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.
Whether Democratic incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan would have won WV-01 will be one of those great "What Ifs?" in West Virginia politics for some time to come. But instead of a clear win, Republican David McKinley had to squeak by in a race that he would have lost if State Sen. Mike Oliverio could have won if he had brought home those more than 2,000 write-in votes (see here for new numbers) for Mollohan.
Republican candidate David McKinley doesn't only hurl racist slurs, he also whines. A lot. And so do his people.
The West Virginia Republican Party issued a press release about Mike Oliverio's car parked at a polling place, according to Politico.
But as clearly apparent from the photo, Oliverio parked his car with his campaign sign in the spot farthest away from the polling place entrance and what to the naked eye appears more than 300 feet away from the entrance as required by state law.
Honestly, the West Virginia GOP should just change their name to the West Virginia Whiny Ass Titty Babies and get it over with.
Update
I emailed the Oliverio campaign for a statement about this faux controversy put out by the WV GOP and spoonfed by Politico, which should have recognized the falseness of it from the photo they ran on their own web site (ah Politico, so eager to please Republicans).
Today's press release from the West Virginia Republican Party is completely false. Here's the real story.
Mike Oliverio went to vote today. The polling location is in his own church - so he knows it well. He parked in the very last place - beyond the 300 foot rule on purpose.
He also was being stalked by a WVGOP staffer who was filming him this morning.
Oliverio walked into the booth and told the precinct workers that he drove his own vehicle, with his name on the vehicle and told them that he was parked more than 300 feet away - but knowing there was a GOP staffer to expect a phone call from the County Clerk.
Sure enough, a complaint was called in to the Monongalia County Clerk's office. The Clerk called the precinct and the precinct people explained that the complaint was invalid.
The problem here is that McKinley actually did violate campaign law by campaigning within 300 feet of a polling locations a few days ago - and was documented by the press.
Mike Oliverio has absolutely not done anything improper - and the state GOP is lying to create a press release.
* If you haven't voted yet, please vote on Tuesday. I urge everyone in West Virginia to vote a straight party Democratic Party ticket. In the congressional races, the choices are starkly clear. A Republican victory makes it that much harder for future progressive policy advocacy.
For example, if Raese wins the discourse shifts to arguments about whether whether climate change is real and if work place safety and environmental regulations should exist at all.
If Manchin wins, at least we're starting from a more rational place to fight our battles.
* This is one of those years when I really wished we had instant runoff voting. Instead of voting for the candidate whose views were closest to mine, I was stuck voting for the least worst option with a chance to win.
* If Joe Manchin pulls off a victory, one of the many people he can thank is Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito. In a year when Republicans are picking up seats all over the country, the weak WV GOP bench is a major liability for WV GOP chances.
Since her election in 2000, Capito has worked hard to make sure she's the only viable state GOP candidate. Even in this election, with her best chance ever to welcome aboard fellow Republicans to the WV delegation in DC, Capito has been MIA. If Raese or McKinley squeak out a victory, it'll be no thanks to her.
* The most famous political science model for predicting US House election outcomes says the Republicans are expected (based on the economy and historic conditions like party in power) to win 45 seats. Nate Silver's current model estimates a Republican margin of 55 seats--not far off. As Atrios recently put it, "I think the ignored true narrative of this election season is that as horrible as the economy is, it's a miracle the Dems are seeming to do as well as they are and especially that Obama remains relatively popular." (We'll see on Wednesday is that's really true.)
The outcome of WV-01 will be one of the indications of how the national wind is blowing. I have no idea how it, or the composition of the House, will end up.
The only predictions I'm prepared to make for tomorrow are that Manchin, Capito, and Rahall will all win. No major changes will happen in the composition of the WV state house.
Whatever the election outcome, there's a rocky road ahead.
In Clarksburg yesterday, David McKinley, GOP candidate for Congress in WV-1, illegally campaigned inside the courthouse while early voting was taking place
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballo...
