Extraordinary women
Yesterday reminded me that African-American women have had a powerful impact on our society and yet they’ve often been overlooked. Two North Carolina women who left a legacy of service and community passed away this week. Both beat the odds to live the lives they...
NC-08 moves up in the rankings
In North Carolina, races in the 9th and 13th Congressional districts have gotten most of the attention. Several prognosticators have called NC-09 a toss-up after Republican incumbent Robert Pittenger lost his primary to Mark Harris. Harris starts the race more than a...
The men behind the curtain
To look at GOP graphs explaining public education funding, you’d think that the legislature didn’t start paying for public schools until 2008. Every one begins with a downward trend for two years and then a dramatic upswing when Republicans took control. Like Oz the...
Stay on message
Democrats have the right message on education and they need to stick with it. North Carolina is 37th in teacher pay and 39thin per pupil spending. Republicans in Raleigh let our public schools down, denying them text books, supplies and support staff. Instead, they’ve...
A preview of the fall election
The rally in Raleigh tomorrow may be a preview to the general election campaign this fall. Both sides are trying to shape public perception of the protest and score political points. And both sides have dramatically different interpretations of the event. Republicans...
Democrats are better for teachers and schools
On Wednesday, educators will greet legislators returning for the short session with a massive rally. Organizers say the protest might exceed 10,000 teachers and school districts across the state are canceling classes. North Carolina teachers are following in the...
Now, that’s a Democratic budget
Roy Cooper released a budget yesterday that clearly outlines Democratic priorities. Republicans say it’s dead on arrival. Maybe so, but it sure sets up a fight in an election year. Cooper is betting that the priorities in his budget mirror the priorities of the state....
Women have reshaped the Democratic Party
Primaries are over in North Carolina and the race that gets national attention is the Republican primary in NC-09 where Mark Harris upset incumbent Robert Pittenger in a rematch from 2016. Pittenger is the first Republican Congressional incumbent of the year to lose...
Rigging academia
For years conservatives have complained that liberals are controlling our colleges and universities, especially public ones, and squashing academic freedom. Now, it turns out that private donors are using their money to exert influence over the administration of...
Why money matters
We’re in the final days before the primary elections end. We’ve got more contested Congressional, legislative and municipal primaries than at any time in recent memory, yet turnout is likely to be very low. No heated contest at the top of the ticket is driving anybody...
