The video of the last NC Spin of the year has been posted.

Part truthiness and part chuckle-worthy.

Don’t be drinking anything when you watch Fitzsimon desperately try to salvage the Moral Monday voter theme. http://t.co/TwUtoYLGIe #ncpol

— LL1885 – A.P. Dillon (@LadyLiberty1885) December 27, 2014

Line up for the final NC Spin of 2014 was:

• Brad Crone, Political Consultant
• Becki Gray, Columnist, Carolina Journal
• Chris Fitzsimon, NC Policy Watch
• John Hood, President of the John Locke Foundation
• Tom Campbell, Moderator

Full Video Link.

Highlights and take-aways:

• Beginning topic: Coal ash was a big deal. It’s bad. It’s a bill citizens will ultimately foot.
• According to Gray, we’re still a purple state despite holding Republican majorities all over the place.
• Medicaid is a big deal. It’s a fight about money.
• Unaffilitated, white voters killed Democrats in the election according to Crone. Especially the rural unaffiliated voters. Possible Subtexts: Racists white voters beat us. How do Democrats further capitalize on low info unaffiliated voters? 
• Fitzsimon nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to salvage the Moral Monday voter suppression theme after John Hood savaged it with … facts.
• Crone laments that Democrats were ‘beat over the head with Obama‘ all over the state.
• John Hood tried to break down Common Core opposition. Hood also says the Dept. of Public Instruction is not trusted — also, the sky is blue. He then advocates for taking part of Common Core in the ongoing re-write. This is bad advice; it ignores the standards are copyrighted.  After you listen to what he said, read this and realize his answer on NC SPIN is informed by being part of it.
• Wainstein report. Fitzsimon calls it a ‘serious black eye’ and that college sports are a ‘charade’.
• NC SPIN person of the year nominations:
  Gray: Thom Tillis
  Fitzsimon: Phil Berger
  Hood: Dan Kane (N&O reporter who broke UNC scandal) and Mary Willingham (Source for UNC story)
  Crone: Thom Tillis

  Names from other panelists on past shows:
  Howard Coble