McKinley also has a pattern of failing to report the required employer and occupational information for most of his donors on his Federal Elections Commission reports. http://westvirginia.watchdog.o...
"Campaigning inside the courthouse during early voting and failing to disclose most of your donors to the public, you've got to wonder what is going on with the McKinley campaign," said WV Democratic Party Executive Director Derek Scarbro. "How can McKinley go to Washington and be a lawmaker when he can't follow simple campaign laws now?"
McKinley has set the bar so low for himself I am just happy when he doesn't drop the n-bomb in front of people.
The late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd was universally regarded well by Democrats and Republicans at the statehouse. Well, almost universally loved.
From an email:
When GOP 1st Congressional District nominee David McKinley was in the WV House of Delegates there was a vote to thank Senator Byrd for his service to West Virginia. The bipartisan resolution passed 92-0, but David McKinley refused to vote. The Speaker, as rules require, asked McKinley to vote and then he, in very dramatic fashion, cast the ONLY vote against Sen. Byrd.
You can read about the whole episode in the Journal of the House of Delegates (71st Legislature, Volume II, 1994, pages 2329 through 2429).
Social Security belongs to the people who have worked hard all their lives and contributed to it. Social Security is a promise that must not be broken. We need to strengthen Social Security, not cut it. That is why I oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits, including increasing the retirement age. I also oppose any effort to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part.
This is yet another reminder there are real clear differences between Republicants and Democrats running for office. The Democratic party is a big tent, yet there are areas that Oliverio, Graf, and all of us can firmly agree upon. Protecting social security is one of those.
We are saving the Democratic Party from itself. Progressive are working with bold candidates and members of Congress to show party leadership how to go on offense, run progressively, and win -- especially on issues like Social Security, where the public is so clearly on our side.
Stephanie Taylor, PCCC co-founder who is leading PCCC's 2010 election efforts, including 500,000 phone calls to voters in districts with progressives on the ballot.
I'm a big fan of the work that PCCC has done in this and other efforts to mobilize progressives within the Democratic party. Well done!
Did David McKinley, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia's 1st District, call the President of the United States a "nigger" at a campaign event?
I have heard from several people that McKinley did. He was on private property at a non-union mine on Aug. 20 16. The people who heard him say it have not come forward apparently out of fear of losing their jobs. Had this been at a union mine, I suspect the miners would have stepped forward already.
As relayed to me, McKinley was trying to be one of the "guys" when he called the President of the United States a "nigger."
The Commander in Chief of our military as we wage military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but to McKinley he is a "nigger."
This is not about partisan politics. As readers of this blog know, I have no love for Mike Oliverio, the Democratic candidate for the seat. The last time I wrote about WV-01 was a long post on how incumbent Alan Mollohan believed he was unfairly attacked in the primary.
As much as I dislike Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito in WV-02, I would never think she would ever speak of the President of the United States in such a way. Her father, Gov. Arch Moore, may have been a corrupt politician, but he took a bold stance for civil rights in the 1960s when many governors south of the Mason Dixon Line did not. And I have spoken of the credit he deserves for that before.
In 2008 and even before, when racism accusations were hurled against West Virginia, there was no more ardent defender of West Virginians -- Democrats AND Republicans. (See here, here, here, and here for examples.)
And the numbers backed me up. The white vote in West Virginia for Sen. John McCain and President Obama was no different statistically than the white vote nationally
West Virginia is a state filled with beautiful, decent, hard-working people who do not deserve to be cast in such a light. I hate to see that happen again.
Here is why, however, it is important that readers know what people told me:
* A candidate for the United States Congress referred to the President of the United States as a "nigger." We are talking about the President of the United States. And this was said not just by a private citizen, but a candidate running for the United States Congress. Even if one of the workers had said it, I would expect a Congressional candidate, a person running to represent the people of West Virginia, to say, "Sir, we should not refer to the President of the United States in such a manner."
