nc-11

I am very sad to report that the denizens of North Carolina's 8th Congressional District may be stuck with corrupt banker Charles Taylor as their representative. The disheartening reason, dear readers, is that our challenger is going to be destroyed!

Visit Heath Shuler's website and drop a few dollars; let's show NRCC spokesperson Carl Forti just how destructible Shuler is.

The Asheville Citizen-Times is kind enough to point out the difference between working on solutions to a problem and simply throwing money at it. Unsurprisingly, the 11th Congressional District's Charles Taylor is in the borrow-and-spend camp.

The best starting point toward a sane immigration policy is the bill introduced last spring by U.S. Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., an odd couple if there ever was one. The bill has something for everyone, ranging from a border study to more money for English language instruction.

Someone's fired up about change in the 11th:

the syntax of things

It seems that Robin Hayes isn't the only NC Representative with ethical . . . difficulties.

Charles Taylor [11th NC District] owns a bank—the Blue Ridge Savings Bank—in which the top official, bank president Hayes Martin, who was also Taylor’s campaign treasurer, pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering for making illegal loans. The beneficiary of the illegal $1.3 million loan was Charles Cagle, 11th District Republican Chair and a Taylor friend and campaign contributor. Cagle also pleaded guilty. Their sworn court testimony showed that Taylor micromanages all operations at the bank and was in full knowledge of the illegal loans. Yet Taylor successfully thwarted any investigation of himself. Jackson County was even forced to garnish Taylor’s congressional wages in order to collect back taxes. And this was for one of the wealthiest Members of Congress!

The 3rd quarter FEC filings are out and there is some very good news from NC's 11th district. Heath Shuler (D), the former NFL QB and real estate developer, far out paced ethically charged incumbent Charles Taylor (R) in fundraising.

Real Values: Good News From NC-11

It's early to start calling races, but I have very high hopes for both Shuler in the 11th and Dunn in the 8th. Even if the Dems can't take back the house all at once, I won't complain about a mostly-blue NC delegation.