A cultural tug-of-war
Republicans in North Carolina are trying to put the divisive social issues that have harmed their electoral fortunes behind them--or so it seems. While Florida passed a bill preventing transgender girls from playing on female sports teams and West Virginia signed a...
The frontrunner
Well, it’s on now. Former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Cheri Beasley announce her candidacy for U. S. Senate. The announcement wasn’t a surprise but her entry changes the dynamic of the race. She starts as a clear frontrunner. The primary is...
A tranformative day
Yesterday was a big one in North Carolina. We awoke to news that Apple is going to build a new campus in Wake County and then, in the afternoon, we learned, as expected, the state will get an additional Congressional seat. We increased our reputation as an economic...
Poll: Immigration offers opportunity to Democrats
Joe Biden is enjoying strong approval ratings as he approaches the end of his first 100 days in office. He has broad support for his approach to the most pressing issues, the economy and the pandemic. The one place he has problems is immigration. Voters want solutions...
Getting back to normal
Right now, we feel like we’re on the cusp of getting back to normal after more than a year of pandemic restraint. First, though, we need to get to herd immunity and the biggest obstacle to reaching that goal is vaccine skepticism. Too many people believe the vaccine...
The beginning of a new chapter in the history of American Justice?
George Floyd’s death came in the midst of a pandemic when months of lockdown left tensions high and nerves frayed. Just weeks before, the world learned of the killing of unarmed Ahmaud Arbery by three White men in Georgia. The video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on...
Free market realignment
Governor Roy Cooper joined Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in organizing a letter from prominent current and former elected officials calling on big businesses to speak out against voter suppression laws. They assembled a bipartisan group that included several...
Solutions, not slogans
In the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden’s inauguration, I felt a sense of relief. The rage tweeting and childish name-calling that defined the Trump presidency were over. The government was again functioning more rationally and less chaotically as career public...
Take the money and run
Rep. Graig Meyer and Senator Jay Chaudhuri have introduced bills to legalize marijuana in North Carolina. It’s about time. Prohibition sucks up money for needed law enforcement, supports drug cartels and organized crime, clogs our court system, and has resulted in...
To rule, not govern
In one of the best tweets I’ve seen recently, former Eric Holder speechwriter Jake Maccoby said, “The GOP got called out by baseball, NASCAR and the NFL and they think Dems are out of touch.” Republicans are a party of bullies who see themselves as a party of...
