To the Editor:

Medicare and Social Security are programs that have always been priorities of the Democratic Party. Democrats started these programs and supported them ever since, and pretty much constantly over the constant objection of Republicans. 

To the Editor:

There has been a lot said about democracy being on the ballot, but it’s mostly Democrat gasbaggery. The Democratic Party is the main threat to democracy because they are obviously afraid of it in action. 

To the Editor:

Savings and Loan Collapse. The year 1982 marked the beginning of supply side economics in which deregulation and tax cuts were viewed as the solution to stimulating corporate growth.

To the Editor:

I agree with the writer of “ Democrats need to learn a lesson” in the July 17 issue, when he says that, during the June 27 presidential debate with Trump, President Biden looked “diminished cognitively … Who can deny what we saw?” 

To the Editor:

I have seen banners and bumper stickers that read, “Socialism or Freedom.” I would hardly call the Republican party the party of freedom. The Heritage Foundation and Project 2025 want to take our freedoms away.

It’s a name familiar to older North Carolina voters largely due to her father’s two separate eight-year terms as the state’s governor, but Mecklenburg attorney, former House representative and current Sen. Rachel Hunt’s been building her own legacy and is poised to serve as lieutenant governor in what she hopes will be a Gov. Josh Stein administration, if they can both win. 

Editor’s note: This story is a compilation of Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatches, “Via Chicago,” originally published online from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago the week of Aug. 19. 

Torches were passed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week, even more so than most people might have seen on their television screens. 

The long and winding road to the White House passes through North Carolina, but in this swing state of nearly 11 million people, that road is more likely than in any other to be gravel or dirt. 

Editor’s note: “Via Chicago” is Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s pop-up daily dispatch from the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Look for a new installment each day this week, through Friday.