1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:05,599 Speaker 1: What's going on? 2 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,080 is heard live every day from noon to three on 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,839 WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,160 like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,480 show prep with all the links, become a patron, go 7 00:00:19,559 --> 00:00:23,399 to dpeakclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,359 Get every episode for free right to your smartphone or tablet. 9 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:29,519 And again, thank you so much for your support. Want 10 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:32,280 to welcome back to the program Andrew Dunn. He is 11 00:00:32,359 --> 00:00:36,600 the publisher of long Leaf Politics. Longleafpol dot com. 12 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: Is the website. 13 00:00:37,399 --> 00:00:40,560 Speaker 2: He's also a newly minted contributing columnist to The Charlotte 14 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,799 Observer and The News and Observer. I have no idea 15 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,679 how he landed that. Andrew, Welcome to the program, Sarah, 16 00:00:47,679 --> 00:00:48,560 how are you doing today? 17 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,119 Speaker 3: I'm doing great. It's fantastic to be back here with you. 18 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:52,439 Speaker 1: Yeah. 19 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:58,759 Speaker 2: So, congrats on the contributing columnist position with McClatchy. 20 00:00:58,920 --> 00:00:59,719 Speaker 1: Is that the first? 21 00:01:00,039 --> 00:01:05,079 Speaker 2: Are you the first conservative columnist or the only on 22 00:01:05,799 --> 00:01:07,040 as a contributor over there? 23 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:08,239 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. 24 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,439 Speaker 3: I'm definitely not the first, but I might be the 25 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,319 first to kind of have a long term, steady gig 26 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,280 over there. They've gone kind of back and forth. I know, 27 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,319 you know Matthew rd Noower, former county commissioner, used to 28 00:01:21,359 --> 00:01:25,079 write some stuff for him. But no, I'm loving it. 29 00:01:25,079 --> 00:01:27,519 It's great to be able to add some sanity to 30 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:28,200 those pages. 31 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 2: So, and it's how have you been received? As far 32 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,159 as you can tell over there, Like by the readership. 33 00:01:36,079 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 3: I think it's gone really well. Everything they're telling me 34 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,959 is that it's well read. I think there's a hunger 35 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,400 in this community. There's a lot more conservatives around here 36 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,920 than people think, and so there's a hunger for that 37 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:48,640 type of writing. 38 00:01:48,879 --> 00:01:49,159 Speaker 1: Yeah. 39 00:01:49,159 --> 00:01:52,599 Speaker 2: Well, and look, I've said for years, unchallenged ideas are 40 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,920 easy to hold, and I feel like a lot of 41 00:01:57,079 --> 00:02:00,319 publications that lean left and they don't allow this kind 42 00:02:00,359 --> 00:02:04,879 of examination of ideas, they get intellectually flabby. And then 43 00:02:04,879 --> 00:02:07,519 they are actually doing themselves and their readers of disservice 44 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,439 because they don't know the arguments anymore, they don't have 45 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:12,520 to make the arguments, and they're not even aware of 46 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,520 what any kind of counter argument might be. 47 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,479 Speaker 1: So god speed to you, sir. 48 00:02:19,199 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 4: Thank you. 49 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:21,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree one hundred percent with that. 50 00:02:25,159 --> 00:02:27,759 Speaker 4: Right, Yeah, it's so easy to get into your bubble 51 00:02:28,479 --> 00:02:32,479 where you're only reading one particular viewpoint, So it's good 52 00:02:32,479 --> 00:02:33,800 to wake people up sometimes. 53 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:37,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you had an interesting piece the other day. 54 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 2: I want to start with Jeff Jackson aka Baby Jesus, 55 00:02:41,319 --> 00:02:43,280 which I'm glad you made reference to that in your 56 00:02:43,319 --> 00:02:46,280 piece as well. It's still the most hilarious nickname that 57 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:50,080 I've heard for a politician. But you talk about Jeff 58 00:02:50,159 --> 00:02:54,400 Jackson treating the Attorney General's office in the state like 59 00:02:54,439 --> 00:02:57,280 a networking event. So what do you mean by that? 60 00:02:58,719 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, what I mean by that is is I think 61 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:06,439 going into the race, everyone assumes that Attorney General Jeff 62 00:03:06,479 --> 00:03:08,879 Jackson that that wouldn't be his final stop, that he 63 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,719 is going to run for governor one day or Senate, 64 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,599 because he's certainly made it clear that those are his aspirations. 65 00:03:17,439 --> 00:03:22,439 But there's kind of a unspoken agreement that when somebody 66 00:03:22,759 --> 00:03:25,680 gets elected to a new new office, that they need 67 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,800 to at least pretend to take the new job seriously. 