The blogosphere has weighed in on Kay Hagan's decision to drop a lawsuit.

The Democratic senator-elect had sued Sen. Elizabeth Dole for a TV ad that criticized her for attending a fundraiser held by an atheist, but dropped the suit this week.

On Talking About Politics, Republican consultant Carter wrenn says a statement by Hagan's spokeswoman that she wanted to end the suit for the good of North Carolina sounds phony.

"Now, why couldn’t Hagan just say, The election's over. I won. So, what’s the point in the lawsuit?" he writes. "The candor would have been refreshing."

Conservative blogger Dan Gearino says the lawsuit was either "stupid or craven."

"If she truly thought Dole's campaign ad went over the line into slander and defamation, and that the court system should be called upon (or would even be willing) to referee political charges and countercharges, she’s a fool who has no business being in Congress," he writes.

Meantime, J.W. Williamson on Watauga Watch was more stoic.

"Apparently, Liddy's losing the election was punishment enough," he writes.

Carter Wrenn says the "Godless" ad is over the line.

In a post on the Talking About Politics blog, the longtime Republican political consultant writes that a new ad by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole appears to go too far.

Then, the announcer, speaking for Dole's campaign, asks, What did Kay Hagan promise in exchange for the fundraiser, and a female voice, which a lot of people are going to take for Kay Hagan's voice, answers, "There is no God."

And, right there, Dole's ad crosses the line. Unless, of course, Mrs. Hagan is an atheist. 

Wrenn argues that the ad could backfire if Kay Hagan or a trusted advisor like former Gov. Jim Hunt makes a political ad fighting back and arguing that Dole's ad "crosses the line of decency."

"My guess is the next sound you may hear will be the roof falling in on Liddy Dole," he writes. 

Gary Pearce is skeptical about Barack Obama's chances in North Carolina.

In a post on the Talking About Politics blog, the longtime Democratic political consultant says that he's not ready to color the state blue on the electoral map.

"I wrote a piece for the N&O this Sunday saying that history — and, admittedly, all the battle scars I’ve accumulated over 32 years in politics — still makes me skeptical about Democratic chances here this year," he writes.

His reason: History.

"Seven times in a row, going back to 1980, the Democratic presidential candidate has lost North Carolina," he writes. "They can't get more than 42 percent of the vote."

Gary Pearce is the go-to guy for the press corps.

The longtime Democratic consultant is knowledgeable, friendly and accessible as well as a reliable source of pithy quotes on the current state of political affairs.

It's no surprise, then, that he was quoted 47 times in the state's major papers over the past year.

"I like being quoted," he told Dome via e-mail. "I feel like I've gained some knowledge over the years, and I like sharing it with people — just as I like learning from people who know things I don't. The secret to life is to keep learning."

A former adviser to longtime Gov. Jim Hunt, former Sen. John Edwards, Senate candidate Erskine Bowles and Lt. Gov. Dennis Wicker, Pearce is the definitive Democratic insider. At the same time, he's not working for any current campaigns, so he's considered an independent voice.

"I'm willing to be more candid than are most partisans," he wrote. "I'm not spinning anybody anymore."

More after the jump.

   Comments (4)

Joel Craig Raupe says that BlueNC is actually a latecomer to blogging.

Raupe, an administrative assistant to House Republican Leader Paul Stam, says that conservative blogs at the national level took off much earlier than BlueNC's 2006 start.

That's one reason he thinks there is no statewide conservative equivalent, since North Carolina's Republicans already get their fill at sites like Townhall, Redstate and Free Republic.

He also said the state's Republican Party is more fractured — between old-school mountain Republicans and newer transplants in the Triangle and elsewhere — and holds fewer local offices. Both make it harder to create a statewide collective like BlueNC.

There are a few conservative blogs, however. Raupe contributes to N.C. Republican Roundtable and regularly reads Carter Wrenn's posts on Talking About Politics.

Raupe also said that influential Republican legislators read BlueNC to see what issues voters are interested in.

"If Republicans are going to win an election here, they have to get a sizable percentage of the Democratic vote," he said. "That vote isn’t necessarily reached on BlueNC, but the people who influence that vote read it."