Recount?: Dan Forest preps for another fight as SEIU, Linda Coleman lay groundwork | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: Brant Clifton has a keen understanding of the Lt. Governor recount in his "bare knuckles" Conservative online publication known as The Daily Haymaker.

If you thought Governor Bev Perdue had competence issues, wait until you get a load of Lt. Governor Linda Coleman.

    Coleman, the former Democrat legislator and state personnel chief, was backed to the hilt this year by the state's powerful public employees union. Despite generous multi-million dollar contributions from union sources, Coleman fell a little short on election night. Republican Dan Forest declared victory. Coleman and her union allies are making noises about seeking a recount.

    All indications are that this race will not be settled for at least another couple of weeks. Democrats and the unions are doing what they can to aid Coleman. I can't find any evidence that NCGOP is gearing up to help Forest. Hey, they got Pat and Chad and Richard in on Tuesday. It's time to go on vacation.

    On this weekend's episode of NC Spin, Rufus Edmisten suggested that Forest finished ahead of Coleman by a razor-thin margin thanks to Pat McCrory's "coattails." Really? You don't think it had anything to do with Dan's two-year-long grassroots bus tour across North Carolina, which took him to places that had never seen a candidate for major political office? Ask John Tedesco, Mike Causey, and Ed Goodwin about Pat's "coattails."

    Forest got where he was thanks to his own hard work, a great grassroots organization, and some smart people advising him on finance and other aspects of campaign strategy. SEIU -- stormtroopers for Obama and the professional left -- dumped tons of money into this race, slandering Forest at every turn and making it a lot closer than it should have been.

    If we sit back and let the unions and the rest of the left have their way with this recount, we could see our democratic exercise from last Tuesday snuffed out behind closed doors by lawyers and politicos. Don't believe me? Check the Washington state governor's race (Christine Gregoire's 1st term) and the Minnesota U.S. Senate race (which eventually gave us U.S. Senator Al Franken).

    Contact Dan Forest's campaign and offer your physical or financial assistance. Each campaign has to finance their operations during the recount out of their own pockets. Coleman has SEIU's deep pockets. Forest doesn't have a major organization paying his bills.

    It's amazing that Governor-elect McCrory has been so hands-off on all of this. If Coleman has her way on the recount, ol' Pat could spend the next four years with Linda and her union buddies breathing down his neck HARD.

    Dan Forest is exactly the kind of leader Tea Partiers have been yearning for. His mom has been a political creature, but he has made his name and reputation in the private sector. He has a credible passion for all things limited-government. Forest provides grassroots conservatives with a real opportunity for a leader and a voice in state government. But we've got to do our part to make sure he gets over this hump and makes it to Raleigh.