newsobserver.com projects - A.B. Swindell - Comments

Every last one

cornbread — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:55:21 -0500

All elected officials are returning (and former) Senators who voted for the state's budget in the last biennium.

Re: Senate budget chairs announced

alaskan1 — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:44:23 -0500

How many of these people have ever had to make a payroll?

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

j1c2kp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:03:23 -0400

Are we done yet?
Just saw the sentence, 40 months and fines. I still want to know about the company that bribed a state official? Will they be charged?

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

Isaac136 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:54:25 -0400

No fair sayin' it first!

Again, Swindell knows full well he's under scrutiny, but he has the guts to stand by his friend in time of trouble. Lots of politicians wouldn't, just because they want to avoid comments like yours. That's cowardly.

If you want to explain what is ethically or morally wrong with his letter in some specific way, I'm ready to be proven wrong. But don't assume facts for which you have no evidence.

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

j1c2kp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:17:52 -0400

You're starting to remind me of my favorite bumper sticker. "You are entitled to your wrong opinion." :)

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

Isaac136 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:28:19 -0400

If you've read my posts on this blog you know that I am a regular critic of politicians -- particularly the Democrats.

But this was a cheap shot. There was nothing wrong with what Swindell wrote. There's nothing smarmy, slimey, underhanded or unethical about it. There's no hint of any quid pro quo or suggestion of future positive or negative consequences.

Again, Swindell had nothing to gain, and had to know that he'd come under this kind of fire for the effort. In fact, he knew he was targeted by the GOP already and he knew that the N&O has been following the Hudson story and related angles very closely. He knew his letter was a public document. He still stuck his neck out.

It's an up-front testimony to his friendship and regard, and that's all it is. Swindell did the right thing for the right reasons.

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

j1c2kp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:12:27 -0400

Sure Swindell probably means it and he wants to remind the Judge of their friendship and that his assistants husband could really use a little help. It's done all the time.

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

Isaac136 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:47:20 -0400

I cry FOWL -- and foul - on this over-the-top shot at Swindell. Yeah, the letter is a little sugary, but I think Swindell means every word of it.

Sheesh, sometimes a person's heartfelt expressions ARE going to be corny.

I know, it's so uncool to suggest that a politician might mean something he's saying, but if you can't allow for the possibility of sincerity, you're discounting the verifiable fact that the man is human and that friendship means something to him, as presumably it does to the rest of us.

A. B. Swindell isn't my senator, but I admire that he is sticking his neck out for someone he knows well who is in hot water. He has absolutely ZERO to gain politically from doing this. Nor has he tried to excuse or justify what Hudson did. However, he is showing the backbone to say "this man is my friend and I know this about him," despite the inevitability of DOME comments such as these.

Good for Swindell.

Re: Senator says Hudson is just ducky

j1c2kp — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:11:42 -0400

Does reading this make you want to vomit?

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

mbrock49 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:03:08 -0400

Congratulations to my member of the House from Cary, Jennifer Wiess. She is just a good, all around clean politico. She takes her job as Representive of the people seriously, and she is responsible in her fund-raising tactics. Good job, Jennifer.

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

meschreiner — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:17:28 -0400

>NEVER meant to be a 'democracy'...in fact the word does NOT appear in the Constitution!

Not true.
This nation is a republic in a democracy.
The U.S. Constitution didn't need the word "democracy" -- from the Greek for demokratia, from 'demos' "common people," + 'kratos' "rule, strength" -- to be democratic, since it was ordained and established by "We the people."

If we're going to list all the words not in the Constitution, we're going to be here all day.

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

FFC1304 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:37:46 -0400

Its MY way of HONORING the 'ORIGINAL' 'party' of SLAVERY, as they continue to ENSLAVE us daily.

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

dahedgehog — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:24:40 -0400

Congrats to those members on the list. Despite FFC's notions, there are some good people in Raleigh on both sides. Many of them are listed above.

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

Isaac136 — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:10:45 -0400

Yeah, FFC, speaking of "KKK," I guess you're among those hoping we'll never see another politician exploit bigotry and be praised and rewarded and honored for it in North Carolina.

Hmmm? Of course.

Re: 21 legislators praised for disclosure

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:11:21 -0400

An earlier version inadvertently left out Cotham.

— RTB