68 00:03:29,439 --> 00:03:33,319 And what I'm seeing from Attorney General Jackson is he's 69 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:35,919 he seems to be spending a lot more of his time, 70 00:03:36,479 --> 00:03:38,280 or at least a lot more of what he's putting 71 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,520 out into the public on some of these hot button 72 00:03:40,599 --> 00:03:45,960 national issues, especially you know, the consortiums of Democrats attorneys 73 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,039 general around the country who are suing to block the 74 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,319 Trump administration. I mean, I think in the first month 75 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,599 and a half, two months of office, you've seen one 76 00:03:56,639 --> 00:03:59,919 press release from the AG's office on you know, keep 77 00:04:00,039 --> 00:04:02,840 being a bad guy in jail and seven eight, nine 78 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,240 ten about Doge. 79 00:04:06,479 --> 00:04:09,439 Speaker 2: Right, and the North Carolina GOP actually sent out a 80 00:04:09,439 --> 00:04:13,800 tweet along a similar line talking about how Jackson has 81 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,360 made only one announcement relating to violent crime, and that 82 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:21,839 was that a plea deal was reached in an Ashville 83 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:23,279 murder from twenty twenty two. 84 00:04:24,079 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 4: So yeah, yeah, so yeah, that's exactly I think that 85 00:04:27,639 --> 00:04:28,959 you've probably had it in front of you. 86 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,439 Speaker 3: That's exactly what I'm talking about. I mean, that's what 87 00:04:32,519 --> 00:04:35,120 you want an Attorney General's office to be focused on. 88 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,800 There's plenty of actual important needs right here at home 89 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:42,240 in North Carolina. It's really not useful to have an 90 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,759 Attorney general who's focused on these national, national issues. 91 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 2: You said in one part of this piece that North 92 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:54,720 Carolina voters didn't elect an Attorney general to be a 93 00:04:54,800 --> 00:05:01,680 national Democratic surrogate. But did they Maybe maybe that is why, 94 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,959 like particularly Democrat voters may have you know, gone in 95 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,000 with eyes wide open. This is what they want their 96 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:14,639 you know, TikTok star to do, perhaps. 97 00:05:14,439 --> 00:05:17,079 Speaker 3: And I think there is some segment of the population 98 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,800 that wants that. But you know, a lot of these 99 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:23,279 statewide races are one on the margin, they're won by 100 00:05:23,399 --> 00:05:26,959 unaffiliated voters. And I don't want to take anything away 101 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,560 from from Jeff Jackson. I mean, he's a very talented politician. 102 00:05:31,959 --> 00:05:36,879 He's by far, in my estimation, the best communicator in 103 00:05:36,959 --> 00:05:40,439 North Carolina politics. He does a great job of laying 104 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:44,439 out the issues and what he's working on. But I 105 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:47,879 think the segment of voters who put him over the 106 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,319 top were folks that were that were hoping that he 107 00:05:50,319 --> 00:05:54,279 would apply that to the actual Attorney general's job. 108 00:05:55,879 --> 00:06:01,639 Speaker 2: You also offer some advice on how Republicans can can 109 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:07,120 combat him basically and hold him accountable. What's your what's 110 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:09,040 your advice your strategy advice there? 111 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean my main point is Republicans in North Carolina, 112 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:16,199 in my view, kind of have the bad habit of 113 00:06:16,519 --> 00:06:18,879 if they lose a race or if they see something 114 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,399 they don't like, then to immediately start trying to pass 115 00:06:21,439 --> 00:06:24,399 the bill to take back that power. And I think 116 00:06:24,439 --> 00:06:27,360 it's short sighted. I think it relies on the assumption 117 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,720 that Republicans will never win these offices ever again, and 118 00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:35,199 I think that's kind of a self fulfilling prophecy. What 119 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,639 I would recommend is assume in four years that you're 120 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,120 going to have a Republican in that office, and give 121 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,839 the office the resources and the powers that it needs 122 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,480 to have, you know, in the meantime, while while we 123 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,480 have a Democrat in the office, I think that Republicans 124 00:06:50,519 --> 00:06:54,959 should focus on just consistently making the case, you know, 125 00:06:55,199 --> 00:06:58,519 as you are seeing them do, that he has the 126 00:06:58,560 --> 00:06:59,480 wrong priorities. 127 00:07:00,639 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 2: Let me shift to a piece I guess this was 128 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:07,319 published today right North Carolina's fiscal cliff. You say it's 129 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,160 a scare tactic, and anybody who's paid attention to North 130 00:07:10,199 --> 00:07:14,720 Carolina General Assembly budget politics for you know, the anytime 131 00:07:14,759 --> 00:07:17,279 within the last I don't know what fifteen years, it's 132 00:07:17,439 --> 00:07:20,560 it's the same old refrain, you know, predictions of doom 133 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,160 and gloom and catastrophe if the Republicans you know, do 134 00:07:24,319 --> 00:07:26,839 whatever you know they want to do or have planned 135 00:07:26,879 --> 00:07:29,839 to do, and then it never materializes. And so yet 136 00:07:29,879 --> 00:07:32,959 again here we have, you know, Governor Josh Stein warning 137 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:37,600 of a looming fiscal cliff in twenty twenty six, and 138 00:07:37,759 --> 00:07:39,839 I thought this was interesting. You say, this isn't a 139 00:07:39,839 --> 00:07:42,360 budget crisis, it's a spending debate. 140 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: So what did you mean by that? 141 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's exactly right. You know, fiscal cliff is kind 142 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,560 of a misnomer. That's the talking point that's been going 143 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,800 around in democratic circles, and I don't think it comes 144 00:07:53,839 --> 00:07:58,399 anywhere close to describing what's actually going on. You know, 145 00:07:58,519 --> 00:08:01,879 just to step back briefly, you know, ahead of every 146 00:08:01,959 --> 00:08:05,959 budget cycle, the you know, the governor's administration and the 147 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,319 general assemblies experts, they come together and they put together 148 00:08:09,399 --> 00:08:13,079 a prediction of what they think state tax revenues are 149 00:08:13,079 --> 00:08:15,079 going to look like over the next couple of years. 150 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,519 And what they're saying this year is that, you know, 151 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,639 this year, we're running a five hundred million dollars surplus. 152 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,319 Next year revenue will still go up again. But then 153 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:26,480 the following year, so this is two years from now, 154 00:08:26,519 --> 00:08:31,839 they're predicting that overall revenue will go down a little bit. Now, 155 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:34,360 this isn't a shortfall or anything. Like that because that 156 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,519 year hasn't even come close to being budgeted yet. But 157 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,559 you know, it does make things a little bit more 158 00:08:41,639 --> 00:08:45,360 challenging if you are dealing with an actual revenue decline. 159 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,960 I means you have to make some cuts or change 160 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:53,080 some of your assumptions related to your baseline budget. I'm 161 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:55,919 skeptical that that's actually going to come to pass. I 162 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,159 looked at the two year out predictions for the last decades, 163 00:08:59,759 --> 00:09:03,039 and they have never come anywhere close to what the 164 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,679 reality was two years later when that year actually came around. 165 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:09,919 And in one case, it was almost a twenty percent difference. 166 00:09:09,919 --> 00:09:12,960 That North Carolina brought in twenty percent more tax revenue 167 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,360 than was initially predicted. And you know, while that doesn't 168 00:09:16,399 --> 00:09:18,399 sound like a lot when you're talking about a you know, 169 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,840 a thirty five billion dollar budget, twenty percent of that 170 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:24,000 I can't do math live on the radio, but it's 171 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,480 a lot of money. It's billions and billions of dollars. 172 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:31,840 So one, it's very premature for Governor Stein and other 173 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,840 Democrats to go out and say, hey, we need to 174 00:09:33,919 --> 00:09:36,360 you know, this is an emergency, we need to do 175 00:09:36,399 --> 00:09:39,919 something about it. You know, what they're really doing is 176 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:44,120 a political game to try to get Republicans to go 177 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,279 back on the tax rate decreases that are scheduled to 178 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,519 go into effect. And I think it's shortsighted. I think 179 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:53,799 the General Assembly has done a really good job of 180 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,440 planning for these tax rate decreases. They've always been predicated 181 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:03,039 on hitting certain targets and tax revenue with the understanding 182 00:10:03,039 --> 00:10:05,039 that government does have a role and it does need 183 00:10:05,159 --> 00:10:10,840 some money. And so they've crafted these tax decreases to 184 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:12,720 make sure that we're still able to do what we 185 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:13,559 need to do for that. 186 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:14,799 Speaker 1: All right. 187 00:10:14,799 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 2: And so while Andrew does not do math live on 188 00:10:17,399 --> 00:10:19,440 the radio, he does it in the piece at the 189 00:10:19,519 --> 00:10:20,279 Charlotte Observer. 190 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:20,960 Speaker 1: You can read it. 191 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,879 Speaker 2: It's called North Carolina's fiscal cliff is just a scare 192 00:10:23,919 --> 00:10:27,240 tactic from Democrats. And we'll talk with you next week. Andrew, 193 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,559 thanks a lot. I appreciate it, and we'll talk next week. 194 00:10:30,279 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 3: Thank you. 195 00:10:30,799 --> 00:10:32,279 Speaker 1: All right. So, yeah, that's Andrew Dunn. 196 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 2: He is also the publisher of long Leave Politics, formerly 197 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:40,879 of the Dan Forrest Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest campaign and administration. 198 00:10:41,279 --> 00:10:43,320 So we'll have him back on next Tuesday in a 199 00:10:43,399 --> 00:10:46,559 regular segment. Here's a great idea How about making an 200 00:10:46,639 --> 00:10:49,879 escape to a really special and secluded getaway in western 201 00:10:49,879 --> 00:10:52,399 North Carolina. Just a quick drive up the mountain and 202 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,480 Cabins of Asheville is your connection. 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Call or text eight two eight three six 219 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:53,360 seven seventy sixty eight or check out all there is 220 00:11:53,399 --> 00:11:56,720 to offer at cabins Offashville dot com and make memories 221 00:11:56,799 --> 00:11:58,000 that'll last a lifetime. 