How Republicans Lie

Prior to Less Merit becoming the State Auditor, the office was held in high-esteem by partisans on both side of the aisle. But like most modern-day Republicans, Merritt couldn't be satisfied with simply doing his job. Not only did he engage in illegal moonlighting and shady partisan politics, he is also using the privileges of his office to further his own personal ambitions.

As expected, the Republicans in North Carolina have come swooping in to rescue the feckless Auditor, proclaiming on the party website that criticism of Leslie has somehow "backfired." God help us, these people are without shame.

RALEIGH—North Carolina Democrat Party Chairman Jerry Meek continued his partisan political attacks against State Auditor Les Merritt today. This time, Meek’s target was the State Auditor’s office’s new public service announcement alerting the public to a hotline the public can call to report fraud, abuse, or waste. The new ad does not contain the likeness, voice, or name of Les Merritt. In 2006, the state legislature banned the use of state money to pay for public service announcements that featured the likeness, voice or name of high-ranking state officials. The impetus for the law was previous abuse by Democrat state officials including Mike Easley, Richard Moore, and Roy Cooper. Easley was sued in 2001 for his use of public money on ads featuring him while serving as Attorney General and running for Governor in 2000.

The last time such ads were run by the State Auditor’s office was under the administration of Merritt’s predecessor, Democrat Ralph Campbell, Jr. in 2001. Jerry Meek objects to the use of the term “taxpayer’s watchdog” in the ads to describe the State Auditor. However, after Campbell’s defeat in his bid for re-election to the State Auditor’s office, Jerry Meek appointed Campbell as the Treasurer of the North Carolina Democrat Party. At the time, the NC Democrat Party sent out a press release with the following statement from Chairman Meek, “As State Auditor, Ralph Campbell served as the taxpayers' watchdog. . .” (NCDP Press Release: Ralph Campbell Appointed Treasurer of the N.C. Democratic Party http://www.ncdp.org/node/211)

Chris McClure, Chief of Staff of the North Carolina Republican Party, made the following statement:

“To call Jerry Meek’s attacks on Les Merritt duplicitous would be too kind. Meek is still chewing sour grapes because Les Merritt won election to the State Auditor’s office three years ago. The truth is that any State Auditor should be known as ‘the taxpayer’s watchdog’ and Les Merritt has earned that title through his diligent work to ensure that North Carolina government is run fairly and efficiently. Les Merritt has not used his position for partisan gain, but unfortunately, that has not insulated him from continued political attacks from Jerry Meek. We should dismiss this latest assault for what it is: rank hypocrisy.”

I posted the whole press release so you can get a full-frontal view of Republican liars in action. Caught with the Auditor's virtual pants down, the Republican Party in North Carolina simply tries to change the subject. Instead of taking the Auditor to task for having his freakin' personal biography on a consumer-focused website, the NCGOP is trying to shift the essence of the complaint to focus only on the advertisements themselves.

This is a lie: Les Merritt has not used his position for partisan gain. The simple fact that Merritt includes a description of his family and his volunteer work as a major element of a website about fraud and abuse is all the evidence you need.

PS In comments at NC Policy Watch, Pope Puppet Dallas Woodhouse accidentally breaks ranks with his lying colleagues.

I have never heard you say a word about Easley, Cooper, Richard Moore, E. Marshall and others who have used taxpayer money to run ads.

The fact is, plenty of us have been complaining about the practice for years. But for the North Carolina Party of Greed, IOKIYAR.