These Guys Are Much More Fun Than Charles Taylor

The Hendersonville Times-News has been giving the Republican Congressional race for NC-11 a lot of ink. This article takes all three men to task, but focuses on the absurdist performance art of Carl Mumpower:

The silly season has broken out in the hotly contested Republican primary for the 11th Congressional District.

Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower launched a daylong cyber-fracas on Wednesday with a broadside at sunup ripping his Republican rivals.

He accused retired Army Col. Spence Campbell of Hendersonville of illegally placing roadside signs in a public right of way. He called John Armor an unprincipled lawyer who falsely claimed to have argued cases in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Smoky Mountain Times out of Waynesville is in on the act as well:

Meanwhile, Armor accuses Mumpower of taking the same position on the FISA issue as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the ACLU — alignments of the worst kind in Republican eyes.

“That’s a fatal mistake by Carl Mumpower. I’ve practiced constitutional law in the Supreme Court for 33 years. His position is wrong and gets Americans killed,” said Armor."

I've been calling for a Campbell victory for months now, and the current rhetorical climate is why. Army of Mumpower's one-man crusade to jimmy his priapitic principles into western North Carolina's damp crannies is insufferable even for Republicans.

Opponent John Armor hasn't proven himself able to raise the cash necessary to mount an effective campaign. Lacking even yard signs, Mr. Armor is capitalizing on Carl's unlikability to get his name and message out to voters.

That leaves Spence Campbell, the safe, squishy choice who believes we've been fighting the war on Terra for a thousand years. The man who calls for abolishing the IRS, building a wall at the border, and spying on Americans is Charles Taylor's natural successor for the nomination. Campbell is unapologetically Republican. He likes them all (except Carl Mumpower), even John McCain and George W. Bush.

It would be much more fun to have Hot Carl in the race through November. Displaying his unsightly antics to the entire eleventh district, Carl has managed to let the world know what we've been putting up with here in Asheville for years. John Armor would be fun, too, if only for the opportunity to quote H.L. Mencken and make historical references ad nauseum.

In the end it'll likely be Plain Jane Campbell who'll somnambulate to a flaccid defeat. That'll be boring, but it will free us up to pay attention to all the other races.

{c/p @ ScruHoo}