Ellmers and Coble featured on BuzzFeed

published in Under the Dome, News and Observer, December 3, 2013.

Two North Carolina lawmakers are getting different kinds of attention from the list-producers at BuzzFeed.

The popular website reports that Congressional staff used a work computer to edit a portion of U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers’ Wikipedia page to remove recent embarrassing headlines.

The Republican’s online biography no longer includes references to an AR-15 being stolen from her home nor her statement during the government shutdown that she would keep her paycheck – a stance she later reversed.

At the same time, another BuzzFeed writer is detailing why he thinks Greensboro U.S. Rep. Howard Coble is “7 million times more bada$$ than your congressman.” It starts: “Meet Rep. Howard Coble. Oh, you have never heard of him? Get your learning hat on.”

The post details 21-some reasons why the 28-year veteran Republican congressman stands out. Most of them poke fun at Coble. For instance, one photos shows him with an open container of alcohol talking to a cop while another says he won a “bada$$ hat contest against Richard Petty.”

The juxtaposition of a hip, youthful website showering love on the 82-year-old congressman begs the question: Does Howard Coble even know what BuzzFeed is?