Cumberland Democrat Larry Shaw today became the 7th sitting NC Senator, and the 5th Democrat, to announce he won’t seek re-election this fall.

Shaw made his announcement this morning on talk radio in Fayetteville. He went on to endorse former Cumberland Dem chair Lula Crenshaw. She’s one of a crowded field of Dems who already planned to challenge the 9-term incumbent in this spring’s primary.

Basnight’s office released the following statement from Shaw shortly afterward: 

Senator Shaw stated, "Serving the wonderful citizens of the 21st district has been the most rewarding experience.  The consistent and outpouring support from my district has been a tremendous blessing for me and I am humbled by the privilege of serving our community, state, and country.  It has been a privilege and a sacrifice from family and associates to serve the greater good of society.  A wise man once said the greatest one among you, is the greatest servant among you.  My public service duty has been fulfilled and now the torch of community servitude must be passed on.  Now more than ever, Cumberland County needs an individual with an executive mindset to harness the resources necessary to allow it to continue to develop into a competitive region of the state."

"I am prayerful the citizens of District 21 will evaluate each candidate on what he/she brings to this community, and at the end of the day the bottom line is what will you do for Cumberland County."

Senator Shaw intends to finish out the year with a very keen interest in the issues he has advocated.  He has not specified future plans; however, he did express an interest in continuing his work in the family business in which he has worked in for the last 40 years, as well as working in the international faith communities. 

Shaw said, "To be quite clear, I have more than I can pray over."

President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight said, "All the people of North Carolina have benefited from Larry Shaw's service in the General Assembly.  Time and again, Larry has been a voice of conscience in the Senate and contributed to a broader and richer worldview for us all.  He's a great thinker and a wonderful man."

The Fay-O has more on the story here. 

Comments?  Drop me a line.

Regnad Kcin

The N&O’s Ben Niolet and Mike Biesecker have more details today on a private email account former Mike Easley aides say the then-governer sometimes used for state business.

If you remember, in 2008, several media outlets sued the governor’s office over access to email  records.  At the time, HHS spokeswoman Debbie Crane said she’d been told by senior Easley staffers to delete messages to and from the governor’s office every day.  The office denied Crane’s story, and she was fired at about the same time for “insubordination.”

The new information about the governor’s emails came out in depositions for the case taken last month from four senior staffers.  According to the story, former communications directors Cari Boyce and Sherri Johnson both denied instructing agency staff to delete emails.  But former CCPS spokeswoman Renee Hoffman, who also went on to serve as Easley’s press secretary, backed up Crane’s story about having been told to delete them. 

The depositions, released yesterday to the N&O and the John Locke Foundation, also included testimony that Easley had a private Time Warner email account that was sometimes used for state business.  His user name was Regnad Kcin, or “Nick Danger” backward.  Nick Danger was a character from Firesign Theater, a 60s radio comedy troupe.  Danger was a bumbling private eye who, in one skit, reads his name backward through his glass office door: “Regnad Kcin.”

Some senior staffers knew about the account and even sent messages to it, but none of those emails were turned over in response to public records requests.  Easley told reporters in 2008 he did not use his personal email for any substantive state business.

Lots more detail in the N&O story here. 

Why it matters

Well, first, there’s Easley’s odd sense of humor. Kidding.  In all seriousness, the first issue is the First Amendment.  Emails about state business by state workers, even the governor, are public records, and systematically deleting them isn’t legal.  And they’re still public record even if they’re sent via a private account.   Easley himself paid lip service to that idea in 2008.

But perhaps the more pressing issue here is what was IN those Regnad Kcin emails, and whether they were turned over to state and federal authorities investigating Easley’s campaign finances.  That investigation led to a 51-count indictment last month against his former legal aide Ruffin Poole.  Easley testified at the State Elections Board he hasn’t done anything wrong and wasn’t aware of any illegal activities by his office or campaign staff.  Would the Regnad Kcin emails prove otherwise?  That’s the BIG question, and one we may have to wait on federal investigators to answer.

