D'Annunzio admits he needs 'miracle' to beat Johnson

Charlotte Observer ^ | Thursday, Jun. 17, 2010 | Jim Morrill

[NC28203]

D'Annunzio began what would be an hour and 15 minutes of radio theater by accusing Larson of being the narrator in Johnson's commercials. "I don't know what you're talking about," Larson replied. "What you do is you use personal attacks just the way Harold does," D'Annunzio said. "You do his dirty work and then you sit there and deny it."

"So this is your congressional campaign now?" Larson said. "Is this the way you're trying to pull your sagging butt from behind Harold Johnson? ... Do you have any sense of how delusional and wild-eyed crazy you sound?" D'Annunzio fired back: "If we let demented people like you choose politicians, we'll have dunces and political hacks."

The Raeford businessman blamed Larson for what he called a smear campaign. "You're probably going to hell someday for doing this," he said. "There's a special place in hell for people like you." At one point, Larson said, "I mean you are truly 'call 911,' 'get the straight jacket,' ... 'hide the butter knives.' You are a delusional, deranged human being."

Still, the exchange continued. "Calls are streaming into my office from people dropping support," D'Annunzio said after a break. "Of who?" Larson asked. "For me," D'Annunzio replied. "This is what your show does to people."

[NC28203]

Fun times in NC-8

[McGavin999]

Who are these people and what is going on?

[NC28203]

>>>Who are these people and what is going on?

Tim D'Annunzio is the Tea Party backed candidate (at least according to his radio ads) in a run-off for the NC-8 Republican congressional primary. He had the most votes in the primary, but not enough to avoid a runoff, in which he now trails party-boss backed candidate Harold Johnson.

[PeteB570]

And I wonder how the voting (early/one stop) is going.

D’A has tons more signs and bumper stickers in the Fayetteville area.

We’ll see how the turnout is on the 22nd.

[ladyjane]

The radio ads put out by Johnson are downright nasty. He’s the GOP backed candidate running against D’Annunzio who is backed by the Tea Party. (This is my understanding. Please correct me if I’m wrong.)

Supposedly Johnson doesn’t even live in the district? Can he still run?

The radio announcer works for WBT - the local conservative talk radio show. I get the impression that most of those announcers are secretly liberals - the exception being the gal who comes on right after Rush in the afternoon.

[gcraig]

Tara Servatius is the 3pm - 6pm radio personality on WBT in Charlotte, NC. She is very effective, and I applaud her commitment to doing the right thing.

[ladyjane]

That’s right. Tara Servatius. She is very well informed and comes across as a true conservative.

Some of the others claim to be conservative but every once in a while come out with some pretty outrageous liberal comments.

[Crichton]

Who are these people and what is going on?

D'Annunzio and Harold Johnson, a former sportscaster, are facing off in the GOP NC-8 runoff to select the nominee to face Larry Kissell in November.

D'Annunzio had some early Tea Party support, but many Tea Party leaders are now backing Johnson. The entire political establishment has also rallied behind Johnson.

The main difference between the candidates is that D'Annunzio is clinically insane, completely apart from his political views. Harold Johnson has a typical conservative platform, while D'Annunzio's claim to fame is that they haven't built the looney bin that can hold him.

[arthurus]

every once in a while come out with some pretty outrageous liberal comments.

Something like a certain Bill O'Reilly?

[csmusaret]

The Larson referred to is Keith Larson who hosts a radio show in Charlotte. He does the best 30 minutes in radio, but unfortunately, his show is on from nine to twelve. He asked candidate Johnson a question on air which Johnson stumbled around for a couple of minutes trying to answer. D’Annunzio used clips of that in a campaign ad, but the station made him quit because he didn’t get their permission to use it. Larson is a condescending A-hole who thinks he is smarter than all Dems or Republicans. I doubt seriously if he would call himself a Conservative because he considers himself an independent thinker. My opinion of the candidates is that Johnson is an intellectual lightweight and D’Annunzio is border line insane. I doubt that either one will be able to defeat the Kissel, the Dem incumbent.

[ladyjane]

Thank you for that information.

Johnson put out some pretty nasty radio ads. It was a turn-off.

Even if the political establishment is for him I’m mighty suspicious of any political establishment these days. If it weren’t so important to get rid of the really bad guys I’d be tempted not to vote.

[MitchellC]

The radio ads put out by Johnson are downright nasty.

They've been truthful, unlike D'Annunzio's. Johnson actually held his fire for a long time - he only just began to even mention D'Annunzio in his ads. There comes a point when you've got to point out that your opponent is a mental case, which D'Annunzio very much is.

He’s the GOP backed candidate running against D’Annunzio who is backed by the Tea Party. (This is my understanding. Please correct me if I’m wrong.)

That's one of D'Annunzio's lies, which has been mindlessly repeated by Jim Morrill of the Observer. The GOP only got involved when the danger of a D'Annunzio nomination became clear - around about the time he tried to get into a brawl with state Rep. Justin Burr in Albemarle, among many other incidents.

There is no "The Tea Party," of course, so there can be no "Tea Party endorsement" in that sense, but most of the actual local tea party founders are clearly behind Johnson - see here.

Supposedly Johnson doesn’t even live in the district? Can he still run?

The only residency requirement in the Constitution is that you live in the state. He has lived in Iredell, but my understanding is that he's moved to Cabarrus since he entered the race. Not ideal, I know, but it isn't a deal breaker for me. Especially against a crazy guy.

The radio announcer works for WBT - the local conservative talk radio show.

Johnson's ad guy is not Keith Larson, despite what D'Annunzio was saying in that train wreck of an interview yesterday. The guy sounds nothing like Larson.

I get the impression that most of those announcers are secretly liberals - the exception being the gal who comes on right after Rush in the afternoon.

Larson is an extremely cynical libertarian. Tara Servatius is conservative. John Hancock is kind of a wishy-washy, right-leaning moderate. Pete Kaliner is a conservative-leaning libertarian.

[MitchellC]

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[AnalogReigns]

D'Annunzio is NOT "the Tea Party" candidate, as his ads claim. Tea Party in NC at least doesn't endorse particular candidates, and the leaders of the Tea Party in D'Annunzio's district are supporting his rival, Johnson. On policy, the two are nearly identical.

D'Annunzio is a crackpot if there ever was one. I've NEVER heard such a total cry-baby break-down in public as he did on Keith Larson's 16 June show (WBT AM) ...in reply to Keith's "Hi, how are you today?" hardball question... He probably lost at least 5 points from that show alone.

D'Annuzio's an ex-felon and a religious fanatic (and I'm an evangelical Christian saying this)(he wouldn't deny he once claimed to be Jesus Christ)...read his blog, and see for yourself (the more you read the weirder it gets): christswar.blogspot.com/

[AnalogReigns]

D'Annunzio, whom others have noted is insane (really...I've heard him) put out equally nasty ads before Harold Johnson did. So both guys were slinging mud. D'Annunzio though totally lost it....

Johnson's an ex-marine, and a regular "Reagan conservative" and is actually sane--despite his rough campaigning.

Listen to D'Annunzio's irrationality here.