* This shows incredibly poor judgment on McKinley's part. He is running for office and in front of people, including members of the press, he says that? How stupid is that? This is 2010. Does he think all blue-collar West Virginians are racists? Perhaps he felt safe since much of the state's press is owned by John Raese, the Republican senatorial candidate, and much of the rest of the press is owned by Ogden Nutting, a major supporter of Republicans.
McKinley has a documented history of denial when he is caught afterward with racist connections. For months, white supremacist and militia supporter Larry Pratt was national news for his racist and anti-semitic views before David McKinley, then a gubernatorial candidate, appeared at a rally with him in 1995.
In a 1996 Charleston Gazette article headlined, "McKinley disavows supremacist ties," McKinley claimed he did not know Pratt's views before appearing at the event although Pratt had crisscrossed the country expressing them.
"I certainly denounce anyone who is racist," McKinley said at the time.
Except he did not do so when he shared a stage with one when it benefited McKinley politically.
I hope, despite whatever he says publicly to deny it, I hope McKinley in his heart denounces his own actions and pledges to speak and think better in the future. If he wants to represent West Virginians, he should at least try to represent us in a positive way.
We've had some questions about the voting records of Congressman Alan Mollohan and State Senator Mike Oliverio, battling in a tight race for tomorrow's Democratic primary election for West Virginia's first congressional district. We want to take a snapshot of the last year and highlight their legislative record on LGBT equality.
* Congressman Mollohan voted for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the first federal law to recognize sexual orientation and gender identity.
* Congressman Mollohan is a co-sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act that would repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
* In stark contrast, State Senator Mike Oliverio was a co-sponsor during the 2010 legislative session of a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality in West Virginia. The legislation would've enshrined discrimination against LGBT people into our state's founding document.
This is an important election in the first district. Please consider all of the facts and PLEASE VOTE.
By a unanimous vote of the TWV Editorial Board, 14-term Congressman Alan B. Mollohan is the clear choice as the Democratic candidate based on a solid career of political service that has earned him a number of critical leadership positions in Congress - most notably that of the third ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. With the announcement Wednesday that Rep. David Obey, the current Appropriations chair, will retire at the end of this term, Mollohan, if re-elected, would rise to the number two position in Appropriations.
Voters in West Virginia need look no further than the accomplishments of Sen. Robert C. Byrd to realize what a powerful position that an Appropriations leadership position can be. Certainly, Mollohan has modeled himself to some degree after Sen. Byrd in this manner.
Alan Mollohan's record of economic development in the 1st Congressional District is unparalleled in terms of his vision, his ability to create private-public partnerships, especially in high tech, and his leadership that enabled him to steer millions of dollars in federal earmarks to diversify the economy in North Central West Virginia.
Following Sen. Byrd's success in relocating the FBI fingerprint facility and its 3,000-plus jobs to the region, Mollohan has followed suit by enticing other federal agencies such as NASA, NOAA, the National Energy Technology Lab and the Department of Defense Biometrics Center to locate along the I-79 Corridor.
Mollohan was instrumental in the creation of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium that has served as a hightech business incubator that currently employs more than 1,300 people- with hundreds more to come within the next year. As a result, the high-tech sector has attracted over 200 high-tech firms to the region that did not exist a little more than a decade ago.
Certainly Congressman Mollohan deserves much of the credit for transforming our economy from one dependent on extraction and manufacturing to one that has weathered the current economic recession much better than most. Otherwise, we could have much higher unemployment, foreclosures and permanent job loss than we have suffered. Our economy is still based on energy, but has evolved where health care, high-tech, higher education and government jobs represent an ever-increasing share of our diverse economy.
To those who accuse Mollohan of turning his back on coal during the vote on Cap and Trade, we think that his endorsement by the United Mine Workers speaks volumes as to his commitment to coal. It's much better to remain at the bargaining table and have influence on the final outcome of such policy than it is to create a standoff. In the end, Mollohan voted against Cap and Trade.
Finally, to those who continue to sling mud in an attempt to raise questions regarding Mollohan's ethics even though the Department of Justice closed the case without any formal charges filed against him following a detailed three-year investigation, that speaks for itself. In America, we are innocent until proven guilty - no matter how many times you call someone corrupt. We have great confidence that the Department of Justice completed its mission with professionalism and integrity and Mollohan was exonerated.
