Now that the 2010 election is over, time to start thinking about 2012.
For most, that means fantasizing over a Sarah Palin presidential bid or wondering whether President Barack Obama will face a primary challenge, a scenario 47 percent of Democrats would like to see, according to an AP poll issued last week.
I'll leave presidential handicapping to others. I'm keeping my eye on North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Tom Fetzer, who, as of this morning is the smartest political operative in the state.
In December, Fetzer walked into the WPTF studios and predicted Republicans would take control of the state Senate and House. Back then I labeled the forecast Fetzer's Fantasy, regarding it as no more than the bravado required of a modern-day political party chair.
I also thought Fetzer had gone off the partisan deep end with his insistence that the State Board of Elections apply the same standards to the 2008 Beverly Perdue campaign that it did to former Gov. Mike Easley, when it fined his campaign $100,000 for unreported campaign flights.
At first, the Perdue campaign reported a few flight-related oversights but no serious violations. Fetzer didn't buy it and filed a formal complaint, forcing the elections board into launching an investigation. But board Chairman Larry Leake hampered an investigator by limiting the witnesses interviewed and by sitting in on key interrogations.
In August, the board fined the governor's campaign a measly $30,000 and told us to move along, that no wrongdoing or intentional evasion of law was found. That was a bit of a stretch, given the sophistication and specific attention the Perdue campaign gave to flights.
Sensing a whitewash, Fetzer successfully called on Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby to launch a criminal investigation. Now we find that Willoughby's investigation supposedly has been hampered because potential witnesses have clammed up after being subpoenaed by a federal grand jury that's also looking into Perdue's campaign.
Last week, Fetzer said the allegations will cause Perdue not to seek a second term. That's a big claim, but I've learned not to cavalierly dismiss his proclamations.
Through all of this, Fetzer has demonstrated he has the brains for high political office. He also has the connections.
As GOP chair, he's built a considerable network that could come in handy if he wants to run for statewide office - governor, for example. Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory acts like he wants another run at the mansion, but against Fetzer the coveted conservative mantle a GOP nominee must wear would go to the former Raleigh mayor.
Congress is another option. Given that North Carolina might pick up another House seat, Fetzer could opt to run in a newly created district and avoid a costly, uphill battle against an incumbent. And since Republicans are destined to have a big say on how districts are drawn, the process could be Fetzer's road map to Washington.
He hasn't expressed publicly any political desire other than being state chairman. As a new father, he says, he has a family to consider. Washington isn't the most family-friendly city in the United States. But I also remember Joe Biden saying he'd never accept the vice presidency.
Recently, I chastised the old Eastern Airlines for calling its Boeing 727's "Whisperjets," given that those planes were among the nosiest in the sky. But retried air traffic controller Greg McGann of Raleigh says "Whisperjet" referred to the aircraft's cabin and was not an attempt to mislabel the exterior noise level. He remembers Eastern running commercials about the interior quietness of its flights.
He's right. I tracked down the commercials on You Tube. In the mid-60s when these ads ran, jet airliners had noisy engines on the wings, meaning the sound was in front of or beside much of the passenger cabin. The 727's engines were at the tail, placing much of the noise behind the passengers - hence Whisperjet.
Thanks for the history lesson, Greg.
