We Need More Democrats Who've Been in Battle

 

Photo Starr Sariego, Asheville Watchdog

Jay Carey, the 20+ year Army veteran who was famously thrown out of Congressman Chuck Edwards' townhall in Asheville last Friday, served in the tank corps in Desert Storm and also in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He won a bronze star for his service. In Asheville he was agitated about cuts the Trump administration has made to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He and his wife also lost their home in Hurricane Helene, think that Congressman Edwards has been less sympathetic and less helpful than a fistful of spit, so it's not a surprise that Carey’s also concerned about potential cuts to Medicare and HUD (Housing and Urban Development). 

He told the Asheville Watchdog that he has no regrets about "the expletive-laden tirade he delivered in front of a packed house at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium": “I think it was necessary. I think it was the only way to really get his attention, and it was the energy that I want to see from everyone — to stand up and to speak back to the representatives that aren’t serving us, as is their duty.”

“I do feel that the days of being cordial and respectful are over, because we’re not being respected,” Carey said. “[Congressman Edwards] is disrespecting us by doing what he’s doing to our community as a whole.”

Carey ran as a political novice in the crowded 2022 Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District, hoping to take on punk Madison Cawthorn (who got himself knocked out of contention in the Republican primary). Carey took the photo of Cawthorn testifying at a meeting of the Henderson County School Board which revealed the partially concealed sheaf knife that Cawthorn had with him on his wheelchair. That photo caused a stir because coming armed to a school board meeting is actually unlawful.

You can see an unedited video of Carey's outburst here: https://youtube.com/shorts/Md8fDGeK2dQ?si=DxaMPrEoaRMN1Hwg. His challenge to Congressman Edwards starts about a minute in.

And incidentally, I'm not totally sold on this theory yet, but I think Edwards did a cool thing holding that town hall. He knew exactly what he was going to see and hear (in Asheville, of all places! He deliberately chose downtown Ashevagus, the liberal playground of the mountains). You can see in the video linked above the sly little Edwards smile when the crowd boos his statement that he thinks Trump respects the Constitution. He's going to use his treatment as a fundraising tool, and you've got to hand it to him that he never lost his cool. After 90 minutes, Edwards called a halt with these words: “Hey, this has been fun. I really appreciate the energy that you brought, the contradiction of opinions from time to time, the passion that I hear, the patriotism that I sense in this room.” Insincere, but classy.