Endorsements During this Election Year of the RINO: Real Republican Bill Cook is the only Real Choice | Eastern North Carolina Now

   In the shadow of the onset of early voting, Beaufort County Commissioner Stan Deatherage supports NC House Rep. Bill Cook for his party's nomination for the NC Senate, District 1 seat.

   For some people, it does not matter whom I endorse for elected office. I well understand that; however, I offer prayer that these, and other, voters are not so petty that my endorsement gives them purpose to show up just to vote against my favored candidate.

   This is the reality that everyone, who actually understands how these things work, grapples with - giving the wrong people purpose to vote for all the wrong reasons.

   Besides, just showing up as a counter measure to my endorsement, as part of the aforementioned "all the wrong reasons," the second greatest of these would be showing up just to "vote your pocketbook." Voting one's pocketbook is not the exception, but rather the rule for the Democrat Party. Remarkably, this is also the greatest precept of the RINO (Republican in name only) in the electorate, and, subsequently, governs almost every vote of the elected RINO in office, and therefore forms an electoral symbiosis that is hard to sever. If we continue further down the path of bad governing, under the Republican banner, rather than the Democrat one, we will still be a Republic, just in dire need of a position of great jeopardy. This RINO issue offends me greatly, because they are Republicans (if only "in name only"), and should be of stronger character, but once entrenched, these RINOs are hard to root out, simply because the individuals that benefit from their entrenched elected office pay up big for that benefit, especially here in Beaufort County.

   I, on the other hand, have always supported the idea of liberty over pocketbook - yours and mine. I believe in smaller, more nimble, more efficient, more fair and more honest government, which in turn will lower what you pay in taxes, but I do not do this to lower your taxes and mine. I do it to limit the scope of government, and its ability to intrude into our lives. Actually, lower taxes are just a benefit of my original intention for retention of what liberty we have left.

   RINOs pay lip service to these ideals, but that is all it is - more pale utterings to a lesser principled electorate. What keeps them hamstrung to this tethered practice, where their political spine is so poor in substance, is that their voting record is one that exhibits a suspect affinity toward the swapping of votes, with Liberals, to get what they need for themselves, and their needy constituents to whom they are tethered. Just as their coalition with Liberals keeps them tethered to bad governing practices, the RINO money that keeps them in office keeps them tethered to those needs. In most cases, the People's government becomes that of the RINO's, and their Democrat coalition, and sadly, liberty becomes the first casualty.

   As you have probably surmised by now, I detest RINOs, and that brings me to my next point: I will do everything within my power to keep a RINO out of office, or to separate a RINO from that office held. I have too much time vested (almost 16 years of good governing practices for greater liberty from an ever oppressive government) to see my ideals dashed upon the wall of the majority, a wall made stronger by elected RINOs.

   And as I make this ardent stand for a better government, better people, I realize run the risk of burying the lead within my story of that better day; however, may I now digress ever more succinctly: North Carolina Representative Bill Cook is the only Republican choice for his party's nomination for the NC Senate, District 1 seat.

   Why Bill?

   Just two reasons: First of which, Bill Cook (veritable newcomer to Beaufort County and our respective political stage), in his first year as our NC House, District 6, Representative - a year where many historical votes were made by Bill Cook - he proved to be a representative of real substance - real Republican substance. And while, I do not agree with every vote by Mr. Cook, as my best constituents could never fully agree with my every vote, as well, as a 5 term county commissioner, I respect the man for his honesty, his integrity, his hard work, and his devotion to our future liberty, which, as we are now discovering, is often squandered on the needs of special interests. In the preceding paragraphs, I do think that I have made that position abundantly clear.

   Conversely, Bill Cook's opponent in the primary, Democrat-turned-Republican Realtor Jerry Evans, exhibits none of the qualities that I espouse, and is primarily by word and deed, a special interests advocate. Now he wants to be your Republican special interests advocate - forget furthering, and extending our liberty, Jerry represents the money that will put him and keep him in office.

   Realtor Jerry Evans proved that when he ran for the office of Beaufort County Commissioner as a Democrat in 2010. During that process, Beaufort County was in the throes of dealing with the insolvency of their local hospital, resulting directly from the clear mismanagement of their hospital board, which was mostly appointed by the Democrats and the RINOs long voting as a block on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners. When it became apparent that a lease or sale was the only option, which, as mentioned, occurred during that election process in 2010, Realtor, and now Candidate for Elected Office, Jerry Evans expressed openly that he favored the lone bid process, favoring UHS (formerly University Health System), which was openly favored by the special interest community that donated heavily to his campaign. This was a big issue in Beaufort County (possibly the biggest in 20 years) and thus became Realtor Jerry Evans's one note campaign issue in his quest for his first elected office.

   While openly acting in accordance with these special interests' needs to receive campaign funding, Candidate Evans well manifested where his loyalties lay, and by establishing his favor for the lone bid process, Realtor Evans supports a system of: bad governing in principle, bad business in practice, illegal activity in North Carolina, and that which is just plain stupid. Moreover, he established that he is not fit to hold public office; at least not as a Republican.

   It is my well considered opinion that we have deep systemic problems here in North Carolina, and Beaufort County, and I must, in all good conscience, express the truth as I well know it: We must send only men of integrity, and intelligence to represent us in Raleigh. To do otherwise, as we, Republicans, seek our party's nominee, would be for us to elect Democrat-turned-Republican Realtor Jerry Evans, not NC Rep. Bill Cook. For me, after so long in the service of this community, I see this as a single choice proposition, unless, of course, one chooses the special needs of the self-interested over the future liberty of our People.

   For my part, I choose liberty. Without reservation, I choose Bill Cook as my NC Senator to represent us in Raleigh.
NC House Representative Bill Cook (pictured left), back home here in Beaufort County, listening from real people about real issues, not ones of self-interest: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage