A Disguise

Governor Cooper explained in the newspaper he vetoed a bill because “Municipal charter schools set a dangerous precedent that could lead to taxpayer funded re-segregation.” The way the bill’s opponents see it the suburbs where the schools would be built are white (or ‘whiter’) than the rest of the schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District,…

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A Bombshell

Yesterday, I was going to write about the election but, then, Federal Judge James Wynn dropped a bombshell – by ruling the current Congressional Districts are unconstitutional. The districts, he said, are a ‘partisan gerrymander.’ And have to be redrawn. Campaigns, in a way, are simple – they have one over-arching goal: To talk with…

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Mayor McFarlane and the Stephenson Gang

Back when Jim Hunt was Governor (the good old days) he routinely had job approval ratings in the mid to high 60s. He was one of the most popular governors in America, until Carter & Co. spent two years and $20 million knocking him down in 1984. Even then, Hunt bounced back into the 60s…

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A Tiff (Between Democrats)

It was odd. In Wake County, during their primary, a coalition of liberal activists led by Dean Debnam launched a campaign to defeat four incumbent Democratic County Commissioners (who I’d always thought of as pretty liberal themselves). You wouldn’t usually expect to find a liberal Democrat doing favors for a developer but that’s exactly what…

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A Temptation

Dear News and Observer, A couple of weeks ago, Gary wrote about receiving a $600 bill to renew his subscription. Well, I did too. I received a $600 bill. I thought about it, swallowed hard, and paid it. But it didn’t quite work out quite the way I expected: Every morning, for years, my newspaper…

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Should I renew the N&O?

I can’t believe I’m even asking. I grew up with the N&O. When I was a year old, my parents moved here from Hertford County so my Dad could take a job in the N&O composing room. When I was 16, I went to work in the newsroom as a copyboy. I stayed there 10…

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You Won’t Believe Who’s Not a Good Democrat

Well, Gary, I never dreamed I’d see it: I opened the newspaper and Democrats were saying Jim Hunt is not a good Democrat. The Democratic Party endorsed Nancy McFarlane, an Independent, in her previous races for Mayor but this time the party switched and endorsed Charles Francis – but Governor Hunt stayed with McFarlane, so…

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Take down your damn yard signs!

I may not get politicians to get past wasting money on yard signs. They’re like crack addicts.  But they at least could TAKE DOWN THEIR DAMN SIGNS AFTER THE ELECTION IS OVER!!! We’re talking about you, Nancy McFarlane and Charles Francis. Your unsightly, now-sagging signs are still cluttering rights-of-way.  In fairness, the Mayor’s election was…

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A tale of two cities

Prosperous, progressive and, yes, white West Raleigh prevailed over less-prosperous, left-out, left-behind and, yes, black East Raleigh in the mayor’s race. Now the job of newly reelected Mayor Nancy McFarlane and the new City Council is to bridge the divide. And that’s the challenge for North Carolina Democrats who hope for a replay of Virginia’s…

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