Who didn't see this coming?

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/democratic_staffers_good...

Democratic staffer's good humor praised by GOP chair
Submitted by mbieseck on 2010-10-26 12:08

At the end of a media conference at Republican headquarters Tuesday, party chairman Tom Fetzer took the unusual step of calling up to the podium a young Democrat tasked with going to GOP events with a video camera.

Adrian Ortega smiled uncomfortably as Fetzer praised his work ethic and good humor.

"It takes a unique personality to go into the lion's den," the GOP chairman said, before adding that the opposing party shouldn't be so stingy when supporting its staffer.

Fetzer recounted how Ortega was at a Republican event in the mountains, drove home to Raleigh that night and then returned back to the western part of the state again the following day for another GOP rally.

"The milage alone should have paid for a hotel room," Fetzer said.

Both parties employ staffers, known as trackers, to follow around the opposition in the hope of capturing an embarrassing gaffe on video.

Andrew Whalen, the executive director of N.C. Democratic Party, agreed with Fetzer's assessment of Ortega's work. A former college intern, Ortega was added to the party's paid staff last summer, Whalen said,

"He is a fantastic employee and we are glad to have him," Whalen said.

After extolling his virtues on Tuesday, Fetzer gave Ortega a small gift — a red GOP beer koozie featuring a the party's elephant logo.

"I think you might need an adult beverage come election night," Fetzer quipped.

And notice who was paying all that attention to Ortega - none other than Tom "I'm not Gay!" Fetzer!

Of course none of them were around when Ortega flashed "Aunt Jemima and Oprah" up on the screen at the April 2011 SEC meeting in Raleigh last year.

Doing something that offended a number of African-American members of the SEC is of course the mark of a fantastic employee!

And I was tasked by Sallie Leslie to take tickets at the J-J Dinner after the SEC meeting. Two NCDP staffers were assigned to work with me - one of them was Adriadn. You think it would be simple to sit down at a table and check names off the high-roller list while I stood up and took tickets from the "regular people". He couldn't stay focused on it, and kept getting up and running off to do something else that was obviously more important.