Illegal Foreclosures

by: Clem Guttata

Sun Dec 05, 2010 at 05:39:30 AM EST

I sure hope Attorney General Darrell McGraw's has got someone looking into home foreclosures in West Virginia. There's so many horror stories from around the rest of the country, it hardly seems possible that West Virginia is immune.

Here's just one example. Joe Nocera of the NY Times tells a story that will make your blood boil: A Happy Ending to a Raw, but Common, Tale.

Darrell McGraw wins!

by: Carnacki

Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 01:55:13 AM EST

McGraw will get the well-deserved opportunity to continue to protect the citizens of West Virginia from corporations and businesses that do wrong. The sad thing about the Chamber of Commerce spending so much of their members' money is businesses that operate properly have nothing to fear from McGraw. So the good businesses just wasted a huge amount of money to protect bad ones.

Word from Charleston is Greear is preparing to concede.

The victories by McGraw and Margaret Workman and Menis Ketchum in the other election the Chamber of Commerce attempted to buy puts a sweet cap on a bittersweet night.

The victory for McGraw was so narrow and the Chamber of Commerce spent such a record amount of money for the race that it seems likely Greear might have won if his association with the notorious Vic Sprouse had not cost him some votes.

Gazette covers the protest against the Chamber of Commerce

by: Carnacki

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 11:05:40 AM EST

Sam Hickman, state executive for the National Association of Social Workers, said, "This is a scurrilous attempt to buy an election.

"I personally like somebody who is looking out for consumer interests to be in public office."

Mike Sublette, who runs a bookstore at the Farmers Market in Charleston, said, "I am just one of those West Virginia citizens who don't want my consumer's rights taken away. McGraw has always looked out for the citizens."

During the past 15 years, McGraw has filed suits on behalf of consumers against a variety of credit card, tobacco, insurance, energy, pharmaceutical and payday lending companies.

The Chamber of Commerce needs to know that when this election is over, people are going to have long memories.

If Dan Greear wins, he'll be seen as being a bought and paid for politician with zero integrity.

We need to keep Darrell McGraw.

West Virginians protest attempt by Chamber of Commerce to buy election

by: Carnacki

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 15:33:44 PM EST

It was amazing how many people turned out for this morning's protest against the WV Chamber of Commerce, considering the short notice that was given.

Thank you all!

So to drive this message home, we will be out there again in the morning,  (Tuesday)starting about 7:30 AM and lasting as long as people want to stay.

We were (and will be again) at the corner of Greenbrier and Kanawaha Blvd, just a few doors down from the Chamber.

Our protest was such a success that Chamber head honcho Steve Roberts dropped by to see what the fuss was about.  He even brought coffee although several members of our group refused to be bought off.  We did proceed to point out  in detail, the blatant lies told by the Chamber in order to destroy Attorney General Darell MacGraw.

The best Roberts could come up with was, "We disagree on the facts."  "Facts?"  I do not believe the Chamber wants to be bothered with facts.

The Chamber of Commerce doesn't like that Darrell McGraw has done a good job protecting the people of West Virginia by enforcing consumer protection and labor laws. The Chamber of Commerce has spent more than $1.1 million to defeat McGraw and install their puppet Dan Greear and to buy a seat on the Supreme Court for Beth Walker. We ousted Spike Maynard for being in the pocket of Don Blankenship. Are we going to let another group funded by outsiders try to buy another judge on the state's highest court?

Update

With the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce attempting to subvert democracy by dumping so much money into this race, then perhaps the people of West Virginia are going to have to strike back with a boycott of businesses belonging to the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and for businesses belonging to the Chamber opposed to these steps by the state and national organization to withdraw. It will be something for us to consider and discuss once the election is over.

West Virginia is Not for Sale!

by: Clem Guttata

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 08:23:27 AM EST

A few days ago big-moneyed out-of-state interests launched an 11th-hour attack against our Attorney General Darrell McGraw. They bought $700,000 worth of smear ads and used the same consultants who did the infamous Swift Boat ads against Sen. John Kerry.

At the same time, these out-of-state groups threw $400,000 into the Supreme Court race to try to buy another seat on the court.

West Virginians stood up against an out-of-state coal baron's attempt to buy the Legislature in 2006 and we must stop this effort in 2008.

Please spread the word about your candidates for Attorney General and Supreme Court - forward their websites below to your friends and family and encourage them to vote for the entire Democratic Team.

Attorney General Darrell McGraw http://www.darrellmcgraw.com

Supreme Court Nominees:

Menis Ketchum http://www.menisketchum.com/

Margaret Workman http://www.margaretworkman.com/

Spread the word and let's all work hard during these last two more days.