222 00:11:58,519 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 2: Let me go back to this North Caroline on a 223 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:06,279 Republican Party tweet that they sent out. This was I 224 00:12:06,279 --> 00:12:08,799 think yesterday they sent this out. And Andrew wrote the 225 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:13,039 piece about Jeff Jackson, our attorney general, using his office 226 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:20,840 as a networking event. So the GOP says that Attorney 227 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,720 General Jackson was sworn into office nearly two months ago. 228 00:12:24,039 --> 00:12:27,279 He has made just one announcement relating to violent crime, 229 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,840 which was a plea deal in a twenty twenty two 230 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,159 Ashville murder. By contrast, he has made five separate announcements 231 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:42,080 criticizing President Trump and Doge. It's clear Jeff Jackson cares 232 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,639 more about preening for the liberal media and bolstering his 233 00:12:45,799 --> 00:12:49,720 out of state liberal donor network than doing his job 234 00:12:49,799 --> 00:12:53,159 and keeping North Carolina family safe. He should just be 235 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:58,600 honest about it. This is something also that Andrew Dunn 236 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:04,720 in his column touches on as well. He says the 237 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,519 Attorney general's role in theory is to run the state's 238 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:12,360 Department of Justice, prosecuting criminals, managing the state crime lab, 239 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:18,000 training law enforcement. But in practice, attorneys general can take 240 00:13:18,039 --> 00:13:21,440 different approaches. They can focus on protecting state interests, or 241 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,679 they can they can go looking for fights, and Jackson 242 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:31,600 has chosen the latter. And this actual this actually prompted 243 00:13:33,159 --> 00:13:39,679 a North Carolina state representative named Mike Sheetzelt, who said, uh, 244 00:13:40,039 --> 00:13:43,360 he said, he agrees with everything in this column that 245 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,360 Andrew wrote, but he says he quibbles over one point, 246 00:13:46,399 --> 00:13:50,000 which is that Jackson doesn't go looking for fights. He 247 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:54,679 signs on to other people's work to raise his national profile, 248 00:13:55,399 --> 00:13:59,480 which I think is I think that's accurate, right, because 249 00:13:59,559 --> 00:14:03,399 he didn't like, he's not taking the lead on this 250 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:08,120 with all of these other Democrat states attorney general states 251 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:13,759 attorneys general, right, he just is piggybacking onto their work 252 00:14:14,519 --> 00:14:16,639 like they're already doing something, and he'll be like, yeah, 253 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:19,080 sign me up for that, and then he can put 254 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,159 out TikTok videos about it and stand next to people 255 00:14:22,159 --> 00:14:25,159 at press conferences. And by the way, that is also 256 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:29,399 a tactic that was used quite effectively by Barack Obama 257 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,240 when he was a US Senator. I covered this at 258 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,440 the time when he was running in two thousand and eight, 259 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,559 which was he had a bit of a reputation as 260 00:14:37,639 --> 00:14:41,080 like the new guy who shows up. And the one 261 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:46,759 story was that he literally joined some US senators on 262 00:14:46,799 --> 00:14:49,519 their way to a news conference and he just kind 263 00:14:49,519 --> 00:14:52,639 of tagged along with them and stood next to them, 264 00:14:52,679 --> 00:14:54,480 and then you know, was claiming all sorts of credit 265 00:14:54,679 --> 00:14:59,919 for some bill and that's it. And he got the 266 00:15:00,159 --> 00:15:02,600 reputation in the state, I believe it was in the 267 00:15:02,639 --> 00:15:06,360 state legislature where he was like a one termer there, 268 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,600 and there were some other longtime, you know, veteran Democrat 269 00:15:10,679 --> 00:15:14,120 lawmakers who said they didn't appreciate the fact that he 270 00:15:14,159 --> 00:15:18,799 would come in and after you know, the team had 271 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,360 driven the ball ninety nine yards to the other side 272 00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:25,480 of the field, they would, you know, hand it off 273 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,840 to Obama and he would you know, get the one 274 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:29,960 yard and spike the ball and get all the credit. 275 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,480 They weren't very happy with them doing that either, And 276 00:15:32,519 --> 00:15:35,240 I wonder if that's kind of the model that Jackson 277 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,960 is using now. Jackson, as Andrew Dunn says, is not 278 00:15:38,039 --> 00:15:42,600 the first to use this office in this way. Josh 279 00:15:42,639 --> 00:15:46,120 Stein did it, and before Josh Stein, Roy Cooper did 280 00:15:46,159 --> 00:15:53,279 it right. Cooper spent twenty years as Attorney general. Stein 281 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:57,639 lasted two terms, so four year terms, so two of 282 00:15:57,679 --> 00:16:00,840 those eight years. Jackson might not make it through two 283 00:16:00,919 --> 00:16:04,240 years before running for US Senate and maybe even president. 