Opinion
State’s governors are relatively weak
If you base decisions about the constitutional separation of powers on your assumptions about who will win future elections, an unpleasant surprise may await you.
Opinion
Better leaders lead to better politics
Effective leadership means something other than winning elections or transacting legislative business. It means rebuilding public confidence and restoring a public discourse that elevates rather than demeans.
Opinion
Be realistic about bipartisanship
In a political climate more civil than the one we have now, in which Democrats and Republicans have more productive discussions, you will still be routinely disappointed with outcomes.
Opinion
N.C. Primary Results Still Matter
If Ted Cruz fails to stop Donald Trump, how Pat McCrory and other GOP candidates for state office fare will tell us a great deal about the future of Republican politics.
Opinion
Our State Gets Boring
North Carolina is a boring state. Okay, hold the rotten tomatoes. I’m not attacking my home state. I’m not denying the amenities and attractions it has in abundance. What I have in mind is that the average North Carolinian is now quite close to the average American in public opinion. The Gallup Organization conducted a...
Opinion
Anger Is Not Enough
You can understand why Republicans are desperate to change the direction of federal policy. And you can understand why Democrats are similarly motivated in North Carolina.
Opinion
Axelrod’s Believer Could Be Titled The Audacity of Hype
In this memoir, longtime Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod easily makes the transition from journalist to shill.
Opinion
I Got The Red Blues
The notion of red states, blue states, and “purple” states (e.g., North Carolina and Indiana going blue the first time and red the second time) remains overly simplistic.
Opinion
Presidential Stakes in State Economies
North Carolina’s strong economic performance was not a reflection of geography. It was the only state in its region to make the national list of top-performing economies.
Opinion
A Sorting Hat for Politics
Voters vary far more than can be fully described in binary terms such as liberal/conservative or Democratic/Republican.
Opinion
Politics Turned Upside Down
Regardless of what happens tomorrow in other states, here in North Carolina the Republican Party will likely have the best political cycle in its history.
Opinion
Politics and the Big Sort
If you see the two major political parties as more polarized and more ideological than they used to be, congratulations! Your Spidey sense is working.