Click here for all of your Democratic Nominees http://www.wvdemocrats.com/can...

Click here for a listing of local headquarters http://www.wvdemocrats.com/

McGraw Answers Chamber's Media Blitz

by: advocate

Sat Nov 01, 2008 at 00:42:05 AM EDT

In the midst of a $700,000 media blitz sponsored by the same out-of- state interests that brought you the Wall Street Crisis and the Kerry Swift Boat Ads, Darrell McGraw has answered with two television ads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1341z3q6NFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfXSDk5Z260

The citizens of West Virginia should take note that large, out of state organizations are in it to line the pockets of Greear, McGraw's opponent, and propell Greear into the puppet status to allow unethical business practices to run roughshod all over our great state.  Just look at the campaign report released from the WV Sec. Of State's office:

• $47,458 from West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse;

• $330,682 from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce;

• $63,371 from the American Tort Reform Association;

• $253,345 from the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

If McGraw is out of office, we'll see a quick demise to the welfare, financial stability and security of West Virginia and its citizens.  

Outside groups try to buy two West Virginia elections for $1 million

by: Carnacki

Thu Oct 30, 2008 at 22:05:19 PM EDT

Now we've got Blankenship the U.S. Chamber of Commerce attempting to buy two other West Virginia races to install their own bought and paid for politicians: the pro-adultery attorney general candidate Dan Greear and the pro-theocracy, anti-worker Supreme Court candidate Beth Walker.

As Randolph Clark pointed out, the large amount of money dumped by outside organizations is a blatant attempt to subvert the West Virginia electoral process.

Here's the statement from West Virginia Democratic Party chairman Nick Casey:

Democratic Chairman Casey Responds to 11th hour $1 million dollar Ad Buy by Big Moneyed Out-of-State Special Interests

(Charleston)  Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey today responded to an 11th hour spending blitz on behalf of Republicans Dan Greear and Beth Walker financed by out-of-state special interest money.  

"On Wednesday, six days before the election, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their allies purchased more than a million dollars of broadcast advertising on behalf of Attorney General candidate Dan Greear and Supreme Court Candidate Beth Walker.  More than sixty percent of these funds come from out-of-state special interests - who themselves are financed by the very groups that are responsible for our current crisis on Wall Street.  

"The question is - why are these out-of-state groups spending so much to elect a West Virginia Supreme Court Judge and a West Virginia Attorney General?  West Virginians will never know the answer to that question because these groups will not voluntarily disclose who their contributors are.  They won't say which Wall Street Bankers and Corporate CEOs are writing the big checks to finance this effort because they think their anonymity is more important than complete disclosure.  What do they have to hide?  

"Two years ago another millionaire failed in his attempt to elect his handpicked candidates despite spending some three million dollars in a similar effort.  West Virginians said loud and clear then - and I'm confident they'll say loud and clear now - West Virginia is not for sale!"

The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, in the past a relatively sane organization that had distanced itself from such practices, has joined with the always anti-West Virginia U.S. Chamber of Commerce in an attempt to buy offices for their two hand-picked candidates in order to guarantee that workers and consumers are not protected in this state.

What kind of justice is the Chamber of Commerce hoping to buy with that kind of money? Dan Grar and Beth Walker have a golden opportunity to show they can't be bought and paid for with a $1 million contribution from shadowy contributors by immediately returning it. Otherwise the message they send by keeping it is loud and clear to their benefactors and to the people of West Virginia.

While Darrell McGraw has done a great job protecting the people of West Virginia as attorney general, he's angered Blankenship the Chamber of Commerce because he holds bad corporations accountable for their misdeeds. Dan Grar is the perfect tool for the corporations over the people. While his campaign mailer shows Grar with a smiling family, he's hired serial adulterer Vic Sprouse who has sought to avoid fully supporting the healthcare needs of his ill son from one of his many previous marriages. Sprouse has said anything said and done by a candidate's advisor is the same as the candidate saying and doing it.

Meanwhile Beth Walker has cut a commercial that makes it clear she is running to bring her own brand of values to West Virginia that apparently are not about the state or federal constitution.

So West Virginians will have a choice - a return to the kind of bought-and-paid for judicial officials like we just got rid of with Spike Maynard or to elect officials who'll work for and are supported by the people of West Virginia.

The choice is clear: vote for Margaret Workman and Menis Ketchum for the Supreme Court and Darrell McGraw for Attorney General.

