Talk of The Town: Losing One’s $%#@. (ON THE AIR.)
I’ve never met Henry Hinton. I hear he’s a nice fellow. But he loses me with his constant kiss-up to Thom Tillis and Pat McCrory.
But his radio talk show, Talk of The Town, is a major political force along the east coast of the state. Most GOPe types view Hinton as an easy interview — kind of like celebrities view Barbara Walters or Larry King. Neither King nor Walters are likely to get in your face if you are from their world — and neither is Hinton.
So, one would think congressional candidate and current Craven County commissioner Scott Dacey would be in for a round of patty-cake and spooning when Hinton and his show rolled into New Bern for a live broadcast on September 22. A 
Hinton-Dacey confab — a coming together of GOPe types — should have been quite cozy. According to the show audio and eyewitness accounts, Dacey decided to go another route. (Pertinent part begins on the audio at about 14:20.)
Hinton started off the interview letting Dacey wax eloquently for a few minutes about his work fighting the opioid problem in Craven County. Things took a turn for the worst when Hinton started talking about Dacey’s primary challenge to incumbent congressman Walter Jones:
[…] Hinton: Let’s talk about the campaign a little bit. You have decided to go in to the race against Walter Jones. Many have tried, as you know. If you go out to the communities in Eastern North Carolina, the name recognition is a big deal.
Dacey: Well Henry, you’ve helped him a great deal with that.
Hinton: Well I’m having you on today.
Dacey: Well that’s nice. Once every 3 or 5 years.
Hinton: You’re welcome to come back Scott. My goodness.
Dacey: Well I appreciate that. It will be a good opportunity.
Hinton: He is our sitting Congressman. I didn’t realize you were going to be attacking me this morning.
Dacey: Well, we have to put the facts on the table here. You have been a close friend of his for many years, everybody knows that. That’s OK. That’s fine. It’s good.
Hinton: I absolutely don’t deny that. Walter has done many things over the years I agree with, he also, by the way, done some things I don’t agree with. So as a result, you probably don’t know how many times we’ve had discussions like that. We are friends, just like I hope you and I are friends. After this interview I’m not sure.
Dacey: (Laughter.) Absolutely.
On one hand, I can see a consultant advising Dacey to do this. Hinton is not a popular figure among conservative primary voters. Slapping down an unpopular figure on-air like this can score points with conservative primary voters Dacey is trying to peel away from Jones.
But it got worse: 
[…] Hinton: Why are you running against Walter Jones? The point I was going to make was he’s got the name recognition all the way back to his father.
Dacey: That’s true. 50 years of being in office will do it. That’s what will happen. But I’m running because I am profoundly disappointed in the work Walter Jones has brought to us here in Eastern North Carolina. It almost feels like there are two Walter Jones’. One that is in Washington D.C. voting and the other one who comes back to Eastern North Carolina and talks about the things he is doing. My concern is that when he’s the Washington DC Walter Jones he was the most reliable vote that Barack Obama had during his administration and that Nancy Pelosi had going to the floor.
To me, there’s something wrong with that. And I believe the people of Eastern North Carolina have the right to know that fact.
And the unfortunate part is now that we have President Trump in office, he’s still Nancy Pelosi’s most reliable vote. That also is a
problem. To me, the Republicans hold the House of Representatives, they hold the United States Senate, they’ve got the White House. This is the opportunity for Republican’s to do big, bold things in the United States Congress. and that’s not what’s happening. And it’s my belief that Walter Jones is part of that problem.
Hinton: You know the knock on you is that you’re a Washington insider.
Dacey: Oh sure Henry, you’re going to bring that up right away.[…]
And why not? The front page of the web site for the DC-based lobbying firm, where Dacey is a partner, brags about how the staff is a bunch of “political insiders.”
MORE:
[…] Hinton: I’m just saying, that is what is going to be out there in this campaign.
Dacey: When are you going to give me any credit for the 15 years of public service I’ve brought to Eastern North Carolina?
Hinton: I certainly have. But you do make your living as a lobbyist in Washington.
Dacey: That’s right. And you make your living as a talk show host. And that’s terrific. We all have to make a living for our families.
Hinton: But I’m not running for Congress Scott.
Dacey: No, that’s fine. And I am going to do everything I can to give up everything…
Hinton: Can I ask my question?
Dacey: By all means.
Hinton: How do you overcome that with people and how do you respond to people who have a concern about that?
Dacey: First of all, the only people who have had concerns about that are folks like you. Second of all, second of all…
Hinton: Folks like me?
Dacey: Yes, folks like you. Folks that want to perpetuate some big deal that’s going on. Now what the fact is, that there are folks in this community that understand that my experience is something that can be very, very helpful to the people of Eastern North Carolina. We’ve got lots of issues going on with our natural resources.
Having a relationship with, I don’t know, the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee to help get things done is going to come back in spades for Eastern North Carolina. Having a relationship with the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and I mean a productive relationship, where we can work together, is going to be something that is a great deal of benefit to the people of Eastern North Carolina. So I would hope that, once people put aside this idea that there’s a lobbyist running for office, when they start to recognize what it is that I’ve been doing in the world of public policy for the last 30 years, to work on issues of substance, rather than just positioning himself for the next vote that’s coming up, the way Walter Jones does on a day in, day out basis, maybe they will start to understand that there’s some value in that. […]
Okay. Let’s see if I can get this straight. It’s bad for Jones to be a “DC 
insider,” but NOT for Dacey?
