May 26, 2011
Will the Republican-controlled General Assembly of North Carolina end up doing something that about one-third of the voters in three 10th Congressional District primary elections couldn’t do? Will his fellow Republicans in North Carolina be the ones to finally rid Caldwell, Burke, Mitchell and Avery counties of representation in the U.S. Congress by Patrick McHenry?
For seven years, in the face of stern criticism by some in my own party, I have taken every opportunity I could to publicly oppose the election and reelection of one of the most selfish, corrupt Republicans I have ever encountered. McHenry has “served” in the Congress for three terms now, and what does Caldwell County have to show for it? A big fat “nothing.”
That’s reason enough for me to oppose him. But now, the esteemed congressman embarrasses North Carolina again—yes, everybody will remember where he’s from—ending a hearing of the House Oversight Committee by calling a witness, Harvard University law professor Elizabeth Warren, a liar. If you go to the You Tube video from the official House feed for May 24, you can watch “Mouth McHenry” accuse her of “making this up.” The lady had an issue with promises she said were made by McHenry’s staff, and Little Mac dismissed her as a prevaricator.
Moreover, McHenry has gone from a 28-year-old Gaston County wunderkind who claimed to have no money when he first ran in 2004 to a well-heeled politico with a net worth over $1 million. He has used his office selfishly to hand out campaign jobs to friends, shamelessly collected his $174,000 yearly salary and generous perks while producing no significant benefits for constituents, and he still finds time to enrich himself further with nice real estate transactions, receiving sweet loan deals and campaign contributions from both sellers and bank officers.
Have you done as well in those six years?
Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have little regard for him and generally ignore him. Voters reelect him, they say, because he “votes the right way.”
Rumor is that he plans to abandon the House in 2014 anyway to challenge U.S. Senator Kay Hagen, a Democrat, as she runs for reelection. But in redrawing congressional districts after the 2010 census, the GOP General Assembly has taken Caldwell, Burke, Mitchell and Avery counties—a solid cache of Republican votes—away from McHenry and placed them in the 11th District of Democrat Heath Shuler, a Bryson City native and former University of Tennessee quarterback.
McHenry gains Republican votes in Gaston and Rutherford counties, but now must try to win hearts and minds in liberal Asheville. He still has plenty of GOP opposition in Catawba County, too, which produced two vigorous primary opponents, causing McHenryites to ambush and take over the local party two years ago.
I know it’s not exactly a done deal yet, but who says nothing good happens while the Legislature is in session?
Dennis A. Benfield
Hudson, NC
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