There Will Be an NC-5 Democratic Primary

Another candidate has filed with the FEC to run in a Democratic primary in the North Carolina 5th Congressional District, Elisabeth Motsinger, a school board member in Forsyth County.

Treva Johnson was the first announced candidate.

Winston-Salem Journal, Stirring It Up

In an editorial praising the newly retired Donny Lambeth, leader of the North Carolina Baptist Hospital, the writers at the Winston-Salem Journal made a sly suggestion:

"There was talk a few years ago that Lambeth might run against U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx in the Republican primary in the 5th District. Maybe he'll consider that, or a run for the state legislature. We look forward to following his next step, whatever it might be." [Dec. 20, 2011]

In 2010, there was indeed a rumor that Lambeth would find favor among Forsyth's Republicans if he took on the odious Virginia Foxx in a Republican primary, which apparently led Lambeth to call Foxx personally and squelch the rumor. The Journal's resurrection of that deep desire to have a more mainstream Republican representing the 5th District of NC is note-worthy.

Mr. Lambeth, who is also chair of the Forsyth County Board of Education, may be waiting for Foxx to retire (but, then, aren't we all!?) to run for the open seat. If she retires before the ocean levels rise to drown our coastal cities, and if Mr. Lambeth is still viable, he'll have to face Foxx's chosen (and duly anointed) successor, the ineffable empty suit, Dan Soucek. A Soucek/Lambeth primary would be no contest, and Lambeth would win, going away.

That's all contingent, of course, on Foxx actually winning another term against challenger Treva Johnson, which in this year (2012, that is) is not a foregone conclusion.

The Protective Coloring of Madam Foxx

We had been wondering why Madam Virginia Foxx had toned down her off-year rhetoric. In the past, during odd-numbered years when she was not actively running for reelection, she dropped such bombs as these:

"Governmental attempts to regulate and tax tobacco are no different than if the government were to regulate and tax Mountain Dew." April 8, 2009, to teenagers at North Surry High School

"There are no Americans who don't have healthcare. Everybody in this country has access to healthcare." July 24, 2009, in a Capitol Hill press conference

“I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that [health reform] bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country.” November 2, 2009, on the floor of the U.S. House

Yadda, yadda, yadda.

In 2011, she's mainly confined herself to personal braggadocio (recently claiming that she's one of the most accomplished defenders of women's rights in the history of the universe and that she's a "right-wing radical" just like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were). Oh, she did say that it was "unconscionable that we have 45 million people in this country getting food stamps," not because we have that many hungry citizens but because 45 million people were getting something for free.

But we digress. Comes this a.m. in the NYTimes a possible explanation for why she's keeping a lower rhetorical profile these days ... the verifiable statistic that most Americans now despise their own member of Congress. Used to be that voters despised everybody else's member of Congress. But now, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll in September, only 33 percent of registered voters believe their own member deserves to be re-elected.

Possible challengers to Madam Foxx are beginning to line up. Might make Foxx want to appear slightly less inflammatory (and, naturally, more Baptist).