WataugaWatch

Scott Sexton's column in today's Winston-Salem Journal is about rumors of a Republican primary challenger against Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

One of those rumors has centered on former Forsyth County District Attorney Tom Keith (pictured left), whose retirement last November some 11 months before the end of his elected term (after 19 years in the job) apparently fueled some speculation that he was getting ready to run for some office up the food chain. According to Sexton's column, quoting a well-connected Forsyth County Republican under condition of anonymity, "Tom's got the name recognition, and the Rolodex to pull it off."

The other potential primary challenger is Donny Lambeth, president of Wake Forest Baptist Hospital and the chairman of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board. When asked about it, Lambeth laughed: "I heard that rumor, too," he said. "There was a Web site in Watauga County that had my picture in it. But the rumor is incorrect. I called Virginia as soon as I heard to tell her it wasn't true. The school board is good for me."

Wonder what web site in Watauga had his picture? That's almost as funny as his nervous, fumbling call to The Madam once the rumor surfaced: "Please please please don't turn your evil eye in my direction!"

Two observations to make about this: (1) At least there's widespread acknowledgement among 5th District Republicans that they need to do something about this Foxx, who is an embarrassment to the whole state and bad for business, though it appears unlikely that any of these potential candidates have the balls to challenge her; and (2) the greatest current myth about Foxx is that she's good at "constituent services." Sexton mentions it twice in his short column. The fact is that she checks your party affiliation before responding to requests, and she absolutely, positively will not meet personally with anyone who does not genuflect deeply and kiss her ass ... or give her cash. It's an open secret (from members of her own staff and others close to her) that she's increasingly "phoning it in" and that she has an open terror of actual interaction with voters. Her personal meanness and irrationality are best kept under close wraps.

Labels: Donny Lambeth, Tom Keith, Virginia Foxx

There is some Forsyth County talk that Virginia Foxx might get a Republican primary challenger in one Donny Lambeth, currently president and chief operating officer of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and chair of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education.

Lambeth, a former Democrat, would be a moderate, sane antidote to Madam Foxx's irrational psycho manifestation of poisonous partisanship. In other words, he'd have a snowball's chance of beating her.

But the actual goal of a Lambeth run against Foxx in 2010 would be preparing himself for a 2012 race for what Forsyth County activists hope will be the redistricting result of the 2010 Census, the carving out of a new district for Winston-Salem which would shove Foxx off onto the rest of us while Tobacco Central takes a more rational course into the future.

Good luck with that agenda.

Labels: Donny Lambeth, Virginia Foxx