284 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,799 But this is how Democrats in North Carolina have maintained 285 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:11,919 control over this office and the governor's office. All right, 286 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:13,799 if you're listening to this show, you know I try 287 00:16:13,799 --> 00:16:15,559 to keep up with all sorts of current events, and 288 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,679 I know you do too, And you've probably heard me 289 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,919 say get your news from multiple sources. Why well, because 290 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,639 it's how you detect media bias, which is why I've 291 00:16:24,639 --> 00:16:28,000 been so impressed with ground News. It's an app, and 292 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,120 it's a website, and it combines news from around the 293 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,840 world in one place so you can compare coverage and 294 00:16:33,919 --> 00:16:37,759 verify information. You can check it out at check dot ground, 295 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,080 dot news slash pete. I put the link in the 296 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,360 podcast description too. I started using ground News a few 297 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,080 months ago and more recently chose to work with them 298 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,879 as an affiliate because it lets me see clearly how 299 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,399 stories get covered and by whom. The blind spot feature 300 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,120 shows you which stories get ignored by the left and 301 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:56,639 the right. 302 00:16:56,799 --> 00:16:57,679 Speaker 1: See for yourself. 303 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 2: Check dot Ground, dot news us slash pete. Subscribe through 304 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,039 that link and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription. 305 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,079 I use the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to 306 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,640 every feature. Your subscription then not only helps my podcast, 307 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,000 but it also supports Ground News as they make the 308 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:18,279 media landscape more transparent. Andrew Dunn and his piece over 309 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,720 at the Charlotte Observer. In his op ed the other day, 310 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,240 he says North Carolina Democrats have maintained control of the 311 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:31,759 Attorney General office and the Governor's office in the manner 312 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,880 in the way, employing a strategy that Jeff Jackson is 313 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,319 now obviously using. Even as Republicans have built legislative supermajorities. 314 00:17:40,279 --> 00:17:44,599 Candidates with star power do not just emerge. They methodically 315 00:17:44,599 --> 00:17:50,480 build name recognition, fundraising networks, and relationships within the party 316 00:17:50,839 --> 00:17:56,960 right and that goes for both parties. We covered last week. 317 00:17:57,279 --> 00:17:59,200 I believe it was data that was compiled by the 318 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,240 Carolina Journal that found somewhere in the neighborhood of like 319 00:18:02,319 --> 00:18:06,240 seventy or eighty percent of all of the donations that 320 00:18:06,319 --> 00:18:11,319 went to Josh Stein in his run for governor came 321 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:15,079 from out of state. And that's how Democrats have been winning. 322 00:18:15,079 --> 00:18:19,039 They've been raising boatloads of money from predominantly out of 323 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,920 state donors. And this is why same thing with the 324 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,319 attorney general, right, you raise all of this money from 325 00:18:26,319 --> 00:18:28,359 out of state, and this is why we are seeing 326 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:35,319 Jeff Jackson's focus on these national lawsuits against Donald Trump. 327 00:18:36,799 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: Right. 328 00:18:37,079 --> 00:18:40,319 Speaker 2: I mean, I think these dots are pretty close together 329 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:45,039 and pretty easily connected with a straight line, right, as 330 00:18:45,079 --> 00:18:47,880 two dots usually are. I mean, if you're trying to 331 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,680 be the most direct. So it's clear to me, like 332 00:18:51,759 --> 00:18:54,519 this is the payoff. This is the reason why they 333 00:18:54,559 --> 00:18:56,640 gave him all the money, and this is him making 334 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,160 good on that promise. Whether he made it, you know, 335 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,880 explicitly or not, does not matter one wit to me. 336 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,400 The point of having a Democrat attorney general is to 337 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:11,039 get another state to sign on to your lawsuits against 338 00:19:11,079 --> 00:19:16,920 Donald Trump. If Republicans want to hold him accountable, they 339 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,680 need a better strategy than simply trying to strip. 340 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:20,880 Speaker 1: Power away from the office. 341 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,559 Speaker 2: And Andrew went over the details on how he thinks 342 00:19:24,559 --> 00:19:27,119 they should do that. Just you know, keep calling attention 343 00:19:28,079 --> 00:19:34,400 to what Jackson is doing. And you know, I certainly do. 344 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,559 And you know, every time Jackson signs on to one 345 00:19:37,599 --> 00:19:40,960 of these lawsuits, I make a point of noting it. 346 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,440 I wasn't even aware that he did a press release 347 00:19:43,839 --> 00:19:47,119 that actually had to deal with crime. You know, it's 348 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,599 it's all just Orange Man bad. But again, that's what 349 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:54,039 the donors gave him the money to win for, so 350 00:19:54,200 --> 00:20:00,359 he is fulfilling the wishes of his donors. Done also 351 00:20:00,519 --> 00:20:05,200 had the second piece here that that we covered a 352 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,200 little bit called the North Carolina fiscal cliff, is a 353 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,599 scare tactic that Josh Stein is using, and I do 354 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,960 have some of the math here, so he's Andrew talked 355 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,599 about how you know they do these budget projections, these 356 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:22,079 revenue projections, I should say, and you know, the legislature 357 00:20:22,079 --> 00:20:24,039 does its budgeting on two year cycles. 