{"id":2346673,"date":"2024-09-27T10:21:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T14:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-consultant-finds-fame-in-disaster-coverage-challenging-climate-change-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-27T10:23:47","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T14:23:47","slug":"gop-consultant-finds-fame-in-disaster-coverage-challenging-climate-change-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-consultant-finds-fame-in-disaster-coverage-challenging-climate-change-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP consultant finds fame in disaster coverage challenging climate change &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-consultant-finds-fame-in-disaster-coverage-challenging-climate-change-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2346673&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rick Shaftan, a Republican \u2064political consultant from North\u200c Carolina, has gained unexpected fame for his Facebook \u200cLive coverage of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/forecasters-warn-hurricane-lee-expected-to-move-toward-new-england\/\" title=\"Hurricane Lee set to approach New England, forecasters caution.\">beach \u200cerosion<\/a>\u200b and its \u200bimpact \u200bon vacation\u2062 homes\u200b in the Rodanthe area. During a routine filming session,\u2063 a vacationer \u2064recognized him, highlighting\u200d his \u200dgrowing popularity \u200das a\u2062 source of information\u200b for absentee homeowners and tourists \u2063about the changing \u2063landscape due to storms and \u200dhigh \u2062tides. Shaftan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wait-until-you-see-whats-coming-president-trump-fires-warning-shot-on-fraudulent-computer-voting-systems\/\" title=\"&quot;Wait Until You See What&#039;s Coming!&quot; - President Trump Fires Warning Shot on Fraudulent Computer Voting Systems\">started<\/a> posting videos to\u2063 document the erosion,\u2062 attracting a\u200c considerable audience\u2064 with his engaging and\u200d informal style. He\u2064 often\u2063 sports a casual wardrobe while sharing updates, combining his\u2064 beach commentary with\u2063 discussions \u200con politics. As the coastline continues \u2062to shift, his videos\u200b serve both as entertainment and a public service for those\u2062 concerned about the future\u2062 of the Outer Banks.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">GOP consultant finds fame in disaster coverage challenging climate change<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1770560\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Republican political consultant and pollster <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Shaftan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Rick Shaftan<\/a> was making his regular Facebook Live tour of the beach erosion in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/North-Carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Carolina<\/a>&rsquo;s picture-perfect Rodanthe in mid-September when a vacationer from Cleveland stopped him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Hey, Rick, is that you?&rdquo; asked the stranger, who was also on the Hatteras Island beach, surveying houses being whacked by waves and likely fated to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/caha\/learn\/news\/third-house-collapse-on-ga-kohler-court-in-rodanthe.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>fall into the Atlantic.<\/a> He said he recognized Shaftan from Facebook and appreciated his beach &ldquo;coverage.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>After chatting about the threats to the vacation homes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3166432\/voters-democrats-are-america-biggest-enemy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Shaftan<\/a> turned back to videoing his beach walk and said with a grin, &ldquo;Man, I&rsquo;m famous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Frickshaftan%2Fvideos%2F8436776729711627%2F&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=267&amp;t=0\" width=\"267\" height=\"591\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p>To the legions of absentee homeowners and tourists who rent summer houses on Hatteras, from Corolla to Ocracoke 120 miles to the south, Shaftan has become an important source of information about the shifting sands on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks\/cape-hatteras-national-seashore#:~:text=Cape%20Hatteras%20is%20one%20island,known%20as%20the%20Outer%20Banks.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/authorities-confirm-at-least-9-dead-in-fla-condo-collapse\/\" title=\"Authorities confirm at least 9 dead in Fla. condo collapse\">barrier island<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Recent storms and high tides have eaten away at the beaches, and several houses have crumbled into the ocean. And he has Facebooked the changes in his town, where 16 years ago, the romance movie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0956038\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Nights in Rodanthe<\/em><\/a>, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, was filmed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I just started doing this, and people started watching. People want to see what&rsquo;s going on,&rdquo; Shaftan told <em>Secrets<\/em>, likening it to public service.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Consultant and pollster Rick Shaftan has been recording the beach changes in Rodanthe, N.C., becoming something of a Facebook Live star. Photo courtesy Rick Shaftan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even when not at his Rodanthe home, where he has lived for nine years, he feels compelled to post videos and photos from friends and other sites.<\/p>\n<p>While there are others posting videos of the recent damage to the beaches and waterfront homes, Shaftan has an easygoing style that attracts a larger audience and many comments on his posts.<\/p>\n<p>He usually takes his car or bike to the beach and turns his phone video on for two to 15 minutes, sometimes walking with a can of Coors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/beer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>beer<\/a> and always in an open-collared shirt. He often talks about politics, too.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A portion of debris from the collapsed house at 23039 G A Kohler Court is shown near houses at 23047 G A Kohler Court and 23237 Sea Oats Drive in Rodanthe. National Park Service Photo <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Reacting to one recent post, a viewer asked if he had only one &ldquo;Hollywood&rdquo; shirt he used in the videos. Shaftan told <em>Secrets<\/em> his &ldquo;wardrobe&rdquo; consists of L.L. Bean button-down shirts. &ldquo;I just buy like five or 10 every year, and I just kind of ruin them rapidly,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>While he said it has been fun being a disaster correspondent, he also has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scottish-parliament-rejects-proposal-to-investigate-trumps-finances\/\" title=\"Scottish Parliament Rejects Proposal to Investigate Trump\u2019s Finances\">political agenda<\/a> for his videos: to counter federal officials who often cite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/climate-change\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>climate change<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-federal-agencies-advance-climate-change-agenda\/\" title=\"Biden Federal Agencies Advance Climate Change Agenda\">sea rise<\/a> for the erosion and tumbling houses.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not sea rise. Sand comes, and sand goes,&rdquo; he said, explaining the basics of barrier islands and the impact of erosion protection walls that can cause damage miles away.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The whole National Park Service has been taken over by left-wing ideologues. And the problem is that there are no right-wing ideologues to counter them,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>He plays that role sometimes, such as when he was filming while standing on a newly piled-up sand &ldquo;dune.&rdquo; Someone yelled at him to get off it. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not a dune,&rdquo; he barked back. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a pile of sand that will be gone in hours.&rdquo; And hours later, it was washed away in the surf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1770560\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1770560\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP consultant gains fame covering beach erosion in NC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2647,"featured_media":2346674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/shark-attack-scaled-1024x596.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[13784,10792,41845,6203,32076],"class_list":["post-2346673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-climate-change","tag-consultant","tag-disaster-coverage","tag-gop","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/shark-attack-scaled-1024x596.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2346673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2346674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2346673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2346673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2346673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}