Posts by Gary Pearce
Congress could censure Trump
Many Democrats are torn over impeaching Trump. They think he deserves it, but fear it may reelect him and decimate them in 2020. Here’s an alternative from an unlikely source, Reagan speechwriter and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan: Congress should censure Trump. She wrote: “The harrowing part of the Mueller report is part 2,…
Read MoreDemocrats should just forget this poll
Democrats have been circulating and celebrating an Emerson College poll that shows Trump losing North Carolina to Joe Biden by 12 points, to Bernie Sanders by eight points, to Pete Buttigieg by four and tied with Elizabeth Warren. The poll shows State Senator Erica Smith leading Senator Thom Tillis 46-39, and Governor Roy Cooper leading…
Read MoreUnhealthy Politics
Healthcare was a winning issue for Democrats in North Carolina and across the country in 2018. Republicans in Raleigh seem bound and determined to make it an even bigger winner for Democrats next year. Governor Roy Cooper is building on 2018 by making Medicaid expansion a big part of his budget showdown with the Republican-led…
Read MoreCooper’s fight echoes Terry Sanford’s
Governor Roy Cooper has picked the same fight over North Carolina’s future that Terry Sanford picked more than 60 years ago. The issue is the same. Then, powerful people in Raleigh wanted the legislature to pass corporate tax cuts. Sanford said that was wrong. He said North Carolina needed to invest in education. This year,…
Read MoreThe Disloyal Democrat
Democrats broke the supermajority. But they can’t keep it broke if their own members break ranks. Last week, Senator Don Davis of Pitt County was the only Democrat who voted with Republicans to override Governor Cooper’s veto of a controversial abortion bill. The override passed, thanks to Davis. Democrats are livid. They say the bill,…
Read MoreThey Hate Teachers Too
Last week, I blogged that a lot of Republican politicians “hate public schools.” A reader agreed, but asked: “Why?” Well, it’s not just public schools. They hate teachers too. Before, during and after the teacher rally last week, the politicians and their John Locke-Civitas amen chorus hammered away at what Senator Phil Berger called “the…
Read MoreThe War on Public Schools
Teachers came to Raleigh Wednesday to teach politicians about the public schools. But what did the teachers learn about the politicians? They need to learn this: A lot of the politicians hate public schools. They won’t admit it, especially around Election Day. But look at what they do. And who they listen to. They don’t…
Read MoreFire first, facts last
Civic debate in America has become little more than a fast-draw contest, as demonstrated anew by the runup and the reaction to the Mueller Report’s release. Our motto: Ready, fire, aim. We hardly notice that our real enemy has taken dead aim. And hit his target squarely. The enemy is Vladimir Putin. His target was…
Read MoreThe Perils of Purity
One of the hardest things to do in politics is to tune out the loud voices of insiders so you can hear the real voices of real voters. Used to be, the loud voices were hangers-on at headquarters and regulars at rallies and fundraisers. Now they’re on social media, Facebook and Twitter. A report in…
Read MoreDwane
Dwane Powell was an Arkansas farm boy who became a North Carolina institution. Politicians knew they’d made it when Dwane skewered them. Framed Powell cartoons decorate walls all over the state. People treasure doodles he did on napkins in bars and restaurants. For those of a certain age and mindset, he was Mad Magazine come…
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