 | ||||
Abernathy Strategies
RepublicanGazette
Friday, February 1, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Published daily except some days
Submissions welcome
The Republican Gazette welcomes Emails to the Editor and press releases. All submitted items must include the name and contact information for the author of the article, and all articles will only be published with the author's name included. Thank you for reading and participating in The Republican Gazette, another of West Virginia's most biased publications.
All opinions are those of The Republican Gazette and its editor, Gary Abernathy, except letters or commentary signed by others, and do not reflect the views of anyone else, including clients of Abernathy Strategies.
-------
McCain for President
Global terrorism eclipses all issues, and McCain has proven his mettle
I supported Fred Thompson for president because I believed that among all the candidates he was the most consistently conservative on all the issues, and had the wisdom, age and experience to be a strong and decisive leader.But Fred's out of the race, and sitting on the sidelines without entering the fray has never been my strong suit. When Fred's campaign began coming to an end, I confided to several close friends and a few other people who my choice would be among the remaining field to win the nomination -- many days before John McCain won South Carolina or Florida. John McCain is not a perfect Republican, or a perfect conservative. But I can find fault with each of the remaining candidates on both those subjects. Simply put, in this age of terrorism and unrest around the globe, I am more confident with John McCain sitting in the Oval Office than any of the remaining candidates.John McCain spent more than five years being tortured and interrogated in Vietnam. It is difficult for me to imagine him being rattled in the least by any catastrophic event that might occur. The economy, crime, health care and social issues are all important, but they are all meaningless if we fail to protect and preserve our very existence and the existence of our sovereign nation. John McCain is the candidate most prepared by his life experiences to protect and defend that very sovereignty.But it is not on safety and security issues alone that McCain's record stands out. He has been a fervent defender of the unborn, and says, correctly, "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level." McCain favors overturning Roe v. Wade, and will appoint judges who interpret, rather than create, our laws. But he understands, as Fred Thompson did, that tossing out Roe would be only the first step in a state-by-state battle. McCain believes in fighting that battle, and his record proves it.On Iraq, McCain is right when he says he is the only candidate who argued all along that more troops were needed for victory. Today, he clearly believes, correctly, that the only viable exit strategy from Iraq is victory. America has reached a sad moment in its history when it buys into the misguided notion that surrender somehow equals success -- and pulling the troops out before the job is done is nothing short of surrender.McCain is a strong defender of the right to bear arms. He notes that "gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals - criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway." To be sure, McCain's long career in the U.S. Senate has seen him cast votes and argue for causes with which I strongly disagree, particularly in regard to campaign finance reform. But there has never been a president with whom I agreed on every issue.Supporters of the other campaigns can make strong points in favor of their candidate on various issues, including some raised here. But for me, what is being said or promised on the campaign trail in 2008 should ideally be coupled with a lengthy history of consistency and performance to back it up. At the end of the day, I believe the global war being waged by terrorists who want to blow the United States off the map -- or at the very least seriously disrupt our freedoms and impose their own ideologies -- is our most pressing issue, and will be for years to come.Among all the candidates competing today, I believe Americans can sleep best at night with John McCain as our commander-in-chief. John McCain for president.West Virginia's politicians and the fiction they inspired
Benjamin isn't the first WV elected official to inspire fictional works
John Grisham has written another book, this one called "The Appeal," and the Charleston Gazette was quick to point out that Grisham mentioned in a recent interviewthat the 2004 judicial race in West Virginia was an example of real life imitating art.Grisham has milked fictional accounts of the legal system for a lifetime worth of royalties. His new book comes on the heels of similar efforts with titles like "The Pelican Brief," "The Client," "The Choice," "The Rainmaker" and more. Aside from his penchant for economy in titles, Grisham is known for churning out books with a factory-like approach exceeded only by Stephen King. In reality, "The Appeal" has about as much do to with Brent Benjamin, Don Blankenship etc. as John Unger does with political wisdom. But if Brent Benjamin is the inspiration for "The Appeal," then clearly several West Virginia politicians were the genesis of some other well known works of fiction. For example:* Joe Manchin -- "Forrest Gump."* Warren McGraw -- "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."* John Unger -- "Runaway Bride."* Billy Wayne Bailey -- "A Dangerous Mind."* Anne Barth -- "Never Say Never Again."* Robert C. Byrd -- "The Marathon Man."* Jay Rockefeller -- "The Carpetbaggers."* Spike Maynard -- "Honeymoon in Vegas." Actually, when I first saw a headline indicating Brent Benjamin was the inspiration for a work of fiction, I figured right away it had something to do with his love of archeology. He has, after all, made several trips to Egypt and other far-off locales in search of pyramids, mummies and other long-buried artifacts.I think someday the real truth will come out -- Brent was the inspiration for Indiana Jones!Anne Barth being carefully controlled in media interviews
Anne Barth, the brand new Democrat candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, continues to be carefully managed in regard to her media availabilities.As reported Thursday evening by WSAZ news director Scott Saxton, Barth was once again cut off in mid-interview with a WSAZ reporter, and the TV station's website again has the video to prove it.As Saxton reports, "It's not like we were asking controversial questions, but for some reason WSAZ reporters keep getting cut off by the handlers for WV 2nd District Congressional candidate Anne Barth."Secretary of State Betty Ireland has announced a series of regional campaign finance training seminars across the state. Call (800) SOS-VOTE for more details. Upcoming events:* Huntington – Monday, February 4, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30pm at the Ramada Inn, located off Exit 11 of I-64.* Parkersburg – Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at the Judge Black Annex Meeting Rooms, on Market Street across from the Blennerhassett Hotel.* Beckley – Saturday, February 16, 2008 from 9:00 am to noon at the Beckley Convention Center (formerly the Beckley Armory), Conference Center Room F.* Morgantown – Saturday, March 1st from 9:00 am to noon at the Senior Monongalians Center, Mountaineer Mall, Suite 7.Ireland announces finance seminars
