Election Aftermath

The political landscape will be very strange for the next two years.  Our current Governor, Joe Manchin won the special election to fill the last two years of the Late Senator Byrd's seat in the US Senate.  This creates a void in the Governor's Mansion.  According to the West Virginia Constitution, the vacancy is filled by the State Senate President, but only in the capacity of Acting Governor.  Let the political backstabbing begin.

The wording is such that the Acting Governor position may not permanently confer on the current Senate President, Earl Ray Tomblin.  The Acting Governor may be whoever holds the title of Senate President.  So conceivably, we could have a new Acting Governor anytime someone got enough votes to become Senate President.  This means a fragile, weak government for the next two years.  As the Acting Governor will be trying to keep his majority in the Senate together and fulfill the duties of Governor at the same time.

As long as Sen. Tomblin keeps his fellow Democrats in the Senate happy he should be able to push things through.  It will be interesting so see what the House of Delegates does.  This tips the legislative power heavily towards the Senate.

Like I said.  It should be interesting to watch.

When Did Raese Move to Pennsylvania?

OK, It is about what I expected from the so-called leadership of my Party.  Can you say I'm embarrassed?  Just goes to show how out of touch with West Virginia the Republican Party has been and will continue to be.  My Party seems to like WV because we have historically been a Democratically controlled state.  But in the past few Presidential elections we have gone Republican. 

Now that Byrd is gone, they see our fine State's empty Senate seat as a way to pick up a vote without having to give much in return.  Mark my words, if Raese wins, WV's needs will be put at the bottom of the list.  If the Democrats control the Senate, they will give Raese little.  If the Republican's control the Senate, they will give Raese only enough to quell a backlash in two years when this Senate seat is once again up for grabs.

Here is a link to more info on Palin's gaffe, courtesy of "The Charleston Gazette's Squawk Box Blog"

Palin's Campaign

Governor Palin's campaign to oust Representatives Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan will be interesting to watch.  West Virginians have tended to dislike outside interests coming into the state and telling them what to do, even if they agree with them.  I guess it is part of that "Montani Sempre Libre" spirit.

If ousting them is good for West Virginia, then I am sure the fine citizens of my state will oust them.  But if ousting them is for the good of some outside interest (National Republican Party), that is a different story.

Reported by AP via The Charleston Gazette Palin says "We're going to reclaim the power of the people from those who disregarded the will of the people."  My only question is does "We're" refer to National Republicans or Palin and her followers, or the fine folks who live here?

More than a few will view her statement as saying that the people of West Virginia do not know what is good for them.  So we will help them.

Your opinions?

National Poker Week

This week is National Poker Week. What does this have to do with politics? Quite a lot actually. There is a group called the Poker Players Alliance. It is headed by former Senator Alphonse Di Motto. The PPA wants Poker legalized, especially online Poker, in the United States.

The PPA is mobilizing it's members, reportedly over 1 million strong, to send emails to Congress to show their support for poker. A couple of Online Poker Sites are even offering entry into tournaments in exchange for either signing up as a member of the PPA or sending an email to their member of Congress.

What is my stand on this? While I would like to see online Poker legalized, regulated and taxed, I do not see it happening soon. And while my Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito would probably not vote for it, I value her as my representative. I am not a one issue voter. I know she will vote for the best interest of West Virginia.

WV Primary on May 13

Learn about the candidates! Go Vote!

West Virgina Primary Election

In the upcoming Primary election in West Virginia, there is going to be a lot of angry Republican voters. They will come to the polls to vote for the candidate of their choice for President and be told that Republicans in West Virginia have already made that choice at the WVGOP Presidential Convention on February 5th.

I don't know what the State Republican Party was thinking when they planned the Convention, but I can speculate. The held the convention so that "they" (the state committee and Mr. Blankenship) could put throught the candidate of their choice regardless of how the majority of registered Republican voters in the State felt. I'm sure there was backroom wheeling and dealing.

The upshot is that they have taken away any incentive for Republican voters in the Mountain State to come out to the polls for the primary. This will help out the State Party, backroom approved candidates for local and state offices.

Next time - please do not hold a convention for chosing the Presidental Candidate. Let the people decide, not Big Money!

Update

Yes, I voted online for delegates to the WV GOP Convention. Biggest waste of my vote ever! By the time the convention rolled around my candidate, Fred Thompson, had dropped out of the race, so all the Thompson delegates I voted for were freed up. That left West Virginia for Huckabee. And Mr. H. is and was my least favorite candidate. Oh, he is the consumate politician. He will say whatever will get him the votes. I would not trust him as far as I could throw him (but I don't think I could get a hold of him as slippery as he is).

Message to WVGOP leaders - use a primary next time. Yes, I am sure you made a lot of money off of the convention, but your promise of a Convention really stirring up things for the party, went kind of flat. The numbers of people that actually voted for delegates was less than then number of voters that turn up for the primary. Well at least those well connected with the party had a party in Charleston. WooHoo!

At this point, all I can say is: WVGOP you need to WOW me. I can't remember when I was less excited about an election - either state or federal. You need to come up with new ideas. If you need help, I will volunteer to brainstorm with anyone.

Until next time!

Get It Right Politicians

If you are running for president listen up. If you travel to the great state of West Virginia you had better do the right thing.

We know that all you are doing right now is collecting money. We have no problem with that. Treat us differently than you do the big city voters. Sitting at country club in Morgantown eating rubber chicken may get you money from the rich Republicans, but you will not make friends among the small town folk.

To be a successful candidate in West Virginia you need to carry the big four cities (Charleston, Huntington, Wheeling and Morgantown), but you also need to court the Eastern Panhandle and the hardest nut to crack - Southern West Virginia.

If you aren't working class, don't pretend to be. There is nothing we hate more than some rich politician looking down on us by pretending to be one of us.

There is nothing we love better in West Virginia than a candidate that talks to the people not at them. And especially don't use us to get your message to a wider audience.

Drive! Drive a truck, jeep or motorcycle. If you don't drive one of those vehicles, own one (unless owning or driving one would appear to make you phony).

Listen to us, our concerns and problems are the same as most other Americans. And every now and then we come up with a dandy solution.

I don't have all the answers. Nobody does. If you have comments or differing opinions, please let me know.