#NCSEN: Robin Hayes dishes on his buddy Thom T.
Ever since Robin Hayes’ name popped up in connection with Charlotte pastor Mark Harris’ US Senate campaign, we’ve been a little suspicious. Hayes, while NCGOP chairman, was TIGHT with House speaker Thom Tillis — carrying his water at every opportunity. SO, why on Earth would Robin decide to chair the campaign of a rival to Tillis for the GOP’s US Senate nomination? Our friend Chuck Suter, armed with his trusty video camera, sought out — and got — some answers from the former congressman and state GOP chairman:
“There is no rift [between me and Thom Tillis]. Thom is one of the most remarkable, accomplished, well-spoken people that I have ever known.”
Um, Oh-KAY. That would have to make a candidate feel *really good* to hear his campaign chairman issue an endorsement like that for his opponent. Well, if Tillis so great, why aren’t you signed on to his campaign team?
“I just happen to be closer to Mark Harris’ world view than I do Thom’s.”
Really? Harris is the outgoing president of The Southern Baptist Convention. Hayes is a longtime member of The Ripon Society – a liberal Republican group that has fought tooth and nail over the last four or five decades to weed conservative and religious right influence from the GOP’s ranks. Talk about cats and dogs living together.
“Thom is a great guy. We have three outstanding candidates [in this race] that I am aware of.”
Hayes said his goal for the GOP Senate primary is “a positive learning experience that strengthens our position against all the liberals who are clearly wrong on every issue.”
Kinda like that little “meeting” he, um, held with North Carolina’s delegation at the 2012 RNC convention in Tampa, I guess.
I guess the hapless Hayes is going to drop some of his granddaddy’s money into the Reverend Doctor Pastor Harris’s campaign? Not going to happen. I guess Hayes is locked into the “I hate gay folks, and you should to”, platform that the Reverend Doctor Pastor Harris is running on.
Sometimes I wonder if Robin Hayes knows what planet he is on. I would say he is more of a lead anchor for Harris than an asset.
Hayes also seems to be splitting with his buddy, Senator Richard ”Tricky Dick” Burr, who has been squiring Tillis around the DC special interests, on this one.
Actually Hayes has not split with Tillis nor do the ideological lines run closer to Harris. Hayes is backing Harris for the simple reason that the Tillis/Hayes/Burr camp feels that if Brannons support can be split, Tillis has a chance to gain the nomination. Hayes hasn’t split with Burr either. Remember when Burr promised Hayes a bilion dollars for development in Kannapolis? Most people probably don’t – it was when they rammed CAFTA down out throats and Hayes had to change his vote last minute to get it passed. Burr put a bill in the Senate to fund a biodefense research facility in Hayes district. It was to be exempt from GSA accounting rules, receive a billion dollar budget the first year and “as necessary” there after. Fortunately Burr couldn’t sell his traitorous bill and Hayes was voted out of office. Let’s never forget!
Robert, thank you for pointing out the truth! YES, “the Tillis/Hayes/Burr camp feels that if Brannons support can be split, Tillis has a chance to gain the nomination”. This IS what is really going on. People, don’t be fooled, Pastor Harris may be a very nice man–but he is just a pawn. The true conservative and right choice for NC is Dr. Greg Brannon.
Greg Brannon is the absolute best spoken and most Constitutionally knowledgeable candidate whom NC should elect! He owes no body
in Rawleigh nor the District of Criminals…
And that’s the main reason Brannon is unacceptable to the DC and NCGOP establishments. The worst thing that can happen for those running the show is for a person who isn’t in political debt to anyone to get elected. That means that person can’t be controlled, and that’s intolerable to them.
DC works on a system of political indebtedness and back-scratching. In order to feel safe with someone, politicians have to feel like they have something they can hold over that person’s head. If that person got elected without any political patronage and doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet, there’s nothing they can do to stop him from, say, demanding votes on controversial issues to put everyone on the record. Politicians HATE that, and will do everything in their power to stop that kind of person from being elected…including recruiting puppets to split the grassroots vote.
I was not sure that if I could support Brannon, though Tillis or Berger was the best bet, but Phil ain’t running and not too sure about Tillis. The commentary from Adam L. is the best argument for me that I should be voting for Brannon. Thank you sir.
Jim Cain would have been my first choice. I have known him since he worked in the Helms organization. But it looks like he is not running. Berger would have been acceptable but he is not running. I have real questions about some of the people Harris has around him. That leaves Brannon. I went to hear him speak and am convinced that he is the real deal.