Also of interest 

The State Elections Board has ruled former Rep Cary Allred (R-Alamance) cannot use campaign funds to pay for his hefty speeding ticket.  According to Burlington Times-News’s Robert Boyer, Allred didn’t want the paper to report on the ruling, complaining, “I’ve been treated worse than Edward Kennedy was when he killed Mary Jo Kopechne.”  Sigh. More hyperbole here.

And both of our US Senators have been living pretty well on lobbyists’ dimes recently.  Greensboro’s Mark Binker has the scoop on both Kay Hagan and Richard Burr. 

Comments? Drop me a line.

Former Easley aide Ruffin Poole made his initial appearance in federal court today to answer to a 51 count indictment on corruption charges ranging from extortion and bibery to mail fraud and money laundering.

About 20 minutes before noon (just in time for the noon live shot, perhaps not coincidentally), the handcuffed Poole was subjected to a long, embarrassing perp walk past the TV cameras, escorted by FBI and IRS investigators.  Two hours later, he was handcuffed again for his entrance into Judge Terrence Boyle’s 7th-floor courtroom.

Poole, a little rumpled in a dark suit with a striped tie, seemed dazed during the hearing, looking down and blinking a lot as Boyle ran down the charges in the indictment.  He was so subdued that at one point, Boyle asked whether Poole could hear him: “Yes, sir.”

It’s not hard to see why he’d be subdued. According to my back-of-the-napkin math, if Poole were to be found guilty on all 51 counts, he could be looking at a prison sentence somewhere north of 700 years, plus fines of more than $10M .  That’d take the wind out of anyone’s sails, right?

Maybe.  Poole left the courtroom on $50K bond, kissing his wife on the head on the way out.  But twenty paces out of the courtroom, his trademark smirk was back as he watched a horde of reporters crowding into the elevator with him.  So maybe not.

No Plea

Poole’s attorney Joe Zeszotarski didn’t enter a plea on the charges today, and Judge Boyle didn’t ask for one. That’s not that unusual in case this big or this convoluted.  But then came a friendly gesture that could rock Jones St.: After the hearing, federal prosecutor John Bruce walked over to shake Ruffin Poole’s hand.

From what little I know of John Bruce, he seems like a very nice man who’s probably polite by nature.  It wouldn’t be unusual for him to shake hands with opposing counsel. But the defendant? Not so much.

Kieran Shanahan pointed out the same thing.  The former assistant US attorney turned GOP activist was on hand to offer color commentary outside the courthouse today.  Shanahan thinks Poole’s working with the feds to reduce his potential sentence.  Shanahan thinks the indictment’s pretty clearly pointed at Poole’s old boss, former Governor Mike Easley, though he admits that's purely speculation. If it's true, though, putting Poole on the stand could help the Feds seal their case.

"I really credit the way the government did the Ruffin Poole indictment, because you almost don’t need a live person because the paper trail is so strong.  But I think, in terms of having a governor on trial, you really want to have somebody like Ruffin Poole who’s on the inside giving actual live testimony.  So assuming that the facts bear out that former Governor Easley was involved, Ruffin Poole would certainly be a blow to any defense that Easley might try to put on."

The raw tape of Shanahan’s comments to the press is here: 

Next Steps

There’s no word yet on the date for the next pre-trial hearing. But if Shanahan’s right about Poole working with the Feds to lighten his (ludicrously large) potential sentence, it could be a while before he’s back in court.

Both Lanny Wilson and McQueen Campbell are reportedly working with investigators, too.  If that’s the case, the next announcement out of the Sanford Building is likely to be a new indictment, maybe as soon as February. And in case you’re wondering, the investigators generally work their way up.

Comments? Drop me a line.

President Obama gave his first State of the Union address last night. If you missed it, or just want to read it, the full text is online here. 

