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The Republican Gazette
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Russ Weeks and his wife, Helen
The GOP cannot repay Russ Weeks what it owes him
According to exit poll data, more Republicans voted for Joe Manchin on Tuesday than for Russ, Weeks, helping to explain why Democrats control west Virginia, have for 75 years, and are off to a good start on another 75 years of dominance. Russ stepped up and put his name on the dotted line when absolutely no one else was wiling to do so. The Republican Party owes him more than it can -- or apparently wants to -- repay him. Failing to field a challenger in the governor's race would have been embarrasing, but perhaps not as embarassing as the lack of GOP support for its own candidate.Of course there were exceptions, as many county chairs, activists, candidates and elected officials worked hard for Russ. But the love affair of so many Republican voters for a Democrat governor is a clear indication that too many Republicans in West Virginia are content with a status quo that keeps their own party in a firm minority. As for Russ himself, there is no one alive for whom I have greater love, respect and admiration. I personally witnessed time and again for the past six months or so his relentless determination to be everywhere he was invited, to travel tens of thousands of miles at his own expense, to proudly carry the banner of a party of which he was much more proud than it was of him.On behalf of those of us who do appreciate him, thank you Russ, and thank you to your wife, Helen, who believes just as fervently in the cause for which her husband fought. Russ and Helen Weeks are truly a team, and the world would be a better place with more people like them.The Republican Gazette returns Monday,
Nov. 17, 2008 with a new format and features
Weak GOP cost candidates seats in state, local races
Here's a look at some of the results from last night, as tabulated by MetroNews.Attorney General
D (i) DARRELL MCGRAW 337,441 50%
R DAN GREEAR 333,268 50%
Darrell McGraw leading by 4,173 votes
Supreme Court
D MENIS KETCHUM 351,476 35%
D MARGARET L. WORKMAN 332,251 33%
R BETH WALKER 325,747 32%
Margaret Workman leading by 6,505 votes
State Senate 16th District
D HERB SNYDER 26,670 50%
R BOB ADAMS 26,470 50%
Herb Snyder leading by 200 votes
State Senate 14th District
D BOB WILLIAMS 21,064 50%
R GARY HOWELL 20,650 50%
Bob Williams leading by 414 votes
The Adams race is still undecided based on votes yet to be counted in canvassing, and there is an outside chance that the same holds true for the Howell race. There are several House of Delegate, judicial and other local races where Republicans finished just barely out of the running.Do you think that even a state Republican Party of even mediocre strength could not have made the difference in every one of those races? Yes, it would have -- all those Republicans would be celebrating victory today if the party had been in a position to do anything to help them -- a piece of direct mail, a series of phone calls, some advertising, a get-out-the-vote campaign. The Republican candidates above had to run this year not just against their opponents, but against the entire state Democratic Party. And they still damn near won. And on the House side, the GOP had a net gain of one seat, which is shocking under the circumstances. Imagine if a party existed.This is not a criticism of any individual, or any chairman, present or past. But it's time to get real and drop the pretense. In the last filing period -- the final one before the election -- the West Virginia Republican Party reported raising $932. That's not a typo. That's $932. The Democrats raised about a half million. And spent it against us.Over the years, I've heard countless GOP officeholders question why they should give money to the party, or help raise it. The answer is, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, that's why.Last night's election will long haunt the GOP in terms of opportunities lost. Just the smallest amount of firepower would have made the difference. It is a sad state of affairs when the GOP in West Virginia has to make vast improvements to even deserve being called weak, since "weak" would imply some kind of existence.Republicans cannot fall into the trap of using the word "they" when talking about their own party, as in "Why didn't they do this?" or "Why don't they do that?" The party is every Republican, not just the chairman, not just the staff, not just the officeholders, not just the candidates -- it's every donor, every activist, every registered Republican. Every Republican is part of the Republican Party. How many Republicans really even care? There are a few who do, and they have long been doing all the heavy lifting, especially financially. But whether there are enough Republicans angered, saddened or motivated to make changes after last night's letdowns is the question. The answer has to come quickly.Amid bad news, there was some good news