Mike Oliverio's Dangerous Plan for Law Enforcement
His "nice start" would slice funding from local law enforcement, other Justice Department programs
Morgantown, W. Va. - Congressman Alan B. Mollohan's campaign demanded more information from Michael Oliverio about his proposal to cut federal law enforcement funding in West Virginia.
"This is the wrong time to gamble on public safety," Pam Van Horn, Mollohan's campaign manager said. "We were all reminded this weekend that we live in a very dangerous world. Michael Oliverio's answer is to cut resources for the law enforcement professionals we depend upon to keep us safe."
Oliverio recently told a West Virginia newspaper he would slash $30 billion in an 'across-the-board' cut of all federal programs. The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other Justice Department programs would shoulder approximately $285 million of those cuts. Oliverio called his plan "a nice start," implying he would support additional cuts in the future.
"How much would Michael Oliverio take from the COPS program, which has provided grants to each sheriff's department in the 1st District and police departments throughout the state?" Van Horn asked. "These grants have allowed law enforcement to upgrade equipment that has kept officers safe and have provided technology that has made it easier to catch criminals."
The COPS - or Community Oriented Policing Services - program is part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which provides financial and technical assistance to local law enforcement agencies.
"Alan Mollohan knows how important these grants are to local police and sheriffs, particularly in tough economic times," added Van Horn. "Alan Mollohan is working to deliver these grants to 1st District law enforcement. Michael Oliverio wants to cut them."
Mollohan has directed more than $5 million in COPS grants to local law enforcement agencies over the past five years. Oliverio, in contrast, said that he would have voted against a supplemental appropriations bill last year that provided COPS funding for Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown, Wheeling and six other 1st District police departments to hire a total of 15 additional officers.
Meeting in Wheeling this afternoon with sheriffs and police chiefs from throughout the 1st District, Mollohan pledged his continued support for law enforcement officers and their work.
His "nice start" would slash billions from Social Security, Medicare and Older Americans Act programs
Congressman Alan B. Mollohan's campaign called on Michael Oliverio to release details about his plan to slash Social Security, Medicare, and other programs critically important to seniors in West Virginia.
"All we know is that he has indicated that he would cut billions from Social Security, Medicare and the Older Americans Act," said Pam Van Horn, Mollohan's campaign manager. "Clearly, this would cause tremendous hardship for West Virginia's seniors.
"Michael's plan would cut Social Security by more than $7 billion, but we do not know exactly what that would mean. Does he envision across-the-board cuts to every senior's monthly check?"
Oliverio's commitment to Social Security has also been called into question due to his role as State Chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council, which backed President George Bush's attempt to privatize Social Security.
"Why is Michael Oliverio leading an organization that wants to gamble our retirement security on Wall Street?" asked Van Horn.
Oliverio's plan also would require a $4.5 billion cut from Medicare.
"Again, he doesn't tell us how he would achieve this drastic cut," said Van Horn. "Would it be an across-the-board reduction in doctor reimbursement rates which will make it even more difficult to find care in rural areas? Perhaps he would cut reimbursement altogether for some services? Would he decrease prescription drug benefits? He owes the voters, especially the seniors, of the First District an explanation."
Oliverio's plan would also cut millions from Older Americans Act programs that provide important nutrition, transportation and in-home services to seniors. Last year, West Virginia received $13.2 million for programs authorized under the Older Americans Act. Many senior centers would be unable to maintain services without the federal support.
Oliverio has suggested that these proposed cuts are, "a nice start", implying that he would favor additional cuts.
"We are all struggling in this economy and Michael Oliverio's plan would only make things worse for our seniors", concluded Van Horn.
Mike Myer, the illustrious incredulous editor of the Wheeling newspapers, has finally gone off the deep end. Now he is openly printing conspiracy theories about Congressman Alan Mollohan.
