There’s an extremely noticeable drop in temperatures here in the Roanoke-Chowan area. The leaves are in their annual stage of changing color. The sun’s daily ritual of peeking over the eastern horizon arrives later and later each morning.

All of the above translates means carving up a turkey and breaking out the Christmas decorations are both just around the corner.

However, being an even-numbered year brings added emphasis to the above…..the silly season of political jockeying is upon us. And it’s a mid-term election at that, thus adding an additional layer of campaign promises that will all be broken before we send out Valentine’s cards next year.

Early voting got underway last week, all building up to the Nov. 6 General Election. That fact has the inbox of my email buzzing with politics at its worst. Each side – the Democrats and their Republican adversaries – hurls accusations of alleged wrong-doing.

Examples from last week’s emails included the Democrats unveiling an advertising campaign attack on Tim Moore, the Republican that serves as the Speaker for the North Carolina House of Representatives.

In that TV ad, the Democratic Party alleges that Moore funneled nearly $50,000 of his campaign contributions to himself and his businesses; received legal contracts for clients who benefited from legislation he helped carry through the General Assembly; and passed along a resume for someone close to him for a high-paying government job.

Not to be outdone, the state’s GOP sent an email on Oct. 17 claiming that State Supreme Court candidate Chris Anglin – who they claim is a “Democrat masquerading as a Republican” – has some issues in his past. The GOP email said, “Anglin was pulled over in Greensboro in January 2009, around 1 a.m., and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was 23 and had a blood alcohol content of 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit. He pleaded guilty to the DWI in September of that year, and a few months later in December was charged with another crime — attempted breaking and entering.”

“Yikes. This is the guy who thinks he should be on the Supreme Court,” the email read.

And the politically charged emails in my inbox aren’t just focusing on races here in North Carolina. To date, I’ve received information regarding battles for governor in both Georgia and Florida, and for the U.S. Senate races in Texas and Nevada. I’m puzzled over why I received that digital correspondence.

And, finally, the silly season is responsible for even more puzzlement when I learned that two candidates seeking office are currently sitting in jail.

Ron Reynolds is an incumbent Democrat seeking reelection to his seat in the Texas State House. He is unopposed and it appears that Mr. Reynolds will most undoubtedly celebrate a political win from his jail cell.

The disbarred attorney was convicted three years ago on misdemeanor charges of illegally soliciting clients to his law practice. He was sentenced to one year in jail, but was released a short time later on an appellate bond. But that bond was revoked, forcing Reynolds to return to jail last month to serve out the remaining term of his sentence.

The State of Texas does not prevent those charged with misdemeanors to seek or win political office.

Down in Georgia’s 14^th Congressional District, Democrat Steve Foster is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Tom Graves. Foster, a former doctor, was sentenced this summer to six months in the slammer for DWI. He is refusing to withdraw from the race.

Buckle up folks because I’m scared it’s going to get even sillier as we draw closer to Nov. 6.

 

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.