Putting larger values before smaller victories
Yesterday, Christianity Today, an evangelical magazine founded by North Carolinian Billy Graham, came out in support of Donald Trump’s removal from office, calling his behavior “profoundly immoral.” Editor-in-chief Mark Galli sharply criticized Democrats for the...
Meadows won’t run again
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives voted to impeach the president. This morning, we awoke to find that US Representative Mark Meadows, one of Donald Trump’s chief defenders, is not seeking re-election. Meadows was once chair of the Freedom Caucus, a group of...
Supply slide economics
Back in 1980, Jimmy Carter oversaw an economy crippled by stagflation. Unemployment was high and so was inflation. The loss of the Vietnam War was still stinging the national psyche when a group of Iranian students invaded the US Embassy in Tehran and took Americans...
A tale of two impeachments
This week, the US House of Representatives will almost certainly vote to impeach the president. Almost 21 years ago to the day, the House voted to impeach then-President Bill Clinton. The News & Observer has a good article that compares the two cases. Back in the...
Dueling emails and the budget impasse
Over the past couple of weeks, the candidates for governor have been emailing state employees about legislative business. First, Governor Roy Cooper emailed principals asking them to share an "open letter" with employees about the lack of a state budget and, hence, no...
Punching back
Last week, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi caused a stir by firing back at questioners who asked inappropriate and misinformed questions. Both got a strong response from supporters. Democrats want more pushback, not less. They’re looking for fighters to take on the brawler...
Biden and the political realignment
Joe Biden may be a transitional figure to a much broader, more centrist and more dominant party. Conservatives disaffected by Donald Trump seem to be warming to his candidacy. They’ve been some of his main defenders against attacks on Biden from the left. Pundits and...
The BOG’s odd foil
At first blush, attorney Greg Doucette seems an odd foil for the Republicans running the UNC Board of Governors. In 2016, he was the GOP nominee for a state senate seat in Durham. He’s spent most of his life involved in Republican politics even though he’s now...
The 17th amendment and gerrymandering
Now that the Congressional districts have been settled we know one thing for almost certain: all of the races will be decided in March. Short of a tectonic shift in our politics, Republicans will hold eight seats and Democrats five. The makeup of our Congressional...
The GOP exodus has begun
In an extraordinary move, three members of the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners announced that they are leaving the Republican Party. One, David Guice, is a former state representative and Page Lemel’s father, Bill Ives, served as a Republican legislator...