358 00:20:24,079 --> 00:20:25,319 Speaker 1: They call them a biennium. 359 00:20:25,759 --> 00:20:29,640 Speaker 2: And so the first year, which is the long session, 360 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,119 the second year is a short session for the legislature. 361 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,480 And we're in the long session right now, so they're 362 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,799 going to be doing their budget and once they lock 363 00:20:37,839 --> 00:20:41,079 in that budget, then that's the two year budget and 364 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:43,759 then they'll come back next year on the short session 365 00:20:43,799 --> 00:20:46,279 and just make any adjustments that may need to be 366 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:52,119 made so this projection of revenue in another two years, right, 367 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:55,839 So getting through this budget cycle and then projecting out 368 00:20:55,839 --> 00:20:58,240 what the revenue is going to look like in twenty 369 00:20:58,279 --> 00:21:03,799 twenty seven, that's a difficult thing to do. And as 370 00:21:03,839 --> 00:21:08,400 Andrew noted, and as he did in his math here, 371 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:12,200 he says, every time the forecasts of disaster, or every 372 00:21:12,279 --> 00:21:18,839 time the forecasts of disaster have failed to materialize, And 373 00:21:19,599 --> 00:21:21,920 he says, I sorted through the last decade's worth of 374 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,160 forecasts that came from the Office of State Budget and 375 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,640 Management and paired them with the actual result. It showed 376 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:37,279 that nearly every early revenue forecast, every early revenue forecast 377 00:21:38,039 --> 00:21:42,799 in the past decade, has come in short. It underestimated 378 00:21:43,279 --> 00:21:49,279 the actual collections, sometimes by as much as eighteen percent. 379 00:21:49,559 --> 00:21:53,559 But all along, every year, every time, the Democrat narrative, 380 00:21:53,599 --> 00:21:58,279 which is always amplified by the media, is always the same, 381 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:04,119 the same doomsday warnings, right, the same predictions of catastrophe, 382 00:22:04,839 --> 00:22:08,759 and they never materialize. Yet they keep making the argument. 383 00:22:08,839 --> 00:22:10,960 I guess maybe at some point the stopped clock will 384 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,319 be correct. And maybe at that point they'll say say, 385 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,759 we told you, you know, I don't know. They haven't been 386 00:22:15,799 --> 00:22:19,720 correct yet but they still get treated as if their 387 00:22:19,759 --> 00:22:24,000 predictions have value. It is the most infuriating thing for 388 00:22:24,079 --> 00:22:27,200 me every single budget cycle. You will see it again 389 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,799 this cycle too. I have no doubt they will quote 390 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:36,480 some quote expert from the North Carolina Budget and Tax 391 00:22:36,519 --> 00:22:38,599 Center I think is what they're called. 392 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: I don't know. 393 00:22:39,039 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 2: I think they changed their name at some point over 394 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:45,000 the last decade. And every year, this leftist think tank, 395 00:22:45,839 --> 00:22:49,720 funded by the usual suspects in our North Carolina left 396 00:22:49,759 --> 00:22:56,200 wing funding apparatus, right the Blueprint and Sea crowd. Every 397 00:22:56,279 --> 00:22:59,319 year they make the same prediction that we're gonna go, 398 00:22:59,559 --> 00:23:02,920 you know, to this catastrophe. We're gonna go bankrupt. We're 399 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:07,039 not gonna have any money for anything. And he points 400 00:23:07,039 --> 00:23:11,279 out and correctly so Roy Cooper, my good friend Ray. 401 00:23:12,319 --> 00:23:16,400 The entire eight years he was governor, he was always 402 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:21,279 trying to raid the reserve funds. Right, the Republicans have 403 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,279 been funding money, putting it aside in the rainy day 404 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:28,440 fund for emergencies. And you put it in there and 405 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:31,160 you don't touch it, particularly you don't touch it for 406 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:35,759 ongoing expenses. That is a recipe for bankruptcy. The point 407 00:23:35,799 --> 00:23:38,079 of the reserves is to put it aside, so it 408 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:41,839 doesn't get touched unless something catastrophic happens, and then you've 409 00:23:41,839 --> 00:23:45,960 got the money to shore up something or to respond 410 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,240 to a disaster, for example. And Roy Cooper has constantly 411 00:23:50,279 --> 00:23:54,119 tried to raid that fund. And then, of course, after 412 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,920 Hurricane Helene, what does he say, we need to take 413 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,000 the money from the fund and use it for Helene 414 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,920 recovery because that's what it's for. Well, yes, that's what 415 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,119 it's for. But you have been trying to raid it, 416 00:24:05,319 --> 00:24:08,000 and if you had your way, there'd be no money 417 00:24:08,039 --> 00:24:15,720 in it whatsoever. Right, a decade later, after Republicans got 418 00:24:15,759 --> 00:24:18,960 into power and they began implementing their tax reform, which 419 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,640 was supposed to lead to catastrophe, we have seen the 420 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:30,279 