The GOP’s shrinking margin in the suburbs
John Hood recently wrote a curious column about the rise of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Much of it is right. The number of registered Democrats has been shrinking continuously for decades. The number of registered Republicans has been growing. However, the...
back to the future
The electorate and the country are in transition. Politically, we’re in the midst of the most significant realignment in 40 years. Economically, we’re shifting from a manufacturing-based economy to a technology/knowledge-based economy. We are quickly becoming more...
The brewing backlash
Republicans seem to be trying to define themselves as the party of extremes. In state after state, they pass abortion bans that will almost certainly drive a wedge between them and women voters, especially young ones. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis probably just sunk...
There was no conspiracy
There’s a conspiracy theory floating around Democratic circles that Tricia Cotham’s party switch was planned before she got into the race in 2022. Proponents of the theory cite contributions to her campaign by business oriented PACs. They believe she was a “Trojan...
History repeating itself
When Tennessee Republicans expelled two legislators from the Tennessee House of Representatives, they laid bare the problem of having a monolithic party. They claim that the actions were about protocol, not race, but the specter of an all-White body punishing two...
Tennessee racists and other thoughts
I have three things on my mind this morning. The first is the disgraceful display of anti-democratic behavior by the Tennessee GOP. The second is about party switching. The third is the state of North Carolina’s Democratic Party. I’m not sure there’s a common thread,...
Traitor
Rep. Tricia Cotham’s switch from Democrat to Republican tells us a lot about her. First, she clearly lacks any firm political principles, which, in my book, means she lacks character. Second, she probably cut a deal with the GOP to draw her a safe district when they...
The political implications of a Trump indictment in NC
Donald Trump is now under indictment. I understand that we can’t give presidents a pass for committing crimes, but I wish it were for something other than a campaign finance violation from seven years ago. I wish he was being indicted for financial crimes or trying to...
Lying to themselves
Yesterday, the state senate voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of a bill end pistol permits. This morning, the state house will likely do the same. The bill will become law and we’ll have one less tool to keep guns out of the hands of disturbed and dangerous...
The GOP civil war plays out again in NC
State Treasurer Dale Falwell announced he’s running for governor, setting up a Republican primary with Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. In real terms, it’s a race between the reactionary populist GOP of Donald Trump and the Reagan Republicans that dominated the...
