WRAL’s Cambridge Analytica / NCGOP “nothing-burger”

We made our peace with the UK about — oh — 200 years ago, but Raleigh’s WRAL still wants to see something nefarious emanating from our former motherland. 

It’s interesting to see WRAL tut-tutting over someone else’s alleged integrity indiscretions while it (a) continues to keep Laura Leslie on the payroll and (b) continues to fund BluePrint NC and all kinds of other leftist causes via the AJ Fletcher Foundation.

Here’s the spin.  We are supposed to be outraged because either the NCGOP or the Thilli$$$ campaign hired a British-based company to do some data analytics work on Thilli$$$’s 2014 race against Kay Hagan.   Data analytics involves looking at a bunch of data and extracting patterns and other useful information.  (*Exciting stuff.*)

Foreigners being involved in election campaigns is nothing new.  American consultants and consulting firms do it all the time. (Examples?  HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.)

High-dollar big business is now global.  Think about how many companies in the Triangle are foreign-owned or foreign-based.  Then think about how many employees of said companies have volunteered for, donated to, or advised North Carolina political campaigns.

Can we be sure that Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL have never had any foreign investment or foreign employees in positions of influence?

Ever hear of CEMEX?  It’s a Mexican-owned and -based company supplying a hell of a lot of concrete and other building supplies to construction  projects across the United States (including in North Carolina).

Mexican interference in the US economy, anyone?

Now, let’s consider the 2014 US Senate race.  The Tilli$$$ general election campaign was one of the most incompetent I’ve seen in a long time. (It ranks right there with the 1996 Hayes for Governor “effort”.)

Kay Hagan was absolutely despised.  She was running as a hardcore feminist and Hillary acolyte.  Yet, Tilli$$$ scraped by her by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin.  The Tilli$$$ campaign even admitted they were surprised to have won.  

If it can be proved that the NCGOP acquired Cambridge Analytica’s services on behalf of Tilli$$$ DURING THE PRIMARY THAT YEAR, you’d definitely have a problem on your hands.

Also, reports of Cambridge execs shaking down and extorting politicians are troubling.  It happened in the UK, apparently.  Could it have happened here?

We’ve documented quite a few pretty crystal clear connections between cash donations to Tilli$$$ and the level of vigor he shows in pursuing issues of concern to said donors (i.e., amnesty for illegals, film incentives).

THIS is a story because elements within the drive by media and the political left are still butt-hurt over Hillary’s 2016 loss.  Hacking of Democrat National Committee files allegedly perpetrated by Russian government-backed hackers was thrown out there to explain Hillary’s loss.  (*It had nooooooooothing to do with the fact she is a horrible person, by the way.*)

(*The Russians wanted Trump to win.  Yeah, THAT’s the ticket.*)  Meanwhile, the Trump-led US’s current relations with Russia have the drive bys already talking about a “new” Cold War.

Apparently, WRAL wants us to believe Britain is the new “Evil Empire.”  Dallas Woodhouse is doing his best Al Haig impersonation as the questions and accusations and insinuations pour in.    Never mind that Dallas wasn’t with the party in the 2014 election cycle.  (He was doing THIS. )

Political campaigns — from the General Assembly up — involve a lot of subcontractors and moving parts that move on and off the stage as needed.  (For instance, I was a minor-minor-minor-minor-highly insignificant cog in the Bush-Quayle ’88 campaign.  It’s not likely George HW Bush or Dan Quayle even knew I was there.)

It would be very easy to not know who exactly made a cameo appearance in various campaigns.

What we really ought to be worried about?  Big Money lining politician pockets in anticipation of an ROI underwritten by OUR DIME(s).