Even though there were countless disappointments for the GOP in West Virginia on Tuesday, there were some good news stories.First, of course, John McCain carried the state by a 13-point margin that made all talk of Barack Obama being competitive here just so much nonsense. And Shelley Moore Capito's 14-point win proved again that she has established herself with voters in a way that transcends party lines or any effort to tie her to an unpopular president.The GOP managed a net pickup of one seat in the House, contrary to most predictions. And the Democratic Party's efforts to target 8 or 9 lawmakers who were described by Dem chair Nick Casey as "obstructionists" failed miserably, as they were all reelected, much to the benefit of West VIrginians who need legislators unafraid not to walk in lockstep with the dictates of legislative leaders. In Kanawha County, Mark Plants won an upset victory for county prosecutor, which is a more powerful position that most county prosecutors since it has prosecutorial power over the legislature. And Clark Barnes held off a well financed challenge from the man he beat four years ago, Mike Ross. Clark is a first class campaigner and worked his way to victory.Come January, after Secretary of State Betty Ireland steps aside, Brent Benjamin will be the only statewide elected Republican in West Virginia. Going into last night's election, there was a real possibility of Republicans picking up as many as three statewide seats -- attorney general, Supreme Court and agriculture. Perhaps most surprising last night was the showing by Charles Minimah in his SOS race against Natalie Tennant. Clearly, Tennant suffers from a blowback from folks who don't think there should have been a female "Mountaineer" at WVU, and that stigma will haunt her in future elections against better-funded opponents.Adams says count the votes
GOP Senate candidate Bob Adams said today he looks forward to all the votes cast in the 16th District being counted to determine the winner of his race with Herb Snyder.“With potentially several hundred absentee and provisional ballots yet to be canvassed, this race is still undecided,” said Adams. “Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the election, there is a legal process for electing representatives in West Virginia, and that continues on Monday during canvassing.” As of now, only 200 votes separate the candidates out of 53,140 cast. The uncounted absentee and provisional ballots will decide the race.“I congratulate Herb on a good race, and I thank all the voters who came out in Jefferson and Berkeley counties,” said Adams. “Our democratic process demands that every legal vote be counted and the will of the people be known. I look forward to that process happening.”Barack Obama's election a sea change in America
The election of an African American as the President of the United States is the most positive development for black people in the history of the country, especially African American children who must be seeing the world and its possibilities in a whole new light today.But the election of Barack Obama the far-left liberal is the most frightening occurrence of our lifetimes.Never in our history have we elected someone so entirely unknown to such a position of power. The recklessness of the electorate will likely have dire consequences.Already, there are grumblings from Republicans about John McCain and his campaign. If only Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson or Mike Huckabee or Rudy Giuliani had been the candidate, they say, missing the point entirely that Barack Obama is president-elect today because of the Wall Street meltdown, and the same result would have been true regardless of our candidate.Entirely missing from this year's presidential campaign were the social issues of abortion, gay marriage, etc. That those issues were not only on the back burner but fell off the stove completely is a telling indication that the nation as a whole might be finished with them for good.Many Republicans are consoling themselves today with the thought that Obama, Pelosi and Reid will be such disasters that the GOP is poised for a major comeback in 2010 and 2012. Such a thought gives hope, but it's also dangerous to think that we could allow this election to so badly slip away because we will come back quickly. In fact, the liberals have an opportunity like never before to secure their power base in the United States for generations to come.
Is conservatism dead? Hardly, no more than liberalism was ever dead. It might lie dormant for a long, long time, but it exists because of deeply held beliefs among millions of Americans. The question is, has society taken a giant step to the left, putting financial worries ahead of cultural, national security and moral concerns to the point that our wallets clearly outweigh our conscience?So it would seem, and such a development would hardly represent the first time that choice was made.Barack Obama will be President of the United States. I was always upset at Democrats over the years who would say things like, "George Bush is not my president." Yes, he was.And yes, Barack Obama will be my president. For the sake of the nation, I will pray for our country's safety and security under his watch. But I fear for the worst.