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Friday: The Name Game
posted at 2008-08-23 00:18 | Last modified 2008-08-25 15:19
I was wondering last night what’s driving the legislative imperative to make sure rich folks can tow their big boats on tiny NC roads at night, even after Governor Easley vetoed the measure and the State Highway Patrol demonstrated pretty clearly why it’s a dangerous idea.
A reader emailed me a name to look into: Reggie Fountain.
Follow the money
Fountain’s company, Fountain Powerboats, builds big luxury boats, precisely the kind current law makes it difficult to tow on NC roads. His firm’s been the apple of eastern NC economic developers’ eye for the last few years. Just today, the local outlet Washington Daily News had a glowing article on a Fountain expansion plan that won a JDIG grant worth $2.5M this week.
Turns out Fountain’s an up-and coming player on the Dems’ side of the political money game. Not that he’s a novice political donor -- he isn’t -- but up till last year, much of his largesse was aimed across the aisle. He backed Republican former Governor Jim Martin’s US Senate campaign in 1998, Republican Chief Justice Bev Lake's campaign in 2001, and the unsuccessful campaigns of conservative Supreme Court candidate Rusty Duke and Republican state Senate candidate Hood Richardson in 2006.
SBOE campaign finance records show Fountain started paying a lot more attention to Dems this year. In the past, he’d given House bill sponsor Arthur Williams a little money - $1000 each in 2003 and 2006. He’d also been a smallish contributor to Senate Pro Tem Marc Basnight, donating $5200 over five years from 2002 to 2006. But then he got serious. Campaign records show he gave Basnight another $5000 – almost doubling his prior five-year total – between 12/07 and 5/06.
This is NOT proof of malfeasance. Business owners have right to lobby like everyone else. And giving a campaign donation doesn’t, in itself, constitute an attempt to buy influence any more than accepting one constitutes an agreement to sell it. But you can’t help but wonder about the timing. Fountain’s monetary interest in Basnight peaked just before a session that yielded legislation favorable to Fountain’s business – the big boat bill. And when the Governor vetoed the bill, Basnight was one of the first to say lawmakers should override it. That's some coincidence.
(Fountain, BTW, is also a Perdue contributor. Campaign records show he gave her campaign an in-kind gift of $1,170.81 earlier this year.)
Pool report: Not THAT Edwards
Today's Obama pool reporter, Nia Henderson of Newsday, had the unenviable job of standing VP watch. Here’s her third pool update of the day.
"Barack Obama departed the Park Hyatt hotel about 20 minutes ago for dinner with his family. A crowd of about 200 gathered outside to watch the motorcade depart. Folks cheered, took pictures, and some gave chase. Obama waved at the crowd and was on his cell phone as the motorcade left.
A small but enthusiastic crowd gathered later in front of the restaurant. And your faithful poolers (call time was 6:30 this morning, I remind you) positioned ourselves so we could all ask in pitch perfect harmony: "Where's the text?" He laughed (with us? at us? hard to tell...)...and said "Hi guys" to the crowd, which let out a cheer.
Again we asked, "Where's the text?" shaking our phones for emphasis this time. And again, he laughed, maybe with us, maybe at us.
Our next question when he is done with dinner: Chet who?"
Texas Rep. Chet Edwards was revealed today as a name on Obama's VP shortlist. I know nothing about the guy, but I'm betting he's really hating his last name right about now. Think about it: What political strategist in his or her right mind would want to spend the next 3 months explaining that this Dem VP Edwards guy isn’t the same one who’s been stepping out on his cancer-stricken wife?
I'm betting it's Biden, and we'll get the text message about it around noon tomorrow. I'm also betting 95% of America couldn't care less.
Update: The Biden text msg came through at 3:32am Sat. morning.
Comments? Drop me a line.
