West Virginia Blue
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Left to right Menis Ketchum and Margaret Workman, Darrell McGraw, and Jim McNeely
It was a beautiful day for politics in Princeton West Virginia's Glenwood Park. Over 150 Democratic Party voters turned out to enjoy a great meal and meaningful speeches by some really important candidates running for office this November. Speakers included the two Democrats running for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Menis Ketchum and Margaret Workman, State Attorney General Candidate Darrell McGraw, and 10th Senatorial District Candidate Jim McNeely.
Speeches by the statewide candidates warned all about what we can expect from outside the state in support of republicans between now and November. In fact the smear ads have already started according to Menis Ketchum with slimy ads being run on the radio. These ads are being run and will be run by outsiders desperately trying to influence the upcoming election by misleading West Virginians about evil trial lawyers and how we have torte hell in our state. In my opinion electing our two Democratic candidates to the Supreme Court this election is hands down one of the most important jobs to get done between now and election day.
Republican Supreme Court candidate Beth Walker the wife of Mike Walker the brother of Steve Walker the President of Walker Machinery a leading supplier of equipment used in Mountaintop Removal throughout our state, would be another rubber stamp judge representing Don Blankenship and Massey Energy... not the citizens of West Virginia.
Jim McNeely is running against Republican Don Caruth the state Senate Minority Leader in the Tenth Senatorial District.
Many other local candidates were in attendance at the picnic as well. An event like this brings folks together in a great setting as we all get ready to do the hard work to elect Democrats in November.
A slide show with pictures of the picnic can be viewed below the jump.
CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw claims mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corporation made unaffordable home loans, using unfair and deceptive acts to do so.
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Although West Virginia ranks near the top of states with the least number of foreclosures, experts say they are on the increase.
"We've had 140% increase in delinquent mortgage counsellings this year over last year," said Jeff Wise, President of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Southern West Virginia
Wise says that is due to increased expenses in an uncertain economy.
"They're desperate. They're not sure what to turn," said Wise. The state is asking the court for an injunction, stopping the company from foreclosing on properties and using deceptive acts to issue loans.
West Virginia is the fifth state to file a lawsuit against Countrywide. The suit was filed in Putnam County because the company has an office in Scott Depot.
The Republicans support ripping off consumers. Good to see McGraw taking action on this.
I think Vic Sprouse unveils a little too much from the shadowy recesses of his mind that he should really try harder to keep hidden.
Writing (yet again - it's so meta) about Charleston Gazette columnist Phil Kabler mentioning Sprouse in a column, Sprouse revealed:
It's just... weird (1). He's like my own mini-stalker.(2)
I'm guessing that Kabler has one of those rooms like Mel Gibson had on Conspiracy Theory where Julia Roberts happened upon it and it was filled with a whole wall full of photos of her. That's what I'm guessing is in Kabler's apartment. (3)
Otherwise, I can't account for the obsession.(4) The dude literally writes something about me every week. It cracks me up.(5)
Emphasis mine. OK, let's parse this.
1. It's "weird." He's using that word a lot lately. This is coming from the man with 22 marriages and abandoned his own child and he's passing judgment on someone for being weird?
2. He thinks being mentioned in the press is akin to "stalking."
3. Sprouse has a fantasy - I can't think of another term for it - of Kabler having photos of Sprouse all over Kabler's apartment. Like Vegas, what happens in Sprouse's imagination ought to stay in his imagination.
4. "I can't account for the obsession." See 3.
5. In all seriousness, this one is really interesting. Sprouse thinks Kabler is a stalker. Sprouse finds that "cracks me up." Logically doesn't that mean Sprouse thinks stalking is funny?
I know, I know, I referred to logic and a Republican in the same sentence, which makes the question a non sequitur.
Still, some will find it worth noting that Sprouse never offered any defense of the accusation that he's "out of touch" with rural voters. He simply attacked Kabler.
Sprouse also claims that Kabler has written more about him than any other West Virginia figure. Considering how scandalous Sprouse's behavior has been in West Virginia, it's not surprising that Kabler has written about Sprouse a lot. But it's rather narcissistic of the former Senate Minority Leader and "family values" Republican to think he's been written about the most.
But Sprouse doesn't dislike all media attention. He gave lots of praise to Scott Sabatini writing for something called LegalNewsLine for Sabatini's story on Attorney General Darrell McGraw (D) and his GOP challenger Dan Grar.
...the author is Scott Sabatini who does a great job with it.
But why does Sprouse think Sabatini did a great job writing about the McGraw-Grar race?
He quotes Sprouse at length criticizing McGraw.
McGraw's critics, of which there are many, sing in harmony, though fail to force him to in any way to change his tune.
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Republican State Sen. Vic Sprouse, who served on the Joint Committee on Government Operations, called the issue the largest concern facing the West Virginia Legislature in regards to the Attorney General's office. Sprouse admits that, to date, the Legislature has been ineffective. Looking back to the recommendations of the joint committee, Sprouse says they went unheeded.
"I don't know that any of them have been enacted," he said. "It's a case where Darrell McGraw is going to do what he wants to do. He thumbs his nose at the Democratic leadership in the Legislature, and they curl up and let him do what he's going to do."
