 | ||||
-------
Search the Republican Gazette ---->
The Republican Gazette
Please make sure to hit your refresh button for the current edition
VISIT NO MO MOJO
In the text box below, nominate your West Virginia Republican of the Year, and describe in a few words why he or she should be selected.
REPUBLICAN OF THE YEAR
UPDATED DAILY!
Mojo9/24/08
9/24/08GET YOUR 'DEGREE!' (Click image for details!)
Gov debate focuses on WVU, economy
Weeks cites grand jury findings in case against Manchin
As might be expected, a gubernatorial debate held Tuesday in West Virginia University's home territory focused heavily on the degree scandal at WVU, with GOP challenger Russ Weeks citing a recent grand jury finding, and Gov. Joe Manchin again denying any involvement in the whole episode.The fourth and final debate of the 2008 campaign was held at South Middle School in Morgantown and was sponsored by the Morgantown Dominion-Post.Early questions from the moderator, Dominion Post editor Geri Ferrara, focused on the degree scandal at WVU. Ferrara noted that the scandal had embarrassed the university and tarnished the diplomas of all WVU grads.Manchin once again denied any involvement in the scandal, and said the system of choosing members of the WVU Board of Governors had been in place long before he became governor.Weeks cited a recent finding of a Monongalia County Grand Jury, noting that the grand jury found that the scandal "arose in a setting in which politics, expressed or implied, took the place of studied and reasoned decisional process."Weeks also noted Manchin's unceasing defense of former WVU President Mike Garrison, and the governor's complaints about the coverage of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Weeks said he supported a review of the makeup of the board of governors.Other questions focused on the economy, with Manchin claiming credit for tax reductions and job increases.Weeks said he supports bolder moves, including the immediate elimination of certain taxes, and ending the cronyism that permeates state government.Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson focused on environmental issues, especially his opposition to mountaintop removal.Top, the scene at South Middle School in Morgantown, site of the fourth and final debate among candidates for governor. Middle, Russ Weeks, Jesse Johnson and Joe Manchin prepare to begin the debate. Right, Weeks talks with voters following the debate.
Mike Teets: The cows are talking
Manchin over Weeks by 71-21, or 51-40? Take your pick
When I got home late Tuesday from the gubernatorial debate in Morgantown, my email was filled with correspondence from various friends and associates alerting me to the results of a Rasmussen poll showing Joe Manchin with a 71-21 advantage over Russ Weeks. Right.A month ago, the State Journal featured an Orion Strategies poll showing the race standing at 61-30 in Manchin's favor. Before that, a Democrat Party poll showed that Manchin only had a 53 percent approval rating among Democrats.One of my emails Tuesday from a GOP official said, "I just saw internal numbers today from a K Street firm in DC that a friend works for that has the race 51 to 40 with Manchin ahead."So, Manchin leads the race for governor either by 71-21, 61-30, 51-40, or none of the above, which is probably the correct answer. The presidential race in West Virginia? John McCain leads Barack Obama either by 49-47 (Insider Advantage) 50-42 (Public Policy), 47-41 (NBC), or 52-43 (Rasmussen). Or, Obama leads McCain, 50-42 (American Research Group).And nationally, Obama leads McCain either by as much as 53-39 (Pew) or by as little as 50-46 (Rasmussen). Which one you believe no doubt depends on which candidate you support. We could just wait until the polls settle where we like them and call it a day, or actually hold the election. Let's vote.Whose side is Biden on? VP candidate offers yet another reason to fear a Barack Obama presidency
Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden on Sunday guaranteed that if Barack Obama is elected president, the world will soon test the untested candidate. But Biden's own words are best left to be judged alone. "Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. "Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate... "And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."While Sarah Palin is continuouly under scrutiny, it is Biden who continues to be the biggest drag on a presidential ticket. One can only imagine the angst and anger inside the Obama camp every time they are informed of Joe's latest gaffe.What's next for Biden? Predicting that Obama's tax hikes will wreck the economy? Saying again that Hillary Clinton would have been a better VP pick than him? Saying, again, that Obama does not have the experience to be president? Probably -- all of them. 