The AP found a few issues in its fact-check, as did Politifact, but overall, most of the feedback I've seen from pundits, polls, and regular folks is that it was a pretty solid speech.  I thought so, too.  It was a more pragmatic address than you might expect from Obama – light on lofty rhetoric, plain-spoken and a little pugnacious at times. 

There was also some gentle humor in the speech.  On Twitter, Greensboro’s Mark Binker asked whether other presidents had built laugh lines into their SOTUs.  I’m not sure about that, but I think it worked in this case.  Obama’s big task was (and still is) to get Congress and the country back on his side.  A little humor never hurts. 

So did the speech do the job?  Well, it’s a good start, but a belated one. Political Wire's Taegan Goddard summed it up:  “President Obama spent more than an hour making arguments he should have been making for months.”   Obama admitted as much in his speech, adding that he’s planning to spend more time out of DC talking to voters. I expect that’ll help him all the way around.

The Response

The Republican response to the address was delivered by new Virginia governor Bob McDonnell, who gave his speech in front of a live audience in the VA statehouse.  McDonnell’s regarded as a rising star in the party. It was a solid performance, if a little flat.  You can read the text here.

Alito’s Reaction

It wasn’t quite a “You Lie!” moment, but Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was seen shaking his head and apparently mouthing the words “not true” when Obama criticized last week’s Citizens United ruling for opening the doors to foreign money in elections.  It was a breach of etiquette, perhaps on both sides, but Politifact says Alito may have a point.

NC Reactions

Democrat Bob Etheridge called it a “strong speech.” From his statement:

"North Carolina and our country still face serious economic challenges. American families are facing hard decisions everyday on how to make ends meet.  We need leadership that puts aside partisanship with a commitment to work together to create opportunities for all those who are willing to work hard to make the most of their God-given abilities.   I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis, with Republicans and Democrats alike to achieve these goals."

NCDem Chairman David Young reinforced the jobs message. An excerpt:

"President Obama and North Carolina Democrats are fighting every single day to put North Carolinians back to work, create good jobs, and strengthen our economy for the long-term. The additional steps he laid out tonight focus on helping middle class families who are struggling in this country to get ahead.

"In addition, the President unveiled earlier this week a three-year freeze on spending that will end programs that don't work, streamline those that do, crack down on special interest access, and bring a new responsibility for how tax dollars are treated. It's time to get our fiscal house in order so we don't pass on a crippling debt to our children and grandchildren."

I didn’t get a response from the NCGOP, but Republican Senator Richard Burr posted  this reaction on his blog:

"With Americans disgusted by our growing debt, out of control spending, and non-existent job creation, the President's main priority needs to be turning our economy around. While the President's call for a spending freeze is an important first step, the devil is in the details. This proposal falls extremely short of what the American people demand - a smaller, less expensive federal government. We need to move further and make actual cuts if we are truly serious about reversing Washington's spending habits.

So what did you think of the speech? Let me know – and tell me if I can quote you.

It’s one of those days where you hardly know where to start. Also, not a good day to be an NC Dem. Ouch.

7AM: #Thingsyoualreadyknew

It all started with John Edwards’s long-overdue admission to NBC that he’s the father of paramour Rielle Hunter’s child.  Edwards’ statement, delivered on NBC this morning by attorney Harrison Hickman, was long on mea culpas but short on explanation. 

Later in the day, we learned that a) Edwards is now in Haiti, not quite the place for anyone trying to avoid the media,  and b) Elizabeth is “relieved” John fessed up, but won’t confirm or deny reports they’ve separated.

Dem strategy guru Gary Pearce and veteran N&O reporter Rob Christensen were both kind enough to show up on State of Things on ridiculously short notice with me today for a great roundup on Edwards, Brown, Wilson, et al.  If you missed it, it’s here.

