It is now apparent that Art Pope has figured out how to buy control of the North Carolina General Assembly using corporate money. His laboratory was the Republican primaries yesterday, where he picked off three intraparty enemies – Richard Morgan, Rick Eddins and Steve LaRoque. Now he is refining his playbook and setting his sights on eight or nine marginal House races this fall. Art Pope will continue to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars of corporate money from Variety Wholesale into seats he thinks he can win. His goal is to defeat incumbent Democrats and tip control of the House to Republicans he controls. It will cost him only $2 million. It will cost us democracy.

I sometimes think that Ed Cone has had a bit too much of the Blog Evangelism Kool-Aid, but I think he's absolutely right about Larry Kissell needing his own blog. Fresh content can bring people back to sites that they might not have returned to otherwise; sites with big shiny "Donate" buttons on every page. It's also a great way to get a message across and to engage with people. And as for time, I don't see why every single post would need to be by Larry.

Over at Talking About Politics, Gary Pearce calls on Democrats to start worrying about the influence of Art Pope.

Art Pope is now Pope of the North Carolina Republican Party. By engineering the defeats of Reps. Richard Morgan and Rick Eddins, Pope made himself Supreme Pontiff, Enforcer of Orthodoxy and All-Powerful Exorcist of Heretics. I believe that bodes ill for Democrats this November.

Pope showed that he has the money – and can buy the skill – to overwhelm election opponents. And he is willing to spend the money. Some of my Republican friends didn’t think Pope could get away with calling Eddins a Democrat. Ridiculous, they scoffed. But it worked.

Where did this majority rules idea come from anyway. Just because the majority wants something does not mean it is the best idea. Sometimes the majority is wrong and sometimes it takes good leadership to stand up to the majority and do what is right.

My Two Cents Worth: I am Sick of Poll Numbers and this Majority Rules B.S.

Yes, we can only hope that this strong leader will put the whiny bastards in their places! The consent of the governed is so passe.

With people like Taylor, Hayes, Burr and Dole dividing our nation to feather their own nests, it's reassuring to see this kind of news about the hard work of Congressman Mel Watt.

Almost a year of behind-the-scenes work by Rep. Mel Watt came to fruition Tuesday when House and Senate leaders from both parties endorsed a bill -- co-authored by the Charlotte Democrat -- that would strengthen and extend for 25 years the Voting Rights Act. That 1965 landmark legislation, passed amid the civil rights struggles and then renewed in 1982, outlawed efforts, especially in the South, to deny African Americans the right to vote.

A blogger on another stage wrote in with a question. I gave a brief response, but I also let him know that I'd post the question for your responses, what with several heads being better than one (especially if the one is mine).

As I'm unfamiliar with the state, in races for Congress, which races do you think will be close? I'm guessing Larry Kissell has a shot (if he gets funding) but what's your take on all the Cong. Districts?

You gotta love Joe Boylan, the Pinehurst hair dresser-turned-Puppet. He thinks he's the Little Engine That Could, pretending he can't see the Art Pope Express pushing him across the finish line against Richard Morgan. The Pilot replays Boylan's delusions for all to see:

Boylan, who campaigned door-to-door all over Moore County and lost nearly 20 pounds in the process, received a lot of outside help, including support from the North Carolina Republican Party, which basically declared war on Morgan.

::snip::

I love the above subtitle in this morning's Charlotte Observer, Democrats Choose Kissell to Face Hayes. Because that's exactly what happened thanks to the working families of North Carolina's 8th District and the support of good folks from all over such as yourselves. And this scrappy underdog won't be changing a thing all the way to November, when we teach not only Robin Hayes a lesson in real representation, but the entire nation what grassroots politics is all about.

An earlier version of the article posted last night kind of made me chuckle. It said Kissell Wins Easily, Will Face Hayes. Let me tell you, working all day, then dialing for dollars and campaigning all night in one of the largest Districts in the state is hardly easy, but I'm honored that the good support we have sure made it look that way. You, the people, made it happen. And I thank you, and ask you to stick with me on the road to November Victory.

In the wake of Art Pope's victory over Richard Morgan in District 52, a new Puppet joins the show! Hair salon owner Joe Boylan, now officially on the Puppetmaster's short leash, will be carrying all kinds of water for his evil master. And just in case you have any doubt about what really happened, let me summarize it for you.

1. North Carolina Republicans value party loyalty over effective government.

2. Art Pope wants to be king of the Old North State.

Here are a couple of non-primary stories to balance out a complete NC politics breakfast.