The Beat news roundup: Grand Old Party poopers

It was a bad week for the Buncombe County Republican Party. The party and its chairman, Chad Nesbitt, were harshly criticized for a 9/11 fundraiser and an associated video; the Board of Elections found their highly publicized complaints over an early voting site to be based on faulty information; and Asheville City Councilman Bill Russell left the party, citing its “antics that demonize people” and “political games.”

Ex-wife: N.C. GOP vice chair fabricated my endorsemen­t

Facing controversy over a domestic violence conviction involving his ex-wife during his successful 2009 bid for vice chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, then-Buncombe GOP Chair Tim Johnson produced a statement, supposedly from her, supporting his candidacy. Now, she says she never wrote that endorsement, or had any knowledge of it until after his election.

Anatomy of a local Twitter argument resolved: Politics & peace in a small town

Early this morning, local Twitterer WNCGOP began his day with a terse politically and sociologically charged one-liner: WNCGOP: “Good morning everyone. It’s raining here in Asheville, NC (which is a good thing, because it keeps down the stink of those damned hippies).” Here’s what happened in the ensuing hours of Twitter discussion: