Paging Cecil Roberts

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 20:00:26 PM EDT

UMWA need to get Roberts there and put a microphone in his hand to address the people because he's one of the finest at speaking for those of us in the 99 percent about the issues important to us.

Here he is at the "Don't Destroy the American Dream Rally":

http://youtu.be/BsIfqaVUyuc

Someone get him to New York City ASAP.

Cecil Roberts: We are all in this together

by: Carnacki

Tue Feb 22, 2011 at 10:38:41 AM EST

When my great-uncle Bill Blizzard marched up the side of Blair Mountain with several thousand other coal miners in the late summer of 1921, he wasn't thinking about the coal that lay within the mountain. He wasn't thinking about whether the streams along the base of the mountain ran clear or not.

He was thinking instead about the murder of his friend Sid Hatfield by Baldwin-Felts thugs just a few weeks before. He was thinking about the near-slavery conditions coal miners and their families were forced to endure. He was thinking about how to make their lives better.

It's important for Americans to remember the events that occurred on the slopes of Blair Mountain those fateful days, for it is a compelling and historically significant story of struggle against oppression. That story cannot be told nearly as well if the mountain is not there.

Blair Mountain is as close to sacred ground as there is for the UMWA. Though we may not physically own the mountain's land, its legacy is ours. We strongly support its preservation, for it represents the power ordinary people have when they decide to stick together and take up common struggle for the benefit of all. That is the essence of who we are as union members.

Today, West Virginians are still thinking about coal miners' jobs, and about how to make their lives and their communities better. But we are also thinking about the coal under Blair Mountain and surrounding ridges, and what ought to be done with it. And we are thinking about whether the water runs clear, not just for the fish, but for the people as well.

These are critical times in the coalfields. For coal miners, our families, our relatives, our friends and our neighbors, the decisions we make and the actions we take will determine not just how we live, but how our descendants will live for generations to come.

We must do our best to make the right decisions. And as we do, we must also realize (just as those miners did so many years ago) that although we may not agree on everything, we are all in this together. Failure to do so puts us at the mercy of those who would use our differences to divide us, allowing them to reap their own, selfish rewards at our expense.

So let us start.

Let us start by recognizing the dignity of work, and the fact that those who mine coal, by whatever method, do so because they seek to provide for themselves and their families. And let us also recognize that when the UMWA represents any workers anywhere, we have a duty to defend every one of their jobs and make them the best jobs they can be.

Congratulations to Cecil Roberts and Daniel J. Kane

by: Clem Guttata

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 12:26:38 PM EDT

Loyal readers of this site will be quite familiar with Cecil Roberts. Here's one of my favorite videos:

CO: UMWA President Cecil Roberts at the Ludlow Dedication

Boone County Democrats in the Charleston Gazette

by: Carnacki

Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 09:38:49 AM EST

NELLIS - Tom McComas knows that Boone County is an island of blue in a deep red sea on maps that show Tuesday's presidential results in West Virginia.

"I was tickled to death, very happy," said McComas, a Nellis resident and former DuPont employee. "We needed some change."

President-elect Barack Obama won only seven counties in West Virginia over his Republican opponent, John McCain. But he won Boone County by 11 percentage points, his largest margin in the state.

Obama supporters faced an uphill climb in Boone County, as he wasn't the first choice for many who usually favor Democrats. Their early enthusiasm was spent on Hillary Clinton.

"That's who they wanted," said Circuit Clerk Sue Ann Zickefoose, chairwoman of the Boone County Democratic Party, whose courthouse office was decorated with John F. Kennedy and Harry Truman memorabilia. A snapshot of Bill Clinton's Beckley rally on Saturday is her computer screen-saver.

snip

Zickefoose said United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts has strongly backed Obama, and visited the county on the "Tour for Change" bus Oct. 18. The crowd that day was modest, but it got people in the community talking, she said.

Major teachers' unions also backed Obama over McCain. American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia President Judy Hale said union members helped make phone calls, went door-to-door and sent out direct mailers to support Obama in Boone County.

Tour for Change in West Virginia

by: Carnacki

Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 15:48:52 PM EDT

8 a.m. Charleston, opening press conference

Among those there were Governor Joe Manchin, Auditor Glen Gainer, Treasurer John Perdue, Attorney General Darrell McGraw, Sec. of State Nominee Natalie Tennant, Supreme Court Nominee Menis Ketchum, UMWA President Cecil Roberts, WV AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue, State Party Chairman Nick Casey. Ben Smith from Politico hopped on the bus to cover the tour. He spoke to a lot of people, including Tom Vogel at length who explained the national pundits took the primary results here to be anti-Barack Obama when it really was pro-Hillary Clinton. Since then the state has run a coordinated Campaign for Change to encourage people to vote a straight Democratic ticket, from Barack Obama on down.

10:15 a.m., Boone County Democratic Rally, Danville

It was a crisp autumn day. Mark, one of our Democrats from Danville, said he played football on the field when they were blasting through the rock not far away to build a cut through the hill for the road. It shook the field as they practiced. This was long ago, but out of kindness to him I won't say how long.

At each stop Kenny Perdue handled the introductions and the opening and passed it off to Glen Gainer, who really fired it up for Obama. In West Virginia, even the state auditor and the state treasurer do stemwinder speeches. (Joe Manchin headed from Charleston to Bridge Day to speak to the tens of thousands there.) They'd pass the mike through the ranks. Natalie Tennant, the first and so far only woman selected to be West Virginia University Mountaineer mascot, fired her musket at the close of her speeches when we were outdoors. Talk about Fired up and ready to go. You'd think the musket was rousing, but thenCecil Roberts brought it home. Rousing doesn't quite describe it (Video soon) as he'd talk about how awful the policies of George Bush have been on working people and how Dick Cheney mocked West Virginians as inbreds at a black tie dinner for his millionaire and billionaire friends and how Cheney joked could say that now that he doesn't need the votes of West Virginians for re-election. "That's what Republicans think of you," he said. West Virginians can't punish Dick Cheney, but they can punish John McCain and the other Republicans.

Then he led the crowd through a rousing "George Bush, John McCain, one and the same."

Nick Casey, the state Democratic chairman, would close with how West Virginians were told they were too racist to vote for a black candidate, but he heard the same thing as an Irish Catholic boy growing up that West Virginia was too bigoted to vote for the Catholic John F. Kennedy and West Virginians proved the nation wrong and put Kennedy in the White House.

Then we'd load up and head for the next stop. Someone said we traveled 300 miles, much of it on winding, mountainous roads with numerous switchbacks that made me wonder if large buses should travel on them.

12 p.m. Logan Democratic Rally, Logan Mall

The Logan Mall - a shopping center - is the flattest area of the community because it's a reclaimed stripmine where they've built retail and restaurants.

Logan surprised our people. The longer the people spoke, the more people showed up. And several of our volunteers passed out Obama Biden bumperstickers on the main thoroughfare to cars that would stop and roll down their windows. So then they began passing them lawn signs too. It seemed like more cars took them than didn't.

1:30 p.m., Williamson Democratic Rally, Williamson Fire Hall

There were more than 100 people in the fire hall before we arrived. Ryan was there during the primary and these were strong Hillary Clinton supporters. They've coming home.

You heard of "Yellow Dog Democrats" - I called these "Broken Glass Democrats." They'd crawl across broken glass to vote for the Democrat. This county is very important because they generally vote a straight Democratic ticket.

As Nick Casey and I talked about later on the bus, the McCain campaign (and unfortunately some of our own people here) assumed these folks wouldn't vote for a black candidate. Many of us believe they will. We have faith they're better than that and they don't deserve being taken for granted by anyone, Democrat or Republican. These are good people. These are good Democrats.

The Democratic cheerleaders gave a rousing cheer spelling out "democracy." I don't remember all of it. O was Obama.

3:45 p.m. Welch Democratic Rally, outside the Welch Library

We pulled into Welch and the people were fired up and ready to go before we even got there. Three young teenagers were banging on drums and had a good beat going. McDowell County is about 25 percent African American in a state that has an overall African American population of about 3.5 percent.

People were holding up letters spelling out "We heart Cecil" for Cecil Roberts.

Throughout the trip big, burly men would come up and hug him. They love Cecil Roberts here. Unions for steelworkers, painters, and miners, teachers, government workers, service industry, all represented. But Cecil Roberts has to be one of the most popular figures in the labor movement today.

Our next secretary of state Natalie Tennant.

You don't think Appalachian Americans are ready to vote for a black candidate? I beg to differ.

5:30 p.m. Princeton Democratic Rally, Mercer County Courthouse

I beg to differ, indeed.

7:30 p.m. Beckley Democratic Rally, Beckley Moose Lodge

People with preconceived notions about West Virginia have made a lot of presumptions based off the most negative stereotypes, based off the way people here look. As Tom Vogel explained to Ben Smith, you could find people in any part of the nation to make ignorant comments. I think the videos from northeast Ohio and elsewhere from the Sarah Palin rallies have demonstrated that quite clearly.

John McCain has taken this state for granted. He has one field director here and after stating they were sending Sarah Palin here, she went on a a Blow Off West Virginia Tour to Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Joe Biden is coming here and soon Barack Obama will too.

They want to win our state.

And so do these people.

Yes. We. Can.

Tour for Change schedule

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 20:51:31 PM EDT

Eight County Southern West Virginia Democratic Bus Tour
Saturday, October 18

With:
           Governor Joe Manchin
           Auditor Glen Gainer
           Treasurer John Perdue
           Attorney General Darrell McGraw
           Sec. of State Nominee Natalie Tennant
           Supreme Court Nominee Menis Ketchum
           UMWA President Cecil Roberts
           WV AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue
           State Party Chairman Nick Casey

Schedule for Press Conferences and Rallies:
8am Charleston; AFL-CIO HQ; 501 Leon Sullivan Way
9:15am Lincoln County Veterans Memorial; Intersection of US 119S and WV Rt. 214
10:15am Boone County; Lick Creek Park; 726 Lick Creek Drive; Danville
12pm Logan Mall; 77 Norman Morgan Blvd.; Logan
1:30pm Williamson Fire Hall; 104 E. 4th Ave.
3:45pm Welch Library; 90 Howard St.
5:30pm Mercer County Courthouse; Princeton
7:30pm Beckley Moose Lodge; 410 New River Drive

Anne Barth for Congress event photos

by: WVaBlue

Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 10:31:32 AM EDT

Cecil Roberts, Anne Barth and Rep. Nick Rahall

Anne Barth and Rep. Alan Mollohan

UPDATE from Carnacki:

From an email:

ANNE BARTH CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
CONTINUES TO PICK UP SUPPORTERS, MOMENTUM

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Anne Barth, formerly a senior aide to Senator Robert C. Byrd for over twenty years, told a gathering of legislative leaders and supporters assembled by U.S. Reps. Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Alan Mollohan (D-WV) in Washington on Monday night about the growing desire for change she has encountered among West Virginians in the second congressional district.

"From Henderson to Harpers Ferry, I have met so many people in my district who simply believe that after eight years of their representative cozying up to George Bush and Dick Cheney they have precious little to show for it," Barth explained.

Anne Barth, the daughter of a minister and protégé of one the most powerful United States Senators in American history, referred to her reputation as a hard worker and her solid working relationships with Rahall and Mollohan in making the case that she has the skills and experience necessary to get things done for West Virginia in Washington.

"The powerful and very wealthy have been well-represented by this outgoing administration and their friends in Washington," Barth said. "Now it's working families' turn to get some attention. It is time to refocus on our domestic needs here at home, and I want to help make that happen. That's who I am."

"Anne has valuable practical experience and earned her political stripes after years of working with people in West Virginia and Washington alike," Rahall said. "She impressed the people here in Washington who, like those of us from West Virginia, recognize what a good candidate she is and what a great Congresswoman she will be."

"Washington can be a difficult place," Mollohan said. "Tonight, Anne demonstrated to a very experienced gathering that she will be able to hit the ground running when she is elected. The Democratic leadership is behind her and they know a winner when they see one."

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at the fundraising event, hosted by Rahall and Mollohan,
calling Anne "a star."

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) also spoke in support of Anne and Democratic Congressional Campaign Chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-WV), United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, and Rod Snyder, President of the West Virginia Young Democrats all made appearances.

Below, a bonus shot from an Anne Barth for Congress event last month in Shepardstown.