Will Phil Berger’s Reign Ever Come to An end?
Senator Phil Berger's titanic stature in the tiny world of N.C. politics has clearly gone to his head. A whale shark in a backyard pool, he wields his clout with no compunction toward the abuses that have long infuriated critics. Berger sees his rule as eternal, his...
Candidates for a new political age
One of the most fascinating aspects of politics right now is the political realignment happening in the country. The non-college, white working class that was a staple of the Democratic Party for most of the 20th century has shifted toward the GOP. The college...
The Hypocritical Authoritarianism of the Anti-Healthcare Right
Pat McCrory auditioned for the role of right-wing pugilist by headlining anti-Obamacare rallies. With the bitterness of a Tax-Revolt activist, he decried the intrusion of liberal meddlers into the private space of American healthcare. Could you imagine if healthcare...
The casino scheme is dead, but it showed unprecedented arrogance
Under pressure from both parties, the Republican leadership released their hostage yesterday afternoon. Medicaid will pass this session. Casinos won’t. After months of delay, the GOP has a budget that will likely get the governor’s signature. The hold up was an...
The Meaning of Vivek Ramaswamy
Yearning for deliverance from a decade's worth of radicalism, observers sometimes try to imagine a functional GOP. The party they foresee tends to blend free markets with multiracial inclusion to create a moderate, modern Right. This is a pleasant thought, and it...
Catering to corruption
This weekend, the Texas Senate, dominated by MAGA Republicans, acquitted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of corruption charges despite overwhelming evidence. The Texas Speaker of the House, who is also a Republican, blasted the decision saying the house “produced...
Are we the baddies
Yesterday, in response to a gun threat on UNC campus, Republican House Speaker Tim Moore suggested that the legislature should remove the gun-free status on college campuses. Earlier in the week, GOP Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was removed from a...
The Conservative Counterattack on Young People IS An Effort to Ensure Minority Rule
Lockdown, a word most often associated with prisons, has become commonplace on college campuses. The horror struck UNC again on Wednesday when law enforcement reported concerns that an armed person may have carried a gun in the Student Union. State troopers with...
From porn to impeachment, a lot is happening this week
What week for politics—and it’s only Wednesday. I’ll cover impeachment, a budget held hostage by casino interests, and a new candidate for governor. But first, I need to tackle the important stuff. Up in Virginia, a Democrat running for the state house of...
Ruminations on the Governor’s Race
This North Carolina governor's race will be fraught with drama. With a starker divide between the two likely nominees than the state has seen in modern history, a victory for either the Democrat or the Republican could reverberate across the Tar Heel state for a...
Wedge issues
Today is the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. For me, today’s not just a remembrance for those who died, but a recognition of a before and after period, like December 7 was for the generation that lived during attack on Pearl Harbor. The 1990s seems like a pretty...
Freedom Conservatives
First, a nonpartisan public service announcement: Yield does not mean stop. It does not mean slow down. It means, in traffic circles, to allow other cars who are in the circle to go before you enter if you are entering at the same time that car would be passing. You...