In his desperation, Mike Myer demands that Mike Oliverio be nominated in place of Mollohan for the WV-01 congressional election. From ACORN to "cap and trade", Mike Myer shows that he is no longer a rational or competent journalist. This degradation has steadily occurred over the past ten years, and he has finally hit rock bottom. From today's editorial:
Questions persist about ethics and campaign finance issues. A Justice Department investigation of him was ended earlier this year - in January, just as President Barack Obama's administration was working to gain votes for its health care bill. Mollohan voted for it.
Yesterday, there was excitement around the Internets as "leaked" Oliverio campaign polling numbers were discussed. I didn't post about it because the numbers looked unbelievable to me and, frankly, any campaign can leak a couple of numbers without any details anytime they want to generate a little bit of supporter buzz.
In response, Rep. Mollohan has done something that campaigns rarely do. He's released the entire details of a campaign tracking poll--the entire details including all of the polls questions, the poll methodology, and results. These are the essential details required to make sure the pollster isn't manipulating results through question order or question wording.
Congressman Alan B. Mollohan's campaign today released poll results showing that Mollohan is leading his opponent in the Democratic primary by 9 percentage points.
The poll shows Mollohan ahead of Mike Oliverio 45% to 36%, with 19% undecided. It was conducted by Frederick Polls, a highly-respected, national research firm. It was based upon interviews with 400 likely primary voters and was completed April 21-22, 2010.
The Mollohan campaign publically released the question, sequence and methodology used by Frederick Polls to conduct the survey.
"These results show that the voters of the First District are not buying what Mike Oliverio is trying to sell - a right-wing agenda to cut federal support for Medicare, Social Security, and veterans and pass even more 'free-trade' laws that have already sent thousands of our steel and manufacturing jobs overseas." said Pam Van Horn, Mollohan's campaign manager.
"West Virginians are looking for answers on jobs, health care, retirement security, education, and the other issues important to their families," Van Horn added, "and that's exactly what Alan Mollohan works for each day in the United States Congress."
Mollohan is not only solidly ahead of Oliverio in the head-to-head match-up, his favorable rating is also 10 points higher than Oliverio's. Pointing to his high favorable rating among the undecided voters, Keith Frederick, president of the polling firm, said that, "Mollohan is also in good shape to gain enough of the undecided voters to achieve victory."
Van Horn dismissed poll results recently released by Oliverio's campaign as "just the latest sign of Mike Oliverio's shaky grasp on the truth. First, he broke his promise that he was running not 'to tear Alan Mollohan down.' Then he pretended that he doesn't chair an organization working to privatize Social Security and restrict workers' rights - when his group's agenda has been well documented in the public record. And now he releases results from a self-serving poll conducted by his campaign manager."
Van Horn emphasized that Keith Frederick's poll was carefully structured to eliminate poll information bias.
"There are many ways a pollster can ask a question to get whatever result he wants," Van Horn said. "He can sample some parts of the District more heavily than others, he can fail to limit responses to likely Democratic primary voters, or he can bias the responses by providing false information before asking the head-to-head match-up question. Keith Frederick is a nationally-respected pollster, and he is not going to attach his name to anything less than an honest poll."
For those interested, I've uploaded the PDF file the Rep. Mollohan campaign released from Keith Frederick's poll. The details show that Rep. Mollohan is in good shape, but cannot let up in the final two weeks of the primary campaign.
There are a small opening here for Oliverio -- Mollohan is below 50% and Oliverio still has room to improve his name recognition. But, that's a nearly impossible opening to exploit via negative campaign advertising. Oliverio will have to present an alternative positive vision for WV-01 to win over undecideds and make a name for himself. He's running out of time to do that.
Meanwhile, Mollohan needs to close the deal with those undecideds and make sure to get out the vote.
Copyright 2011 West Virginia Blue
Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified.
This site exists thanks to financial support from BlogPAC, dedicated volunteers and participation by members of this community. The views expressed at West Virginia Blue belong solely to their respective authors.
