newsobserver.com projects - Easley: It was campaign car - Comments

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

barbie50 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:43:33 -0400

Domewatcher...that was great. Kudos for a very funny post. It is clear that our governor just doesn't get the most basic lessons when it comes to government corruption. Those are (dating back to Watergate): The coverup is always worse than the crime and find a story that works and stick with it. And, then there is the old advice -- never lie to a reporter. You can refuse to talk with them (certainly Easley did that a lot when he was governor) but if you talk to them, then tell the truth. Andy Curliss has certainly caught the governor in a clear lie. Maybe Easley should take the next step when a government official is caught out on something--seek treatment at an undisclosed location for an unknown ailment that is causing him to be unable to distinguish truth from fiction. This does beg the question -- why would anybody want to hire this guy as a lobbyis? He has no constituency at this point. No one feels fondly enough toward him to open their doors or pocketbooks.

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

MarcusTC — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:54:49 -0400

Mayberry's own Blago!!

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

domewatcher — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:48:27 -0400

Andy and Opie were active during the last North Carolina election. This “campaign car” story reminds me of Andy’s recording of: “What it was was called football.” That remains a classic! This “campaign car” might make another good Andy story.

What it was was called a campaign car.

Now Opie, I’m gonna tell you a story about a car. See, now, this boy was driving a car. Some thought it was a leased car. Now a leased car is a car that is leased and not owned. An owned car is yours but the leased car is not yours but belongs to the guy who owns the lease. You see, if you own the lease you own the car. So, anyway, this car was not a leased car. It was owned by someone else but yet was being driven by this boy because this boy did not have another car to drive. So what it was was that this car was a campaign car. Now a campaign car is different from a leased car in that a leased car has a lease drawn up and a campaign car does not need a lease. A campaign car is usually black but a leased car can be any color. That’s a good pointer right there that this was not a leased car. Even if a campaign car is not black it is usually real dark in color because some navy blue colors can be almost black. Voters like dark colored cars because they give off that strong leadership quality and a lot of big shots drive dark colored cars and that’s what people like in their leaders. Now Opie, you can drive a campaign car even after the election is over because you never know when you might be running for office again. Now Opie, always be campaigning. That’s like going to heaven. If you lead a good life and always campaign then you will go to heaven. That is what campaigning is about…..winning an election or going to heaven. But you do not have to drive a campaign car all the time to get into heaven. Some people go to heaven and drive their own cars. But that’s neither here nor there. You see, Opie, that’s why General Motors may be in such bad shape. Too many people are not buying cars but driving campaign cars. General Motors sometimes makes money off leased cars. But I don’t know how those TARP funds or bailout funds or those big shot car boys deal with campaign cars. So, Opie, you need to grow up strong and get a car. If you can’t get a campaign car be sure and buy one from those Detroit boys. They are having a real hard time because too many people are driving campaign cars and not buying cars. Now Opie, go wash up for supper and then we will sit down and go over your economic’s homework.

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

CitizenOpinionated — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:39:25 -0400

Easley has been in the media more since leaving office than while in office - funny how that works!

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

domewatcher — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:04:32 -0400

Faster than a speeding bullet!
More powerful than a locomotive!
Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!

(Voices): "Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane!
It's a leased car! No, it’s……it’s……it’s a campaign car!"

Oh……so that's what it was.....

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

j1c2kp — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:53:32 -0400

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!
Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.
Scottish author & novelist (1771 - 1832)

Re: Easley: It was campaign car

domewatcher — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:36:32 -0400

It's certainly a reasonable explanation but nowhere near as strong as that business about "a cheeseburger and fries costing $60.00......over there."

I would grade this one as a "6.5." Maybe a "7" but no higher. Now that cheeseburger deal was a perfect "10!"

Easley: It was campaign car

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:59:30 -0400

Former Gov. Mike Easley now says his son was driving a campaign car.

Easley says a 2000 GMC Yukon owned by a Robeson County dealership was "made available" for use as a campaign vehicle in early 2003, according to documents filed with the State Board of Elections Friday and Monday.

The campaign used the SUV in 2003 and 2004 and part of 2005, wrote the lawyer, John Wallace of Wallace & Nordan in Raleigh. From mid-2005 on, it was used for "personal purposes."

Records show that neither Easley nor his campaign made any payments on the Yukon until this month.

Asked last month about the car, Easley had said in an e-mail that it was leased, though records show it was never part of a lease. (N&O)