Bipartisanship Was Key in North Carolina’s Top Business Climate Ranking. Tax Cuts Were Not.
Wins in the various rankings of state business climates have caused partisan tug-of-wars in North Carolina. When the state scores highly under one party's control, the ruling crowd trumpets vindication and the out-party waxes dismissive. But the truth is that North...
A better battlefield for Democrats
For Democrats the news keeps getting better. Last night, Arizona U.S. Senator Kristin Sinema announced she is on board with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says that the Senate will take up the bill on Saturday, indicating...
A very good month
For Democrats, the good news just keeps rolling in. Last night, Kansas rejected a constitutional amendment to ban abortion by about 20 points. Yesterday, after the GOP tried to kill the bill last week, the Senate passed a bipartisan measure to provide medical benefits...
Something smells
Today, the State Board of Elections will consider whether or not the Green Party will be on the ballot in November. Back in May, the Board denied the Party’s attempt to secure the necessary signatures because of thousands of fraudulent petitions and signatures....
Democrats get it right (Now don’t screw it up)
After a few weeks of criticizing Democrats, I need to applaud them for getting something very right. This week, Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin announced a deal for a budget bill that could pass the Senate as early as next week. The bill may be far short of where...
Is Trump Finally Losing His Hold on the GOP?
Challenging Donald Trump in a Republican primary may not be a fool's errand after all. After years in which the Orange Autocrat's command of the GOP was taken for granted as absolute, support for the man seems to be softening in key places as the country approaches...
Cynical and craven
Democrats often are their own worst enemies. At least the ones who make up the political committees are. At a time when the Republican Party is beginning to be defined as authoritarian, dishonest, and extremist, the Democrats are defining themselves cynical and...
Losing the narrative
Joe Biden started his presidency with a bang. His vaccine roll out quickly got shots in lots of arms, saving literally millions of lives. He got money to families struggling to recover from the economic pain caused by the pandemic. He oversaw the creation of most jobs...
More on the middle
I’ve been traveling most of the month and had a lot of time to think during long stretches of boring interstate highways. I hope to put some of those thoughts to paper when I get more time. The overwhelming sense I get, though, is that we are a nation and world in...
The Return of the Politics of Anti-LGBTQ Hate
Donald Trump is in most ways a bigot, including, in private if reports are to be believed, toward gay and lesbian people. But one paradox of his political career has been that even at the same time he campaigned on racism and restricted transgender rights, he tended...
A Defense of Joe Biden
America during the presidency of Joe Biden has been wracked with difficulties. There is no question about that, and I am not here to persuade skeptical readers to the contrary. And of course, the president receives blame for events that cause malaise among the mass...
Beasley’s haul
Cheri Beasley’s campaign announced they raised $7.42 million in the second quarter. That’s a record in North Carolina. It also signals that Beasley is still in the race and has the support of the Democratic establishment. Nobody raises that much money without a lot of...