For the record, Dacey’s lobbying clients are ALL Indian casinos. How does that help eastern North Carolina?
Sources on the ground in the 3rd district tell me Dacey doesn’t touch on his lobbying work at his campaign events. Other than a reference to “an active government relations practice in the nation’s capital”, it’s conspicuously absent from his campaign website.
Here’s an eyewitness account of this whole on-air incident:
”Dacey waited for Henry to go to the next break and started accusing him of shilling for Jones. He accused Henry of having Jones on his show the
day Dacey announced to rebut Dacey’s campaign announcement. Hinton pointed out that Jones was not on his show, but another show on the same station that he has nothing to do with scheduling guests. Dacey continued to raise his voice and point his finger at Henry in front of a crowd of 20 to 30 at the live remote until Hinton had to return to the air.”
The problem is the establishment weasels in North Carolina hate Jones. Carter Wrenn,the Karl Rove of North Carolina consulting and his twin in the democrat party Gary Pierce have gone to the swamp in DC and found a died in the wool establishment insider to raise big bucks to fund their treasury. Expect a knock down drag out vicious all out nasty expensive campaign. When the dust settles the winner will be the consultants who will pocket the dough.
Carjter Wrenn has made a living from once having been a go-fer for Tom Ellis at The Congressional Club. He uses that to snare clients.
A good example of Wrenn’s campaign ability was seen the last time the 5th Congressional District came open. Wrenn signed up candidate Eddie Broyhill, son of the former Congressman and Senator, who was way ahead in the polls, both on ballot test and name ID, as well as having a heck of a lot more campaign money. Jack Hawke came in and guided a flawed candidate with a lot less money into victory over Broyhill in the primary.
WE should also remember that it was Carter Wrenn who was consultant for Renee Ellmers in her first election. That shows the types of liberals Wrenn is willing to take money from for his services. Ellmers got elected from her opponent’s self inflicted wound, which was driven home to voters not by anything Wrenn did, but by independent expenditure ads from an outside PAC that Wrenn had nothing to do with.
Just listened to this interview. This guy Dacey is an arrogant pompous ass. That type isn’t going to be elected to the US Congress from eastern NC.
Id be embarrassed if I lived in Craven County and he was my Commissioner.
I wonder if he is hooked up with that idiot Doug Raymond.
And another thing Dacey forgets to mention which also will be a problem for him as they say…he ain’t from around here!
Strong words for the Ray Man. He’s one of the good guys.
While conservatives in the east recognize that Hinton is establishment, I don’t think there is any personal antagonism,against him. Dacey made this personal, and there is no upside for him on that with anyone. Folks who listen to that show think policy, not personality on what they hear on air. They heard Dacey act like a jerk and act like being a lobbyist does not matter. Big mistake. Dacey played a personality card but ignored the elephant in the room, his lobbying career. Maybe he should review what just happened to former lobbyist Luther Strange in Alabama.
Conservatives from Craven County will tell you that Dacey has been a big government liberal his whole tenure on their county commission.
My biggest concern is that local republicans rarely do a good job having candidates vetted. They come in with a nice suit and tie and say they are a conservative and he’s their man.
Scott Dacey is CURRENTLY a lobbyist for Indian casinos. How can you possibly leave out your business of 20 years when talking to republican groups and they never ask a question.
Also, Jones votes against the GOP establishment on occasion but how can he say Jones is Obama or Pelosi’s most consistent vote ? It’s just a politician telling a bold face lie.
Finally, his longtime support of Boehner, documented extensively in previous posts and verified by campaign reports make him the ultimate establishment candidate.
He doesn’t have the resume. He’s a RINO. He’s a rude hothead. He will probably win however because he will have the cash.
Even Steven,
Will he have the cash? We will see shortly when first quarter reports are due to the FEC later this month.
But the word is the fundraising will be sub-par on his first filing.
In many races this race isn’t one that can be bought and paid for. The Walter Jones name is a household name in eastern NC and liked by both sides. Im not saying Walter Jr. caters to the Dems but the facts are between him and his Father there have been many eastern North Carolinians assisted by them. And its not secret Walter prides his office and their constituent services.
Its not going to take much effort for Dacey to be outed for what he is just like was done to Taylor Griffin. Now Dacey might not be outed– i.e. the close–like Griffin but their inside the beltway establishment mentality will.
Dacey is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His phony smile is a dead giveaway.
WALTER JONES IS A CAREER POLITICIAN WHO NEEDS TO BE VOTED OUT OF CONGRESS…HE LIED ABOUT TERM LIMITS TO GET ELECTED. HE NEEDS TO GET A REAL JOB AND DEMAND BENEFITS LIKE WE TAXPAYERS HAVE…
So you would prefer a crooked longtime LOBBYIST like Scott Dacey wh personallyo gave $12,000 to Boehner for Speaker? Dacey is an establishment whore. Walter Jones was the only other NC Congressman to stand publicly with Congressman Mark Meadows in the successful campaign to bring Boehner down. Dacey also has a VERY liberal record as a county commissioner.