West Virginia Blue
The Best Blogging Community in West Virginia Democratic politics, progressive policies, the good life and free living in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
(Neat interactive map... not so neat implications.) Kentucky makes us look good by comparison. Are workplace and restaurant bans a way to drive down our high percentage?
Guess how our delegation voted? Democratic Reps. Mollohan and Rahall both voted in favor with Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito voting against. (Is Shelley still trying to curry favor with Pres. Bush? Does she hold out hope for a paternal pardon or is Shelley reverting to form in a non-election year?)
Kevin Drum provides a short hand summary on the pros and cons of Cap-And-Trade vs. Carbon Taxes. If you're not sure which alternative you support, definitely read his short post.
Never in 230 years of the Republic has a president more richly deserved impeachment than George W. Bush. Yet, nothing in the official record indicates that.
[snip]
Congress must ensure that this Administration's attempts to establish an "imperial presidency" do not become precedent for future administrations.
A Motion of Censure would make that minimal necessary statement. A censure motion would require a debate on the Bush Administration's justifications and its management of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, on its treatment of detainees, including the use of `rendition' and ignoring standards of human rights long practiced in the civilized world, and on its authorization for illegal wiretapping.
[snip]
It is important that the record reflects what a majority of Americans have long known -- George W. Bush ran a shameful, criminal administration that made a mockery of our Constitution and the fundamental principles of American government.
Accountability of the Executive branch is not a partisan issue. This is the perfect time--post-election and pre-inaguration--to make a clear statement that Congress is a co-equal branch of government.
(A reminder of this weekend's many events, starting with Joe Biden in Charleston today.
Bumped again. Hope is around the corner. - promoted by Carnacki)
There's lots going on this weekend. Plenty of chances to get out and show your Democratic Party pride. Even better, take a friend!
Via email:
Senator Joe Biden to Visit Charleston
Friday, Oct. 24
Rally in Downtown
Capitol Street
Doors open: 8:30 AM
Program starts: 10:30 AM
Public entrance: Fife St. and Summers St.
This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required; however, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. RSVP at www.wv.barackobama.com
Update: Success
Saturday Events
Eastern Panhandle Tri-County rallies with former Governors Gaston Caperton and Bob Wise, along with US Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware), 2nd District Congressional Nominee Anne Barth and Auditor Glen Gainer.
Morgan County, Berkeley Springs
Democratic Headquarters
15 Washington St.
10 AM
Berkeley County, Martinsburg
Democratic Headquarters
124 S. Queen St.
12 PM
Jefferson County, Charles Town
The Stephenson House
515 E. Washington St.
2 PM
Joe Manchin will be campaigning in three counties Saturday:
Jackson County
Democratic Headquarters, Ripley
12PM
Taylor County
Democratic Headquarters, Grafton
4PM
Congressman Alan Mollohan & Gov. Manchin Barbour County
Democratic Wine & Cheese evening
Adaland Mansion (2 miles north of Philippi - take US 119 N then Rt. 76).
Call Chairman Jude McConnell 457-1445 for tickets; $25 each 5-7 PM
Senator Jay Rockefeller and Congressman Nick Rahall will lead a Democratic Rally in Cabell County at the Headquarters at 1201 7th Ave. Huntington; 3:30 PM.
Early Voting is still underway Monday - Saturday at your County Courthouse through November 1st.
I post so often in support of Anne Barth, our Democratic candidate in WV-02, that I neglect our Democratic incumbents in WV-01 Alan Mollohan and WV-03 Nick Rahall.
To make up for that, here is a video of Alan Mollohan
Cheers to Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV-01) for voting the right way on telecom immunity and defending the rule of law. Pains me to say this, but jeers to Rep. Nick Rahall on this vote.
The odd thing is that yesterday Rahall voted the right way on Iraq war funding and Mollohan voted the wrong way.
The Politico reports today that dozens of House Democrats haven't paid some or all of their dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2008 election cycle. Among them is West Virginia's own Rep. Alan Mollohan, who hasn't given the DCCC a penny. Rank-and-file members are required to pay $125,000 in dues. The way it works is that candidates transfer funds from their campaign war chests to the DCCC.
Personally I know what it's like to be late for membership dues. Bill Yearout of the Berkeley County Democratic Association always has to chase me down to get the BCDA dues from me for the year (Like getting blood from a turnip.) and that's only $5.
