Politics in a purple state
Today, The Washington Post asked if Kay Hagan can get away with taking more progressive positions than her colleagues in other Red States, noting that Hagan supported background checks and gay marriage. The short answer is yes. But it’s more than just taking risky...
Branding Problems, Part II: The Bully State
“I’m the Senator. You’re the citizen. You need to be quiet.” State Senator Tommy Tucker (R-Waxhaw) “You’re OK with (drug users) getting federal dollars if they’ve had a doobie and get the munchies and need more food stamps? Sit down.” Sen. Tucker, again Sen....
The Daily Read: Taxation: Guiding Principles
Over at BlueNC, James Protzman offers some guiding principles for tax reform. When Dan Forest takes the stage this afternoon to read what Art Pope and AFP wrote for him, you'll hear a lot of happy talk about tax simplification and economic growth. Some of it...
Maybe I’m wrong. The GOP gift to Democrats
Last week, I wrote a blog post that basically said Democrats can’t rely on education as the single issue to lead their party out of the wilderness. This week, I’m thinking maybe I’m wrong. Bills being introduced by Republican legislators, the headlines that accompany...
Fighting words
The budget is not even out and two major legislative fights are already brewing. The first is the governor’s proposal to privatize Medicaid and the second is Rep. Skip Stam’s proposal to use school vouchers. The success of both measures depend on the willingness of...
How “broken” is Medicaid?
Rose Hoban at North Carolina Health News convincingly takes on the notion that Medicaid is broken by interviewing the experts. Since January, state officials have maintained that North Carolina Medicaid is “broken.” Last month, Gov. Pat McCrory proposed an...
A gut shot
George W. Bush once said that he governed from the gut. He sounded tough and a lot of people liked that he didn’t let all those pesky facts get in the way. It wasn’t until we found ourselves mired in two wars and a crumbling economy that we realized his instincts were...
Moffitt’s profits
State Representative Tim Moffitt is certainly an industrious guy. In his first term in office, he introduced a bill to steal Asheville's water system. This year, he may get it. Now, he has launched a new media consulting firm to provide his colleagues with a way to...
In North Carolina, Big Brother as a big bully
Originally published on April 1, 2013. Often, when people talk about Big Government, we think of George Orwell’s Big Brother: controlling, manipulative and sinister. In North Carolina, though, Big Brother is more like Biff Tannen, the bully from Back to the Future:...
Wrong side of history…again
Today, I need to thank Gary Pearce for his kind words about this new venture, PoliticsNC. Talking About Politics, the blog Gary writes with Republican consultant Carter Wrenn, provided the inspiration and motivation to get this project up and moving. Thanks, Gary....
