. But, hey, they’re just treating the general...