Meantime, Game Change authors Halperin and Heilemann talked to Dome about their scathing Edwards chapter, while his former press sec Jennifer Palmieri said in a WaPo column that Elizabeth Edwards is being unfairly maligned.    

Here’s what I really want to know:  Why didn’t Edwards just admit his paternity while he admitting everything else in 2008?  Was he really, as Game Change says, under some delusion he’d be a viable Obama cabinet nominee as long as his cheating on his cancer-afflicted wife didn’t result in progeny?  I can’t buy that.  People call Edwards a lot of things, but "dumb" doesn’t generally make the top five .  So what’s the real story?

10AM: Citizens United

The US Supreme Court called a special session today to announce a decision in the Citizens United suit. If you haven’t been following this, here’s a good layman's recap from NPR.  The legalese verion is here, and today’s SupCo opinion is here (PDF). 

In a oversimplified nutshell, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same right (with some restrictions) as voters to give money to a political candidate or cause.  The ruling pretty much insures messier and more expensive elections, making politicians proportionally more dependent on backers who can give them a lot of money – like, say, corporations or labor unions.

Reactions from good-government groups here and nationwide were every bit as negative as you’d expect.  Democracy NC, Common Cause, and NCVCE all condemned the decision, as did President Obama, who pledged to push new legislation limiting corporate influence in elections.

A nice thought, maybe, but it’s not exactly clear what Congress can do.  If a corporation, for political as well as business purposes, is a person, and political contributions are equivalent to free speech, then banning corporate political contributions is the same thing as banning individual free speech.  Outside of an amendment, I can’t see what Congress could do to rein things in that wouldn’t be held unconstitutional.

On the upside, maybe this means we can trade in the two-party system for a political sponsorship system, kind of like NASCAR – the Walmart ticket, the Google ticket, or Team Morgan-Chase, or Glaxo, or Monsanto.  Kidding.  But not entirely.  .

10:30: Zach Ambrose resigns

Governor Bev Perdue’s office confirmed chief of staff Zach Ambrose is moving on “to spend more time with his family.” Don’t get me wrong: it’s not unusual for campaign-type staffers to transition out during the first year of a winner’s term of office.  But so close on the heels of the departure of press secretary Dave Kochman, and in the shadows of Perdue’s subterranean sub-optimal poll numbers…well, you can do the math.  It's not good news.

11:00: Lanny Wilson “resigns” 

Longtime Dem fundraiser and Board of Transportation member Lanny Wilson decided out of the blue today that he’d become too much of a distraction to Governor Perdue’s BOT reform effort.  Which is odd, given that his name has barely surfaced since the Easley elections board hearings several weeks ago.

While Perdue accepted his resignation with little fanfare, the GOP was predictably quick to jump on the resignation as further proof of Dem corruption, blasting Perdue for not firing Wilson in the first place.  But it’s not hard to see Perdue’s hand in this one – unless of course you’re invested in not seeing it.

4:00: Ruffin Poole indicted

Federal prosecutors released a 51- (no, that’s not a typo) count indictment against former Gov Mike Easley’s legal aide and law partner Ruffin Poole.  WRAL was first to break the news that the “Little Governor” faces a potential three-digit jail sentence and millions in fines for charges ranging from extortion to money laundering.  The AP’s Gary Robertson has more background here.  And  the indictment itself is quite a read – check it out (warning - big PDF).

The charges stem from a concurrent probe by the FBI and the State Elections Board into allegations of campaign finance fraud, influence peddling, and outright bribery within or close to the Easley campaign. But while it’s a safe bet Poole won’t be alone in the federal dock, it’s not at all clear from the indictment whether it’ll be Easley keeping him company.  None of the figures in the indictment fits Easley’s description.  That doesn’t mean he will or won’t be indicted for something at some point.  But for those critics hoping Poole would bring Easley down, it’s pretty clear that isn’t the case -  not at the moment, anyway.

Comment? Drop me a line.