See what Sabatini didn't include? Sprouse isn't some disinterested, objective observer. Grar has paid Sprouse money to say nice things about him and help elect him. But Sabatini never mentioned that in the article. Either Sprouse failed to mention it to Sabatini or Sabatini deliberately chose not to include in an effort to make McGraw look bad.
How much do you want to bet Sprouse even billed Grar for his services after doing the interview?
Anyone familiar with the Charleston may have seen the free newspaper known as The WV Record. It is basically a propaganda machine posing as a legitimate news source owned by the US Chamber of Commerce to try and influence the voters of WV to demand a more business friendly legal system.
West Virginia's New River Gorge Bridge was the world's longest steel-arch bridge (Shanghai's Lupu Bridge took the title in 2003). It opens to pedestrians once each year on "Bridge Day."
~~> Praise where praise is due... it may be a political gimmick, but how can I complain when Republican Sec. of State Betty Ireland touts small "d" democracy. Do you know anyone in the West Virginia Voter Hall of Fame?
--According to the U.S. Census Bureau, McDowell County is one of the fastest-shrinking counties in the country this decade. A new report says McDowell County, which has been ravaged by economic problems, has lost nearly 16 percent of its population since 2000. Three of the four counties that lost a greater percentage of population than McDowell were in the New Orleans area which was hit hard by flooding. Meanwhile, Berkeley County, West Virginia is among the fastest growing counties in the country. Its population has increase by more than 25 percent since 2000.
[snip]
--Speaking of the Lottery, I suspect Lottery officials were relieved-even if they won't say it-with the Powerball winners. The eight women from the Monongalia County Tax Office seemed like decent, hardworking West Virginia folks. Unfortunately, jackpot winner Jack Whittaker remains the poster boy for what can go wrong when you become a multimillionaire. Perhaps he should write a book: "What NOT to do when you win the lottery."
~~> Residents in 19 counties served by West Virginia-American Water Co. will see 14.9 percent rate increases as Public Service Commission OKs W. Va. Water Rate Hike. If there was a truth in labeling law for state agencies, the PSC would be called the Corporate Profits Commission.
~~> The legislature wins some minor turf back in its ongoing tug of war with the attorney general: "AG will alert W. Va. lawmakers of potential windfalls". I'm not sure if Attorney General Darrell McGraw winning lawsuits that punish companies wrong-doing are really 'windfalls' but, whatever...
Roberts said the Chamber and BIC bought radio advertising in mid-January that cost between $14,000 and $15,000. The "second buy" of TV ads that have been aired recently, Roberts said, "cost in the range of several hundred thousand dollars."
Roberts added, "We think we have been successful in causing the Legislature to take a harder look at all of this. We think public scrutiny is a good thing."
Managing Deputy Attorney General Fran Hughes said business groups often deduct the costs of such advertising campaigns when reporting their federal income taxes if those costs can be classified as "business expenses" under the federal Tariff Act passed in 1913.
Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, created by that law, states chambers of commerce and business leagues may "work for the enactment of laws to advance the common business interests of the organization's members."
But such expenses are not tax-deductible if they are specifically designed to help or hinder the election of any candidate for public office. "Businesses donating to these campaigns do not have to identify themselves," Hughes added.
Roberts said members who fund the Chamber of Commerce cannot deduct any money they give that "is directly associated with lobbying."
"We already have one legal opinion that this [Purdue settlement advertising campaign] does not fall into the category of direct lobbying because it does not address a specific piece of legislation. It urged the Legislature to exercise some additional oversight on the spending of the attorney general."
Roberts said the Chamber will take another look to make sure expenses on those radio and television advertisements comply with Internal Revenue Service guidelines about what expenses can be deducted from contributions made by its members.
Darrell McGraw's office reached a $12.l million settlement with Visa USA Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. on Monday, McGraw said during a Tuesday news conference.
The money will be put in a trust and will be doled out to customers via sales-tax holidays, McGraw said.
[snip]
Tuesday's announcement was the first step in getting the money to consumers, but the Legislature will address the specifics, he said.
There likely will be three to five holidays sometime this year, McGraw said.
Congratulations to Darrell McGraw's legal team for this settlement. I look forward to my sales tax holidays (pending the legislature's approval).
Exciting news for Democratic candidates. From an email:
WV AFL-CIO 2008 Primary Endorsements In October the West Virginia AFL-CIO celebrated its 50th Anniversary at their Twenty Sixth Constitutional Convention held at Wheeling Island Racetrack & Gaming Center, Wheeling, WV. During the course of the convention the WV AFL-CIO Committee On Political Education (COPE) and all delegates to the convention unanimously endorsed for the 2008 Primary Election, Joe Manchin lll for Governor, Jay Rockefeller for U.S. Senate, Alan Mollohan for the 1st Congressional District and Nick Rahall for the 3rd Congressional District.
On November 3, 2007 at the Charleston Civic Center, Charleston WV the WV AFL-CIO Committee On Political Education met again and endorsed for the 2008 Primary Election, John Unger for the 2nd Congressional District, Joe Delong for Secretary Of State, Glen Gainer for State Auditor, Darrell McGraw for Attorney General and John Perdue for State Treasurer. WV AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, Larry Matheney, stated “It is our goal to support candidates that will strive to improve the lives of West Virginia working families.”
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