Johnston County Legislative Race-2008

From Saturday's WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL:

http://journalnow.com/servlet/Satel...e&c=MGArticle&cid=1173351349372&path=/opinion

A Qualified Candidate

Flint Benson, the former president of the State Employees Association of North Carolina who likened legislators to cockroaches during a capital rally several years ago, may run for office himself.

Benson, a Johnston County retiree and a Republican, recently told the Journal that he will “play up the fact that I was a prison superintendent.” His radio ads, he said, will all include the following tag line: “Elect me to the State House. I’m used to working around felons.”

A Qualified Candidate

 

I found this interesting, from the same column:

Back to the original issue, is Flint Benson in District 26 or 28? Both already have Republican reps, but I've been hearing that JH Langdon (District 28.) may run for the state Senate, since Fred's running for gov.

 

I am District 28 (J. H. Langdon). As of right now, I'm exploring the possibility of running for the State House seat, if J. H. decides to run for the State Senate seat.

FMB

 

Now we know!

 

and i thought this was a joke.

 

The tag line is a joke!!

 

its hard to take some that is running for office serious with jokes like that.

 

I disagree, I prefer someone who does not take him/herself to seriously.

 

But the felons comment seems to be painting the state legislature with a pretty broad brush.

 

I don't know, I think that members such as Black, Decker, Wright, possibly McAllister are painting things pretty broad themselves.

Yes, God forbid we ever elect someone with a sense of humor.

 

Sense of humor is one thing, but basing your campaign on a joke makes your campaign a joke.

Edit: I've heard lots of problems with politics... corruption, polarization, lack of options ([commercial announcer voice] and many many more!!) yet i think perhaps this is the first time I've heard it suggested that politicians just aren't funny enough. Maybe its because i watch the daily show where they make politicians into punchlines instead of letting the politicians make their own punchlines, but i find politics (and the icians therein) to be pretty funny already.

 

But I took that the candidate,if he runs, isn't actually going to use the tag line.
Maybe I was reading too much in the original article, but I would think it was tongue-in-cheek by the editorial writer also.

 

sense of humor was fine. it was the nature of his joke that was in bad taste.

 

Nature of the joke is in bad taste, or is it in bad taste that people like Black, Decker, Wright, etc. had the State House up for sale?

 

->

 

Still looks tongue-in-cheek to me, reading the rest of the column, plus having read Benson's columns when he used to write for a newspaper.

If they actually appear in radio ads, then I would believe it.