US and WV Chamber of Commerce decide to make a mockery of democracy

by: Randolph Clark

Wed Oct 29, 2008 at 21:37:27 PM EDT

This remains true today, (although Obama has thrown a wrinkle in this theory with his ability to raise money from small donors) and is even more true when you consider third party advertising (think Swiftboat Veterans for Truth).

In WV, the WV Chamber of Commerce (with help from Big Brother the US Chamber) is making a mockery of third party advertising and targeting Attorney General Darrell McGraw with $700,000 worth of attack ads.    

New poll shows Obama gains in West Virginia

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 21:24:52 PM EDT

State Journal:

A previous survey of state voters from West Virginia Wesleyan College for The State Journal conducted Sept. 21-22 by Orion Strategies showed Republican presidential candidate John McCain with an 11-point lead. The latest numbers from an Oct. 20-21 survey of 600 voters now show McCain 5.7 percent ahead.

"What it's showing is the differential has come down 50 percent, from 11 to six in a month," said Robert Rupp, political science professor at West Virginia Wesleyan. "It's still going to be a steep battle for a few reasons.

One of the interesting things is the poll - along with the other state pollster I highlighted earlier today - show West Virginians believe the state is on the right track. That's different than their believing the nation is on the wrong track.

That's a credit to Gov. Joe Manchin and the boost from higher coal prices. But so much for the State GOP's poormouthing of the state's economy which they were counting on. So much for "Unleashing Capitalism."

However, the bad news is Attorney General Darrell McGraw is locked in a tight race with Dan Greear. I've not even heard Greear's own campaign advisor say a positive word about him, so it looks like the negative campaigning by against McGraw is having an effect.

The poll showed 15.2 percent of West Virginians say race is important to them in the election, but unfortunately it appears the pollster or the writer made an assumption whether race was considered a negative factor. However, that 15.2 percent is down from earlier polls and it's also down from the national Newsweek poll earlier this year where 21 percent of respondants said race was a factor in their support. Twenty percent believe Obama is Muslim when he's Christian. My guess is that 20 percent would never have voted for a Democrat any way so I doubt if Obama coming here is going to sway those low information voters anyway.

However, one consistancy throughout the polls has been the soft support for McCain. It appears the pollsters who push leaners the most are the ones who have the better numbers for McCain. But those voters could easily be swayed the other way.

As far as McGraw, he's been in tight races before and won. He's done a good job representing the people of West Virginia. If the people knew how much Greear would represent the coal barons and big corporations over them, Greear's support would be from Don Blankenship and his ilk and no one else.

But no one has shown a positive reason to elect either McCain, Greear or Shelley Moore Capito for that matter. All the Republicans have are smears and attack ads. Will West Virginians be swayed by lies, or will they support the candidates like Obama, McGraw and Anne Barth who support the working people of the state? That question can only be answered at the ballot box.

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

Darrell McGraw mailer

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 08, 2008 at 08:30:15 AM EDT

Here's some myths and facts about McGraw that the rightwingers don't want people to know:

Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Martinsburg tonight

by: Carnacki

Fri Sep 05, 2008 at 22:58:46 PM EDT

It was at the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg, but it brought together Democrats from Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties.

Let me just say this first off. Listening to Anne Barth speak - Whoooo! / ric flair -  I am looking forward to her debate Bush Republican Rep. Shelley Moore "Country Club" Capito.

She had the crowd fired up and ready to go.

Here's some of her great lines from tonight:

"George Bush and Shelley Moore Capito represent the status quo...If you're not sure how many homes you own, you're probably for the status quo."

"I believe in putting West Virginians first. Senator Byrd taught me if you never forget West Virginians they'll never forget you."

"I believe in ending the war in Iraq quickly and responsibly."

"We're spending $10 billion a month in Iraq on roads and bridges while the Iraqi government is running a surplus. Here in West Virginia we need new roads and bridges. Just think of Route 9."

"My campaign is about putting the people of West Virginia first."

"If you believe in a representative who fights for the people all the time and not just election time, then I'm your candidate."

She said a lot more great stuff, but I was too busy clapping to write it all down.

Here's what Gov. Manchin said about Barth:

"We're 1,000 percent behind you. We've never had the opportunity to have someone so well qualified in Washington."

"Anne has the largest district east of the Mississippi. She can't do it by herself. She needs all of you. We've never had a candidate like this before, so well connected in Washington."

Manchin talked about his experience at the Democratic National Convention and of Republican jealousy at Barack Obama drawing more than 84,000 into Mile High Stadium to see his acceptance speech.