most successful economic stretch in the state's history. Andrew Dunn continues, 421 00:24:30,319 --> 00:24:34,119 the real disagreement here is about political philosophy. Democrats don't 422 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:39,440 seem to get this, but budget surpluses are not actually good. 423 00:24:40,799 --> 00:24:45,200 They're not good. I mean, it's preferable than a deficit, 424 00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:47,680 don't get me wrong, but it means you took too 425 00:24:47,759 --> 00:24:51,319 much money than what you had budgeted for. You took 426 00:24:51,359 --> 00:24:55,000 too much money from your citizens. That's why Republicans when 427 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,440 they end up with the surpluses, they try to give 428 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,240 them back. Actually, at the beginning they were cutting checks 429 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,319 and then they put it into the Rainy Day Fund. 430 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,799 So Andrew says, instead of debating whether the state collects enough, 431 00:25:12,079 --> 00:25:15,680 the focus should be on whether the money is used strategically. 432 00:25:15,759 --> 00:25:20,079 He talks about teacher pay, talks about state infrastructure, roads 433 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:23,400 and bridges and such as well as court system backlogs. 434 00:25:23,519 --> 00:25:26,480 I think that is a key. I think Republicans are 435 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,319 missing a real opportunity here to put more money into 436 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:34,079 the court system that will help to make communities safer. 437 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:37,759 Speaker 1: But we'll see. 438 00:25:38,279 --> 00:25:40,680 Speaker 2: You know, stories are powerful. They help us make sense 439 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,119 of things, to understand experiences. Stories connect us to the 440 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:47,279 people of our past while transcending generations. They help us 441 00:25:47,319 --> 00:25:50,359 process the meaning of life. And our stories are told 442 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:54,559 through images and videos. Preserve your stories with Creative Video 443 00:25:54,759 --> 00:25:57,559 started in nineteen ninety seven and Mint Hill, North Carolina. 444 00:25:57,759 --> 00:26:00,319 It was the first company to provide this valuable service, 445 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:05,160 converting images, photos and videos into high quality produced slide shows, 446 00:26:05,279 --> 00:26:08,880 videos and albums. The trusted, talented and dedicated team at 447 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,319 Creative Video will go over all of the details with 448 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,279 you to create a perfect project. Satisfaction guaranteed. Drop them 449 00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:17,079 off in person or mail them. They'll be ready in 450 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:19,599 a week or two. Memorial videos for your loved ones, 451 00:26:19,759 --> 00:26:24,839 videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas, family vacations, birthdays, 452 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,759 or just your family stories, all told through images. That's 453 00:26:28,759 --> 00:26:32,079 what your photos and videos are. They are your life 454 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,799 told through the eyes of everyone around you and all 455 00:26:34,839 --> 00:26:37,000 who came before you, and they will tell others to 456 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,480 come who you are. Visit creative video dot com. So 457 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:45,519 one other piece though, it's over at Longleaf Politics again 458 00:26:45,599 --> 00:26:51,319 the website Longleaf Pol longleafpol dot com. And that's Andrew 459 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:58,680 Dunn's website, and he talks a little bit about some 460 00:26:58,759 --> 00:27:01,279 of the people behind the scenes and some of these 461 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:07,200 names you may know or have heard, but they're these 462 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,079 are important names to keep in mind when you're talking 463 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:14,759 or thinking about North Carolina politics. Obviously, over on the left, 464 00:27:14,799 --> 00:27:20,319 you've got Morgan Jackson Nexus Strategies. That's his firm, and 465 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,960 he has been as Done calls him the undisputed king 466 00:27:23,039 --> 00:27:27,240 of Democrat consultants in North Carolina. He has advised former 467 00:27:27,279 --> 00:27:32,759 Governor Roy Cooper. Josh Stein, attorney General, Jeff Jackson, numerous others. 468 00:27:32,799 --> 00:27:35,759 So if you are serious about winning high office in 469 00:27:35,839 --> 00:27:40,319 North Carolina, you go to Morgan Jackson, you go to 470 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,200 Nexus Strategies. On the Republican side, he says, it gets 471 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,160 a little murkier. But if you got to pick a 472 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,920 leader right now, it's Paul Schumaker of Capital Communications. And 473 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,960 over his political career he was an advisor for Governor 474 00:27:57,039 --> 00:28:02,640 Jim Martin, did campaigns for or Richard Burr, Pat McCrory, 475 00:28:03,079 --> 00:28:08,680 Sherry Berry, Tim Moore, and Tom Tillis. One of the 476 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:17,039 other guys on Tillis's campaign Jordan's Shaw. That's another Tillis advisor. Uh, 477 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,920 that's listed here. But you know, Tillis is up for 478 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,960 reelection right now, and it's probably gonna be a you know, 479 00:28:23,319 --> 00:28:26,920 tough campaign for him. That's what everybody expects it to be. 480 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:35,240 And if Tillis loses, then you know, the questions start 481 00:28:35,279 --> 00:28:37,839 going around about, well, you know, do you hire on 482 00:28:38,519 --> 00:28:42,799 Shoemaker or Shaw? Do you bring those guys on if 483 00:28:42,839 --> 00:28:48,599 Tillis loses? And and Dounn says, if he does lose, 484 00:28:49,599 --> 00:28:55,480 then the torch will pass outside of the Tillis orbit. 