Ron and Donald

Politics is funny: Trump picked candidates, Trumpsters lost last election, Trump dropped in polls, DeSantis surged up, led Trump. Trump branded DeSantis ‘Ron DeSanctimonious,’ a ‘RINO,’ said ‘Romney lost. Ron reminds me of Mitt’ – DeSantis sat silent. Watching two boxers in a ring, one punching, one not, voters studied DeSantis surprised – he didn’t…

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Straight Talk

It’s odd. Trump’s facing a lawsuit and two investigations that could end in lawsuits but when he was indicted for paying a porn star hush money and covering it up the Republicans running against him like DeSantis and Pence didn’t murmur a critical word about Trump – they defended him. I guess that was politically…

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Getting to 55 percent

One of today’s sharpest political analysts, Simon Rosenberg, has mapped out a path for Democrats to get 55% of the national popular vote in 2024, up from President Biden’s 51.4% in 2020. And North Carolina is on Rosenberg’s map. He was one of the few who wasn’t swept away in 2022 by the Republican/media “red…

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“Democratic,” not “Democrat”

We Democrats expect it from Republicans. But not journalists. A recent news story referred to “Democrat leaders” (emphasis added). Media folks, please note: Democrats take offense at the use of “Democrat” as an adjective. It should be “Democratic.” Donald Trump said in 2021, “You know I always say Democrat. You know why? Because it sounds…

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Biden’s Happy

Headlines paint pictures: Trump Indicted Jordan Subpoenas Former Prosecutor in Trump Hush Money Case House GOP Probes Trump Indictment Trump: Defund the FBI Trump Indictment Sparks Rating Boom for Cable News Networks DeSantis’ Long Haul Strategy Turn on the TV, open a newspaper – there’s Trump, dominating headlines. No one matches him. No one can…

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A Hung Jury

A Playboy centerfold had an affair with Trump; porn star Stormy Daniels had a one-night fling with Trump at a Lake Tahoe resort. Ten years later Trump ran against Hillary – the centerfold tried to sell her story to a tabloid. Trump told David Pecker, the tabloid owner, Buy it, kill it. I’ll repay you.…

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A Warning

Finishing a long journey from Forrest Gump to George Washington, in his last book – The Patriots – Winston Groom told a story about Washington: His last year as president staring at two parties ripping into each other in the 1796 election, each out to elect its own candidate president, Washington warned politicians were sowing…

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Blue Wolves, Red Wolves

Voice frail staring into TV cameras Democrat state legislator Tricia Cotham painted a grim picture of her fellow Democrats the day she switched parties: When she didn’t toe the party-line, she said, blue wolves attacked bullying her, branding her a traitor; when she posted memes of an American flag, a pair of folded praying hands,…

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“Sunday always comes”

History echoed in the halls of the Tennessee legislature last week when the House expelled two young Black representatives. The two, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, had used a bullhorn to disrupt the House and protest its inaction after the Nashville school shootings. They echoed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was murdered in Memphis 55 years…

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Does Truth Matter Anymore?

Politicians howl to get likes on Facebook, applause on Twitter. The press howls too. Tucker Carlson said on TV ‘The January 6th riot was incited by federal agents – undercover agents.’ That wasn’t true. But his audience cheered. And the next night he was back on the air grinning. On Fresh Air on NPR a…

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