"I'd never been at anything like that in my life. It was electrifying."

Manchin's thoughts on Obama:

"In West Virginia, I truly believe we can win."

"I've heard everything from the pundits and the media on why he can't win from he's African American...that's like saying John Kennedy couldn't win because he was a Catholic. We proved that wrong."

Manchin on energy:

"We are addicted to oil We have been absolutely the worst polluters this world has ever seen. We've also grown the world's largest economy and the biggest middleclass. There's tradeoffs."

I didn't get all of this down verbatim, but he said if they said no more coal in the U.S., it wouldn't stop the other countries from using the cheapest fuel available, coal, in their countries. But a new energy policy is needed to develop renewable and clean sources of energy for the future.

"We're going to have a renewable energy policy."

"I've spoken to the Republican hierarchy and they're completely wedded to the Big Oil companies."

Manchin on John McCain:

"John McCain is a great, decent and honorable hero. I just don't respect continuing the same policies we've had for the last eight years. Just changing the name and keeping a Republican at the top would be the downfall of this nation."

On his pride in West Virginians:

"I believe in you more than you believe in yourselves."

On the 23,000 new jobs and $8 billion in new private investment in the state created under his watch:

"I tell people don't vote for me what I did in the past. Vote for me for what I'm going to do in the future."

On his future plans:

"We're goint to make sure every West Virginian is covered with healthcare."

(That got huge applause)

On broadband infrastructure:

"By 2010 we'll have the state completely wired."

On his loss in Berkeley County in 2004:

"If you told me I'd lose in Berkeley County in 2004, I wouldn't have believed it. I thought we'd win and win handsomely here. Well I blame no one but myself. I took it for granted. I'm not doing that again."

He hasn't either. He's been up here a lot.

Manchin's remarks on Darrell McGraw.

"Darrell has done more to protect the citizens of West Virginia than any human being ever.... He'll do whatever it takes to protect West Virginians."

His remarks on Natalie Tennant:

"She's a rising star."

He had other great remarks about other candidates too, but I didn't get them all down.

(Note to self: fundraiser for a digital video camera for the site sometime in the future.)

Other highlights of the evening before I left (the other candidates speaking had just kicked off when I departed.)

Berkeley County Democrat of the Year: Niles Bernick (he's a great guy.)

Jefferson County Democrat of the Year: Virginia Graff. She's a hard worker.

Morgan County Democrat of the Year: Brenda Hutchison. She's the first Democrat to win as Morgan County commissioner in ages and the first ever to win every precinct. She's got it tough against two Republican good old boys. We need to get her some more Democrats at the commission.

Stephen Skinner describe how great it was that the Eastern Panhandle united to send two delegates to the DNC when usually Kanawha County dominates the delegation.

Tom Vogel, who is in charge of the Obama campaign in WV, said we're getting 6 offices. He signed the paperwork for the M'burg office today. And 27 paid staff. Not long ago we thought we'd get one to three.

Vogel: "And they're all West Virginians."

That's important. I see the Republicans keep saying McCain will win by 20 here. I hope they keep thinking that. I love complacency in opponents.

One last note, before the dinner I spoke to the ubiquitous Rod Snyder, president of the WV Young Democrats. His organization has kicked off a 55 county campaign to have a presence in each and every county. Much like Howard Dean's 50 state program at the county level.

Update: Wanted to point out this was organized and put together well by the Berkeley County Democrats Executive Committee. The local press incorrectly reported it as the Berkeley County Democratic Association, which many of us was there, but John Fink and his board deserve the credit.

McGraw fundraiser Sept. 5

by: Carnacki

Mon Sep 01, 2008 at 09:25:04 AM EDT

Just wanted to invite every one to a Fundraiser for Attorney General Darrell McGraw being held on Friday, September 5, 2008 at the Heatherfields Restaurant in The Holiday Inn - Martinsburg hosted by Michael Burke, Robert Burkhart, Michael Cassell, Ronald Harman, Mark Jenkinson, Butch Pennington, Lawrence Schultz  and Stephen Skinner to name a  few.

It will be from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., just prior to the JJ Dinner.  Please extend an invitation to all your family and friends.  We will have yard signs and bumper stickers for anyone wanting them.

It will be from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., just prior to the JJ Dinner.  Please extend an invitation to all your family and friends.  We will have yard signs and bumper stickers for anyone wanting them.

EVERYONE WELCOME!!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our headquarters at 721-6886 at your convenience or by e-mail.

Our sincere thanks,
Denise Tucker
Campaign Coordinator