I miss the good old days. You know, the days where honest, hardworking Democrats tried like hell to keep stories like this hidden until after major election cycles:

When Kay Hagan voted for President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus package, the Democratic senator hailed it as “the best way forward for working families across North Carolina.”

One of the families that later benefited is her own.

DC Manufacturing, a company co-owned by the Democratic senator’s husband, Chip, received nearly $390,000 in federal grants for energy projects and tax credits created by the 2009 stimulus law, according to public records and information provided by the company.

Now, in fairness, let me add this part about her opponent, Thom Tillis:

Hagan’s GOP opponent, statehouse Speaker Thom Tillis, voted in 2010 to allow the state to participate in the federal renewable energy tax credit program, which benefited a bank in which he owns at least $50,000 in stock.

I’m used to the ill-gotten gains of politics. I was born and raised in Louisiana, after all. Still, it seems like someone would try a little harder to make sure this wouldn’t see the light of day for a while. And, as far as how seriously different the two issues are, look no further than the headline and the lede (it’s journalism, so it’s “lede” and not “lead,” you barbarians). Kay Hagan is front and center here, because even POLITICO recognizes that owning a company is vastly different than owning stock in one (even if it is $50,000).

The Stimulus is very much an example of big government spending, and if it looks like big government money went to big government supporters, people will notice it. And people are noticing it. And it will not be something easily explained away with a simple “We did nothing wrong.” While that may be true, legally, optics are a huge concern in races like these. Optics can make or break tight races.

POLITICO knows it. You and I know it. Much like the Washington Post story concerning Hillary Clinton and the Middle East I wrote about on Thursday, it’s very difficult even for the leftiest of media to couch it as even a not-bad thing. This looks bad. This sounds bad. And in a race that is as close as this one is, bad is not a good thing to have in a news cycle. The Tillis campaign has already picked up on it and is running with it, and if it is not in an ad soon, someone should be fired.