485 00:28:56,039 --> 00:28:59,160 And then he offers up a couple of people who 486 00:29:00,279 --> 00:29:03,000 he says, you know, could be the sort of heir 487 00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:11,200 apparent for the Republican Party. First up, he lists Jonathan Felts, 488 00:29:11,599 --> 00:29:14,799 who served briefly in the McCrory administration, then went and 489 00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:17,319 set up his own shop. It's called the Indie Group. 490 00:29:18,039 --> 00:29:20,599 And it took a while for him to land a 491 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:25,160 major candidate, but when he did, he landed a big one. 492 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:32,000 That was Ted budd And there's also a fellow named 493 00:29:32,039 --> 00:29:36,880 David capin Capin Consulting. Actually, he actually has more clients 494 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,119 than anybody else in North Carolina politics, according to Andrew 495 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,640 Dunn at Long Leave Politics. Most of them are on 496 00:29:43,799 --> 00:29:46,839 the smaller side, but that's kind of how that business 497 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,640 model works. If becoming the king of consulting is like 498 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:56,039 winning the lottery, Capain has the most tickets, right, because 499 00:29:56,039 --> 00:29:59,759 he's got the most candidates. The one most likely to 500 00:29:59,799 --> 00:30:06,440 pay off quickly is Labor Commissioner Luke Farley, who Done 501 00:30:06,519 --> 00:30:10,640 says is an impressive politico and quickly becoming a leader 502 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,559 on the Council of State. And then there is the 503 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:19,559 number three is Jim Blaine. Jim Blaine, former chief of 504 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:25,079 staff for the North Carolina Senate Leader President pro tem 505 00:30:25,079 --> 00:30:32,160 Phil Berger, and he set up I think Ray Martin, 506 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,880 I think was his partner at the They call themselves 507 00:30:36,279 --> 00:30:41,799 the Differentiators Differentiator Data. It's a huge asset. And the 508 00:30:41,839 --> 00:30:46,359 company's fleece vest is a status symbol in Raleigh, which 509 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,000 I was not aware they apparently they got fleece vests 510 00:30:49,039 --> 00:30:53,640 and that's like, that's the uniform. Six months ago. Blaine 511 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,400 would have been higher on the list. But Dan Bishop's 512 00:30:56,480 --> 00:31:00,839 loss was Jim Blaine was repping or worked on the 513 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,119 Dan Bishop campaign and he lost that Attorney General race 514 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,279 and that was a major setback. And that's the nature 515 00:31:06,359 --> 00:31:08,039 of the beast when it comes to this kind of 516 00:31:08,079 --> 00:31:11,119 line of work. His other clients on the Council of 517 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:17,279 State did win. However, he had Dave Bollock the state auditor, 518 00:31:17,519 --> 00:31:22,000 and he had Brad Briner for State Treasurer. Blaine can 519 00:31:22,039 --> 00:31:25,480 maintain a successful and lucrative business serving as the powerhouse 520 00:31:25,519 --> 00:31:28,599 behind the Republican majority in the General Assembly, which I 521 00:31:28,599 --> 00:31:30,680 would probably do if I were him, rather than trying 522 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,720 to become the new consulting king. The white whale for 523 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,960 North Carolina consultants is obviously the governorship. The state's top 524 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:43,880 executive position has been largely out of reach, but it 525 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:48,720 provides an incredible platform for building a movement as well 526 00:31:48,759 --> 00:31:53,839 as a consulting business. Whoever gets there first is bound 527 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,039 to win the crown. So one of the things to 528 00:31:56,119 --> 00:31:59,880 keep in mind people maybe asking, well, how did in 529 00:32:00,119 --> 00:32:04,480 Correy get there without any of these. 530 00:32:05,799 --> 00:32:06,799 Speaker 1: These king makers. 531 00:32:07,079 --> 00:32:10,200 Speaker 2: And I believe the guy that he used was Jack Hawk, 532 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:14,960 if memory serves, and he passed away and so and 533 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,920 Shoemaker's been around for you know, I think he worked 534 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:23,839 for Yeah, he worked for Jesse Helms, I think too 535 00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:26,799 or no, hang on a second, Brad Hayes, Tom Ellison, 536 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:28,240 Carter wren That was who I was thinking of. 537 00:32:28,319 --> 00:32:29,759 Speaker 1: Carter Wrenn, who does. 538 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:35,759 Speaker 2: Talking about politics website. He worked for Helms, but Shoemaker 539 00:32:35,799 --> 00:32:40,119 came along and sort of took their place. So it's 540 00:32:40,119 --> 00:32:43,039 how this stuff goes. But those are the names the background. 541 00:32:43,039 --> 00:32:45,160 Like I said, if you want this kind of background, 542 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:48,839 peak behind the curtain on North Carolina politics. Andrew Dunn 543 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:51,440 is a must follow on Twitter and I must follow 544 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,880 on his website long leafpol dot com. 545 00:32:55,079 --> 00:32:57,400 Speaker 1: All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you 546 00:32:57,480 --> 00:32:58,400 so much for listening. 547 00:32:58,519 --> 00:33:00,799 Speaker 2: I could not do the show without yours and the 548 00:33:00,799 --> 00:33:03,880 support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, so 549 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:06,000 if you'd like, please support them too and tell them 550 00:33:06,039 --> 00:33:08,000 you heard it here. You can also become a patron 551 00:33:08,079 --> 00:33:12,279 at my Patreon page or go to dpetecleanershow dot com. Again, 552 00:33:12,559 --> 00:33:15,079 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 553 00:33:15,119 --> 00:33:20,119 while I'm gone.