U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., announced his support for Barack Obama as Democratic Party nominee for president late Thursday afternoon.
All four of West Virginia's Democratic members of Congress have endorsed the Illinois senator. Mollohan joins Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick J. Rahall.
"While Sen. Hillary Clinton has proved herself an untiring advocate of issues important to West Virginians, Sen. Obama has the particular combination of intelligence, moral strength, and leadership abilities that our state and our country need today," Mollohan said Thursday in a prepared statement.
Clinton soundly defeated Obama in West Virginia's presidential primary on May 13. The New York senator and former first lady received 67 percent of the vote to Obama's 26 percent.
But the state's members of Congress are superdelegates, and are not bound by how state residents voted. Rockefeller and Rahall endorsed Obama in March, while Byrd waited until a week after the primary.
More from Mollohan on Obama
* "Knows that protecting us from terrorists doesn't require abandoning the values that so many Americans have fought and died to defend."
* "Will support our veterans and deliver the resources they deserve from a grateful nation."
* "Understands what it means to choose between filling your gas tank and buying groceries for your family, what it means to schedule a doctor's appointment after your health insurance has been canceled and what it means to be told your job was just outsourced to somebody on the other side of the globe."
Mollohan also stated Obama reminds people "that while we may be liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, northerner or southerner, we are Americans first and last and we stand strongest when we stand together."
(Bumped for the Monday crowd. - promoted by Carnacki)
A while back I highlighted how the Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito campaign web site was blank where it said "Getting the job done."
It was a rare bit of honesty from her and her staff.
Because if you look at her ranking on the nonpartisan Congress.org, she's not very effective.
Though her ranking has improved slightly from when she was near the very in 2006, she is still rated at the low end. Even when her Republican party held the majority in Congress, the four others in Congress were still more effective in Congress. She might have been a reliable rubberstamp for the worst excesses of the Republicans and their help corporations-at-the-cost-of-everyone-else agenda and their pro-endless war goals, but when it comes to being an effective legislator, she just doesn't get the job done.
While the rest of West Virginia's Congressional delegation is highly rated, take a look at how Capito's ranking jumps out - in a bad way.
To use a sports analogy, the rest of West Virginia's Congressional delegation is playing at a Major League Baseball level, Shelley Moore Capito is Little League.
Even with Shelley Moore Capito dragging down the West Virginia team, West Virginia's average is still ranked 3rd of all states.
To continue the sports analogy a bit more, if we replace Capito with Byrd's highly effective state director Anne Barth, we'd have a tremendous lineup.
That's how long it takes these three West Virginia leaders to tell you why Anne Barth should be the next Congresswoman from the 2nd Congressional District.
We'll start with Senator Byrd's support. Mollohan and Rahall after the jump.
Over the last two weeks we've attended countless political events all around the state. Collectively, we've communicated with hundreds of people actively involved in West Virginia politics. In the process, a clearer picture is emerging about the status of the undeclared West Virginia super-delegates.
Elected Officials
Obama leaning
All indications are Sen. Robert Byrd is heavily leaning toward Obama. Sen. Clinton's hawkish tendencies are a major tie-breaker between two Senators he respects. We expect her recent statements about bombing Iran did her no benefit with Sen. Byrd.
We have no sense on the timing of an endorsement. It could be any day now... or any week now... or, even, at the convention itself.
All along, we've felt Sen. Byrd was trying not to inject his presidential preferences as an issue in the WV-02 race. Now that Anne Barth has the Dem. nomination sewed up and the primary is behind us, the coast is clear for Sen. Byrd to endorse Obama.
Clinton leaning
All indications are that Gov. Joe Manchin prefers Sen. Hillary Clinton to Sen. Obama. Manchin shadowed Hillary in her final days of campaigning in the state. He's been rumored as a possible VP candidate for Clinton. (Although we find the idea of Manchin as a VP candidate extremely unlikely--his anti-choice position alone knocks him off any serious Democratic Party VP shortlist--it does speak to his potential motivations.) Manchin's governing style fits well with Clinton's DLC roots. Even more lately, we've heard the Manchin's called "West Virginia's Clinton's."
On the other hand, people also see Gov. Manchin as a savvy enough politician to "do the math." He's said he's waiting until at least June 3rd to make an endorsement. It looks more and more like Obama will have the nomination wrapped up by then. So, maybe Joe's just running out the clock to have his cake and eat it too.
