Democrats’ despicable troll of an NC Republican

For four years, Democrats across the country — including in North Carolina - complained about the deterioration of public discourse under the presidency of Donald Trump. And they were right. We’re a nastier country now, and at least some of it can be set at the feet of our former president and the Republicans who mimic his ugliness.

So we hope those same Democrats will root out and condemn the source of despicable Twitter posts from the N.C. House Democrats Twitter account.

On at least three occasions, @NCHouseDems posted a long ago DUI mug shot of Lawrence Shaheen, a Charlotte attorney and occasional consultant to local and state Republicans. The first came on Aug. 26, when Shaheen weighed in on an exchange between the @NCSenateDems and Republican Sen. Paul Newton about whether homeschooling parents can be called educators.

“Geez, what a brain worm take,” Shaheen tweeted of the Senate Democrats.

House Democrats quickly jumped in:

The photo was from Shaheen’s 2013 arrest for Driving While Impaired. After another arrest the next year, Shaheen went into treatment. He told the Editorial Board Thursday that he has been sober since.

In response to the @NCHouseDems tweet, Shaheen said the moment had been “transformational” and “changed my life and likely saved lives.” Instead of congratulating Shaheen — or at least backing away from its low-brow tweet — the House Democrats account mocked his recovery by posting the mug shot again.

It was a stunningly personal cheap shot, and this week, the House Dems account did it again after Shaheen gloated about a North Carolina poll that showed Joe Biden underwater in approval ratings. This time, Democratic Rep. Allison Dahle jumped in, calling for the “rude and inappropriate” tweet to be removed.

On Thursday, we asked Democrat and N.C. House minority leader Robert Reives who was responsible for the tweets. Reives has not responded.

Does Shaheen find glee in poking at Democrats? Certainly, and calling an opinion a “brain worm take” doesn’t exactly invite thoughtful discussion. But the responses from House Democrats were disproportionate and classless. They should be taken down. The person responsible should apologize. Democrats should stand up for the decency they’ve long defended.

This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 9:24 AM.