A Rising Tide Sinks All Dingbats

Board of Elections fundraising reports were due in Raleigh yesterday, and there was at least one bombshell discovery: Attorney General and presumptive Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper is out-raising sitting governor and presumptive screw-up Pat McCrory ... by a good country mile.

When confronted with this news, the McCrory campaign put on its "What, Me Worry?" idiot grin: "...we’re just now getting started,” said Billy Constangy, director of The Pat McCrory Committee. “While Gov. McCrory is focused on doing his full-time job as governor of North Carolina, our growing network of supporters will ensure we have the resources necessary to show how North Carolina is moving forward and creating jobs under his leadership.”

"We're Just Now Getting Started!" There's a bumper-sticker for you!

"Doing his full-time job as governor of North Carolina." How's that working for you? Your own party's leaders in the General Assembly obviously regard you ... well, they scarcely regard you at all, and when they do, it's less than complimentary.

Republican strategist and former Jesse Helms political guru Carter Wrenn can read the fundraising tea leaves: “You very seldom see a challenger outraising an incumbent when it’s a governor or senator,” Wrenn said. “This is a really good sign for Roy Cooper. He’s outraising a sitting governor. I don’t know when the last time that happened.”

This will up the right-wing pressure on what's-his-name -- Dan Forest, our divinely inspired lieutenant governor -- to run a primary against McCrory, though that in itself would be a fool's errand. In other words, how can Dan Forest resist the temptation?

Governor McCrory is laughing manically at what he sees over his right shoulder, but that rising tide is gaining on him and is no laughing matter.