Unknown
No one we talked with could indicate how Rep. Mollohan (WV-01) leans. The only conjecture we heard was, he's waiting until his vote is the most valuable to "cut the best deal possible." (For what it's worth, the two people who said this did so as a compliment to his political skills.) Of the undeclared W.Va. super-delegates, he's the biggest mystery.
Party Officials - Obama leaning
W.Va. Democratic Party Chair Nick Casey appears to have a personal preference for Obama. If you read the post-primary interviews carefully, you get the sense he's trying to figure out how other party Chairs have handled endorsing a candidate who did not win the state.
Now that the primary is over he can endorse the candidate of his choice without appearing to influence the primary. One big issue, however, is how a Clinton-leaning Gov. Manchin (for all intents and purposes, his boss) would feel about Casey endorsing Obama. Manchin is not known for sharing the limelight... it'll take a lot of personal fortitude for Nick Casey to come out for Obama before Manchin makes an endorsement.
DNC official Alice Germond holds multiple party positions critical to the nomination process (including Party Secretary). In a recent interview she talked about balancing her personal preferences with her obligation to remain neutral during a contested nomination.
The limited sense we get is she's also Obama-leaning and will only formally endorse him after Clinton drops out. As long as the nomination is contested she will remain neutral.
Your Mileage May Vary
The endorsement process is fickle. We've already seen super-delegates in other states change their mind even after making formal endorsements. We've been able to get multiple opinions about all of the super-delegates and often found strong agreement among far-flung sources. Still, this is but one snapshot of an ever-changing process as the super-delegates struggle with difficult decisions about how and when to make an endorsement.
What do you think? Who and when will the next W.Va. super delegate endorsement happen? Now that Obama has the nomination sewed up, will these influential W.Va. Democrats be eager to show their support for our likely next president? Or, will their eye be on W.Va. public opinion and Clinton's resounding victory last Tuesday?
If you have any additional information about matters super delegate, post in the comments or email us at wvablue@gmail.com
(Bumped for the Monday crowd. - promoted by Carnacki)
With apologies in advance to David Letterman,
From the home office in Paw Paw, West Virginia, here's the Top 10 reasons on why you should support Anne Barth.
No. 10 - Anne's been "Getting the Job Done" for West Virginia for the past 21 years working for Senator Byrd unlike Shelley Moore Capito, who after 8 years in Congress can't list a single accomplishment.
No. 9 - Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan endorsed Anne because they want someone who is hard working and effective to serve with them because whenever they call Shelley she's busy serving as president of the George W. Bush Fan Club.
No. 8 - Anne is for "pay-as-you-go" balanced budgets while Shelley helped George W. Bush run up record federal deficits, blowing through money faster than Powerball winners on a road trip to casinos and strip clubs.
No. 7 - Anne wants our veterans to be able to go to high quality VA hospitals for their healthcare needs. Shelley wants them to go deploy on yet another tour of duty in Iraq.
No. 6 - Anne wants tax breaks for working families of West Virginia so they can take care of their children and send them to college. Shelley looks out for a special class of minorities, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans who are millionaires. Hey, someone's got to look after their interests so they can buy all the caviar, yachts and multiple vacation homes they want.
No. 5 - Anne believes in improving West Virginia's highways and bridges so they don't fall down like in Minnesota. Shelley's for spending money for new roads and bridges too - in Iraq.
No. 4 - Anne graduated from West Virginia University and her daughters are now Mountaineers too. Shelley attended Duke University just like her daughter now. Duke, possibly the most evil school in the NCAA during basketball season, appropriately is represented by a Satanic symbol*.
No. 3 - West Virginia currently ranks 46** out of 50 in the Cutest Congressional Caucus Category. Anne's election would singlehandledly put West Virginia in 1st Place.
No. 2 - Anne is for healthcare access for all. Shelley's healthcare policy is healthcare for the rich, aspirins for everyone else.
Undeclared super-delegate W.Va. Gov. Joe Manchin and Obama-supporter, super-delegate W.Va. Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
West Virginia will have 11 unpledged delegates (superdelegates) at the Democratic National Convention. There are 10 named super-delegates plus an add-on at-large delegate to be named in June at the state convention.
