Having taught two courses this semester, one on State and
Local Politics and the other on Presidential Politics, I came to the end of the
semester with some thoughts that may intersect between the two
topics: one about presidential "cycles," another about the
demographic changes going on in our nation and in the Old North State, and the political polarization that
we continue to experience. Based on a recent guest lecture to a civic group in
Charlotte that brought these thoughts together, I thought I would share these
ideas.
