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Feb.01, 2010, 9:38 AM

Old-timers have an expression for statements like the one attributed to Democratic strategist Gary Pearce in an Associated Press story. They call it "whistling past the graveyard."

Mr. Pearce, who used to work for arguably the most successful Democratic politician in state history — four-term Gov. Jim Hunt — had this to say about possible consequences for state Democrats as a result of last week’s criminal indictment for corruption against Ruffin Poole, a close aide of former Gov. Mike Easley:

"I don’t see how Ruffin Poole’s indictment affects somebody running for a House seat in eastern North Carolina if there’s no direct connection," he said in reference to Mr. Poole’s alleged involvement in questionable land deals in Carteret and Onslow counties and money-laundering via his family business in Kinston.

Taken out of any context, Mr. Pearce might have a point. But the 51-count indictment of Mr. Poole on allegations that include bribery, racketeering, money laundering and extortion during his years as Mr. Easley’s personal assistant and special counsel comes on top of a litany of criminal charges, abuses and poor decisions by Democrats in powerful positions across the state for the past dozen years or more.

On the same day of the indictment, Lanny Wilson, a leading state transportation board member, resigned amid allegations that he violated campaign finance laws by funneling money into Mr. Easley’s campaign via the state Democratic Party. Also on Thursday, former Democratic U.S. senator and one-time presidential candidate John Edwards made his belated admission that he is the father of a child as the result of an affair with a campaign videographer carried on while his wife was battling cancer.

Factor in that two of those incidents are directly connected to ongoing state and federal probes into possible misconduct by Mr. Easley himself and it’s clear there’s a larger problem for state Democrats.

Since the new century dawned, it wouldn’t be overstating the case to say that corruption or questionable actions have become synonymous with high-ranking state Democrats. The list includes former Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps and former House Speaker Jim Black. And earlier this month, state Sen. R.C. Soles, who has served in the General Assembly 41 years, was indicted on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury for an incident in which he shot a former legal client.

Does anyone else detect a troubling pattern here?

Current House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, correctly points out that lawmakers have attempted to quell problems by enacting tougher ethics regulations and promises more if necessary when the new session of the General Assembly opens in May.

That’s all well and good, but should the next shoe to drop include criminal charges against Mike Easley, there may be little the Democrats can do to keep from going down with him.