The theocracy of Dan Forest
Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, a leader of North Carolina’s pro-adultery wing of the evangelical movement, called politics the “religion of the left.” That’s pretty ironic coming from the party that put an amendment on the ballot to prevent marriage equality based on...
Happy Tax Day!
Tax Day reminds us that the GOP has two conflicting talking points on taxes. On the one hand, they like to tell us that cutting taxes puts more money into the pockets of working people. On the other, they like to remind us that 50% of the people don’t pay federal...
North Carolina is again the state to watch
Even without a high-profile governor’s race or US Senate contest, North Carolina is once again on the national radar screen. At a conference of political consultants in Nashville last week, a DCCC staffer told an audience that North Carolina is the state to watch. The...
Five years of PoliticsNC
Five years ago, in April 2013, I launched PoliticsNC with the help of Amanda Underwood, my long-time graphic designer and web developer. I started it out of frustration. With veto proof majorities in the legislature and a Republican governor for the first time in 20...
Separate but equal redux
North Carolina is back in the news for GOP attempts to reverse the progress that the state has made over the past 50 years. This time, a Bloomberg article highlights attempts to re-segregate our public schools. The GOP is considering ways to breakup county-wide school...
The fireworks in NC-09
On Friday, Dan McCready will be the Democratic nominee. If he’s not, the district will fall back to safe Republican. McCready launched his campaign a year ago and has proven his ability to both raise money and put together an organization. He fits the district, too....
Democrats claim momentum, Republicans appear to agree
Democrats are preparing for a big year and Republicans are conceding that November could be rough for them this year. At a press conference in March, a Democratic strategist laid out an optimistic scenario for legislative races in North Carolina. Meanwhile,...
Defined by race
In response to an opinion piece by Michael Jacobs in today's News & Observer. Dear Mr. Jacobs, I agree with you. I have no idea why the News & Observer would ask somebody who relies on straw men and hyperbole to write a monthly column. Like you, I don’t like...
North Carolina at the time of King’s death
Fifty years ago today, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. He was only 39 years old but had won the Nobel Peace Prize and was probably already the most famous African American in U.S. history. His death cemented his legacy and reputation as one of the...
Tariffs, hog farms and Republicans
The hog industry has always had a contentious existence in North Carolina. It moved to the state in the early 1990s when regulations in Midwestern states sent the growers looking for new territory. North Carolina was ripe for picking. The tobacco industry was dying...
