WTF? Sen Tillis (R) NC becomes best budds with former rival Cunningham (D)

[mnhtnbb]

So, not only did Cunningham sabotage his chances in 2020 to beat Tillis because he couldn't keep his zipper zipped during the 2020 election that pitted the two North Carolina candidates against each other in a highly competitive U.S. Senate race, but used the opportunity to become friends with his rival!

The unexpected friendship took people by surprise when it was announced that Tillis, the Republican who won the election, and Cunningham, a Democrat, would come together at UNC-Chapel Hill to discuss “how to build and maintain friendships across the political divide.”
Tillis told the audience Thursday night that the public had no idea during the campaign that they had become friends behind the scenes.

https://archive.ph/CBBeQ

Where is the vetting process for candidates for the Democratic party in NC?

Where is the party support for a Black woman candidate--who had a really good opportunity to win an open Senate seat--but got no support from the National party? Beasley was a serious candidate--just ask Rachel Maddow who kept asking Kornacki to check the numbers on Election night, and who ended the MSNBC special night before Election day with an on air interview with Beasley--and if the Democratic voters in NC had been fired up to turn out, she would have won.

Beasley was running ahead of Budd by more than 300,000 votes when the results first started coming in Election night. Absentee and early voting was fabulous for the Dems in NC; numbers were running ahead with 9% more women early voting than men and greater turnout than 2018. Then it all fell apart on Election day. Total voter turnout across the state was barely above 50%. There were enough Democrats who didn't vote in Orange and Durham counties (Democratic strongholds) that at least 100,000 votes were left on the table. Add that to less than stellar turnout in the most populous--and Democratic leaning--counties of Mecklenburg and Wake, and Beasley could have won.

What is going on here?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. How DARE two people be friendly!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter became post presidency friends as did Bush Pere and Bill Clinton

[AZSkiffyGeek]

4. Obama and Boehner

[mnhtnbb]

7. Again, not competing for the same office.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

9. Cunningham and Tillis were up for election this year?

[mnhtnbb]

11. No, this was in 2020.

Last night they appeared together at a talk about developing political 'friendship' across the aisle. BIG surprise to everyone.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

13. So why are you so concerned they are friends now?

[mnhtnbb]

17. Cunningham actively sabotaged himself during the campaign.

Was he ready to do that when he was nominated? Did his need for approval cause it? Did his need for approval extend to wanting to become friends with his rival during the campaign?

My question--in the OP--is just whether Dems are doing the job when it comes to vetting candidates, and then when they get a really good candidate--like Cheri Beasley-- why are they less than enthusiastic in providing support.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

19. So you do think Cunningham threw the election

There is a special forum for conspiracy theories and it isn’t GD.

[mnhtnbb]

20. Self destructive behavior doesn't equate to conspiracy theory.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

23. Then why does his friendship with Tillis matter?

You’re implying something nefarious then denying it once called on it. If you’re so concerned about Dems not being pure enough maybe you should run since the party obviously isn’t doing their job to your satisfaction.

[mnhtnbb]

28. Two years after the fact it comes out--last night in Chapel Hill in a public forum--that Cunningham

was pursuing a friendship with Tillis while they were campaigning against each other.

This is from a guy who was so out of touch with how his behavior would be perceived if it came out, that he had an affair during the campaign. They kept this budding friendship secret.

I'm just asking the question whether the Democratic party knew this about the guy ahead of time.

[mnhtnbb]

8. The critical word here is "post"

The Dem candidate was not actively trying to become friends with his opponent during the election.

[mnhtnbb]

10. Hillary knew enough to keep her distance from Trump

even though she and Bill had been "friends" enough to be invited to Trump's wedding to Melania.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

12. We get it you don't think Democrats should associate with Republicans

But quit moving goalposts when you are getting multiple examples of cross party friendships.

[mnhtnbb]

14. You don't get it that actively trying to develop a friendship with your opponent

during the election contest is a bit hard to understand.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

16. So what exactly are you saying then

Cunningham deliberately threw the election for his friend by having an affair?
Jesus Christ this place some times…

[mnhtnbb]

18. I'm saying there is now more evidence that Cunningham didn't understand boundaries.

[Ford_Prefect]

2. Tillis is a first class creep and has all the slick faked friendly of a good used car salesman.

He's the pedophile hiding in plain sight by pretending to be your next-door neighbor.

He pulled nearly every nasty political trick in the book while he was in the NC state legislature and then went on to even greater glory while in the US Senate. He's lower than a snake and twice as poisonous.

[JCMach1]

5. Michelle and W... Even if it's just a goofy thing, it's real

Not everyone with horrific political views is horrific on a personal level.

[mnhtnbb]

6. They never competed for the same office.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

15. Tillis and Cunningham aren't competing against each other either

This is 2022, you know? Maybe check your calendar before complaining about a 2-year old race.

[blm]

21. The National D party DID choose Beasley and

passed on Jeff Jackson…..again, as they did in 2020 when they chose Cunningham.

Purple North Carolina requires a Dem to be a great campaigner. For all of her stellar qualities, Cheri is just not great as a campaigner. I’ve voted for her any time she’s on the ballot. But, I knew national Dems made a mistake passing on Jackson.

The best campaigner in NC, Republican or Dem, is Jeff Jackson. He would have handily beaten Tillis, even in Tillis’ home district. He would have easily beaten Budd.

NC-14 was drawn as Dem+5. He won by 15. Congressman-elect Jeff Jackson (D-NC).

[mnhtnbb]

24. I agree. I thought it was nuts that Jackson removed himself from the Senate primary race.

But then I don't know what happened. I do know that Beasley's first commercials were a disaster. She clearly was not using an A level PR team or advert professionals. She got better as she did more on air interviews. She's not a natural, not a politician, not charismatic. Whether she refused the help, or the help wasn't forthcoming, I don't know, but she was polished by the time she did that interview with Rachel on the night before the election.

And there were still endless, horrible, disgusting, ads against her coming from right wing groups right up until the election. I think I saw one ad from her--towards the end--that was pretty good.

Where was Obama?

[blm]

27. Jeff dropped out because he didn't

have it in him to go negative in the primary race against a fellow Dem, a woman he liked and admired. He was well aware that he is still young and has a political future. Dropping out was for the party and for Beasley.

And now he’s a congressman.

[ananda]

22. We need a strong 50-state strategy.

Period

[mnhtnbb]

25. I agree.

With well vetted candidates and candidates that receive support and assistance.

[blm]

26. ✔️✔️✔️