Three unelected superdelegates went early for Hillary Clinton. They are: Marie Prezioso and Pat Maroney, the National Committeewoman and National Committeeman, and W.Va. Democratic Party Vice Chairwoman Belinda Biofore.
Two elected superdelegates pledged since super Tuesday for Barack Obama. They are: Rep. Nick Rahall (WV-03) and Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
The five remaining undeclared super-delegates are: Sen. Robert Byrd, Gov. Joe Manchin, Rep. Alan Mollohan, W.Va. Democratic party chair Nick Casey, and DNC member Alice Germond.
The final unpledged super-delegate will be named by the West Virginia Democartic Party Executive Committee on June 14 at the state party convention. This delegate is one of two "add-on" delegates awarded by the DNC for holding a late primary.
Now this would be a hell of a team for West Virginia in Washington.
From an email:
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION
RALLYS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR ANNE BARTH
Senator Byrd, Senator Rockefeller, Rep. Rahall and Rep. Mollohan Combine Clout, Fundraising for Anne Barth for Congress Campaign
CHARLESTON, W.VA.,- West Virginia's Democratic Congressional Delegation presented a powerful united front in Charleston tonight on behalf of the Anne Barth for Congress campaign. The delegation co-hosted a fundraising reception in a festive atmosphere of food, refreshments and live music at Appalachian Power Park's Power Alley Grill, raising money and expectations that the former senior congressional aide to Byrd can unseat an entrenched incumbent increasingly under scrutiny for supporting the policies of George W. Bush over the needs of West Virginians.
"I am very pleased that my dear friends in West Virginia's Democratic Congressional delegation are here today in support of Anne Barth. Anne understands the needs of West Virginians, and from day one she will waste no time in pushing hard for West Virginia's interests. By electing Anne Barth, West Virginians will have a stronger voice in the Halls of Congress. Anne will never be content to sit on the back bench and tolerate policies that hurt the people of West Virginia, and this outpouring of support for her today shows that West Virginians are standing with us," said Senator Robert C. Byrd.
Senator Jay Rockefeller said, "With the energy she's bringing to this campaign, Anne is proving to everyone that she is ready to get to work for the people of West Virginia. I'm proud to support her because - together with the rest of our delegation - I'm eager to work side-by-side with her to move our state forward."
Rep. Nick Rahall said, "It is appropriate that we are here at Appalachian Power Park to help sign on a real power hitter to West Virginia's Congressional team. Anne Barth is a natural, who is ready to join the starting lineup. She will be welcome relief for West Virginia's Second District."
Rep. Alan Mollohan said, "West Virginians know that Anne Barth understands their problems, needs and aspirations. I am pleased to join the rest of the West Virginia delegation in recognizing that her voice in Washington will be a strong one of advocacy for West Virginia's needs."
"I have so much admiration for Sen. Byrd, Sen. Rockefeller, Congressman Rahall and Congressman Mollohan. They are such hard workers. West Virginians understand hard work, and they rightfully expect it from their public servants. I have learned so much from each of them about how to get results for West Virginia in Washington over the years. I am humbled by their support, and eager to work alongside them to serve the state and people we love," said Anne Barth.
The Charleston event follows a fundraising reception hosted by Sen. Byrd in a private home in Shepherdstown last Thursday. Rep. Alan Mollohan is scheduled to host a similar event for Anne Barth on Wednesday - co-hosted with Sen. Byrd - at Christopher's Banquet Center in Fairmont beginning at noon.
MEDIA ADVISORY
March 26. noon - ANNE BARTH FOR CONGRESS CAMPAIGN - Sen. Robert C. Byrd and Rep. Alan Mollohan - to co-host and attend fundraising event for Anne Barth for Congress campaign.
Location: Christopher's Banquet and Conference Center
104 Van Kirk Dr. Fairmont
Contacts: Barth Campaign HQ (304) 345-1440
Christopher's (304) 534-5300
Excellent that the Congressional delegation that represents West Virginia* is backing Anne Barth so strongly.
The fact that the GOP bench is so weak that the Republicans could not put up (credible) opposition to Rockefeller, Mollohan, Rahall and Gov. Joe Manchin works to our significant advantage this election cycle to win WV-02 back from the rightwing Republicans.
*As opposed to rightwing Bush Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who represents herself, the banking industry, big oil, and Bush's interests in Congress.
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