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Abernathy Strategies
RepublicanGazette
Thursday, February 14, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Published daily except some days
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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.
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Having Fun With Mojo
The Top 10 rejected slogans for my reelection campaign!
Hey kids! Mojo here! It's pretty clear that most people think my new campaign slogan, "Not Your Average Joe," is pretty lame! But you might change your mind when you consider some of the others I had to choose from.Here are the top 10 rejected slogans for my reelection campaign:1. Joe Mama!2. The Only Candidate Not From Raleigh County!3. How D'Ya Like Me Now!4. Better Than You Thought!5. Open For Business, Damnit!6. Got Somebody Better?7. Cause Byrd Keeps Hanging On!8. Cause You Don't Want To Make Me Mad!9. Still Lots Of Republican Ideas To Steal!10. Have Another Cup O' Joe!See what I mean? "Not Your Average Joe" doesn't look so bad after all! So lighten up!The frightening idea of a President Barack Obama is almost offset by the gratification of a Clinton crash & burn
A fresh face vs.
a shattered myth
HILLARY CLINTON
BARACK OBAMA
Barack Obama is the most frightening candidate for president in our generation, at least among candidates who actually have a chance to win the White House. Why? Because no one knows him. He was thrust upon the nation four years ago at the Democratic National Convention, handpicked to deliver the keynote address and described as the "rising star" of the party. It is unlikely anyone suspected he would rise quite so quickly.Unfortunately, many Americans -- sometimes most Americans -- are inclined to vote for the candidate who seems most like the man of the people. Populist messages are populist because, well, they appeal to the simplest and most common denominator shared by a majority of the non-politically attuned population.For many Democrats, and probably an unfortunate number of independents and Republicans, Obama represents a "fresh face," with "new ideas," who is not a "Washington insider." He is an "idealist" who seems "honest" and has a "vision for the future."Obama has so far been able to get away with running a campaign that avoids almost any specifics. He wants a better America, and he wants to clean up Washington. His slogan is "Change We Can Believe In." We are not told exactly what the change will be. Mostly, he wants us to "believe." What we are to believe in is not exactly explained, either. We are primarily to believe in Barack.There are those who are equating Obama to Jack or Bobby Kennedy. Even the surviving Kennedys are making the comparison. That President Kennedy in reality had few real accomplishments is, and always has been, a moot point. He was Camelot, a young, fresh face for a new generation. He is idolized by Democrats, and they have sought another JFK as zealously as Republicans have sought another Reagan. Obama will likely ride that wave to the nomination, Whether he can ride it to the White House depends on how many Americans actually examine the beliefs and brief record of the man behind the fast developing myth.That we might be on the verge of electing someone president who was only recently in the Illinois State Legislature and whose brief career in the U.S. Senate is distinguished by the most liberal voting record of the last four years is quite remarkable indeed.The only bright side is that Obama's rise is also the cause of the fall of the Clintons. It is astonishing how completely the Clinton myth has been shattered in just a few short weeks. The myth of the Clinton charisma, the myth of the Clinton political machine, the myth of the Clinton sway over black voters, the myth of the Clintons' popularity -- nay, devotion -- among Democrats -- all these myths have been held up, quickly considered, and summarily dismissed faster than a frivolous lawsuit.News bulletin: Democrats don't love Bill and Hillary Clinton. They just pretended to, until someone new came along.Oh, Hillary is not Bill, you say? Democrats do love Bill, just not Hillary. Such a position is not supported by the facts. Indeed, it is Bill's dismal performance on the trail that is being largely blamed for Hillary's problems. Turns out Bill had a vicious streak that Democrats had not noticed. The Clintons are not graceful losers.Hillary Clinton is no more prepared or qualified to be president than Barack Obama. The totality of her achievements is directly related to whatever her husband has managed to accomplish. The entire gambit by the Clinton campaign was that while Hillary would be front and center, it would be the idea of putting Bill back in the White House that would carry the day among voters. Hillary Clinton's campaign is not technically dead, but a considerable number of mourners are already forming a line, most of them as sincere in their sorrow as Bill himself was upon emerging from Ron Brown's funeral a few years ago, when cameras caught him cutting up as he left the funeral home.Come the fall, we are likely facing a contest between John McCain -- war hero, longtime Congressional veteran, experienced and tested -- versus Barack Obama, unknown, untested, but fresh and new.There is a reason Madison Avenue labels its products "new and improved," which is enough to sway consumers who don't read the ingredients.If Americans read the ingredients, McCain is an easy winner. But most Americans don't read the fine print. "New and improved" is often all they want to see.In recent months, several news reports have raised questions about the trustworthiness of touch-screen voting devices manufactured by Election Systems & Software (ES&S). The scrutiny arises from reports issued by a handful of states barring the further use of ES&S devices in their elections. Since ES&S voting machines are used in 34 West Virginia counties, I feel compelled to address this issue and clarify several points in regard to their accuracy and reliability. As Secretary of State, I am personally devoted to the premise of fair, accurate and trustworthy elections in our state. After carefully and thoroughly reviewing the reports issued by these other states, I remain confident that our current voting technology will provide voters in West Virginia with dependable and accurate voting results. The fact is, so-called “problems” that have been widely reported about ES&S voting machines, including optical scan and precinct counting machines, have never been evidenced in actual balloting by voters participating in any elections. Put another way, to my knowledge these machines have never been hacked on Election Day, and no votes have been tampered with at anytime in any election. Rather, all of the issues reported in the press have come as a result of “tests” conducted in a few states, tests which varied widely in their method and controls. The conditions under which Ohio and Colorado conducted their tests simply do not mirror the actual conditions present in an election precinct, and they do not reflect the measures in place before, during and after an election to ensure votes are cast and counted properly. For example, in Colorado, state elections officials claimed that a magnet held close to the device caused a failure in operation. But when county officials in Mesa County, Colorado, tried to duplicate those tests, they encountered no problems at all. A recent news story in The (Grand Junction) Daily Sentinel reported on the Mesa County tests as follows: “Thursday’s mock election conducted by the Mesa County Clerk’s Elections Division, with its decertified ES&S electronic vote machines, went off without a hitch. Try as they might, elections officials could not reproduce the problems that led Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman to decertify the county’s voting machines recently.” (The Daily Sentinel, Jan. 10, 2008)West Virginia has one of the most stringent testing procedures in the nation. State law requires that the machines be subjected to a pre-test, a public test, an Election Day test, and a test prior to canvass. Security measures required by statute and those developed by my office will protect against the concerns, however remote, identified in these reports.Elections are always subject to corruption and error. Long before the advent of electronic voting devices, parts of our state were historically plagued with election corruption. In fact, the easiest ballots to corrupt are paper ballots. When individuals take it upon themselves to manipulate or corrupt an election, they will, sadly, often find ways to do so. But I believe the electronic systems we have in place now in West Virginia, which include touch-screens as well as optical scan and precinct count machines, make such efforts more difficult than almost any other method of voting. What would be truly irresponsible would be for anyone to advocate decertification of the ES&S machines based on news reports, or testing that was conducted under improperly controlled settings, or complaints that are politically motivated. (Notably, many states, including South Carolina and neighboring states Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, have used or plan to use ES&S devices in their ’08 primaries.) Responsible decision making on this issue requires a consideration only of sound, properly controlled testing procedures, and actual election conditions and results. Under those criteria, West Virginia voters can be confident in the performance, integrity and accuracy of ES&S touch screen voting machines.Betty Ireland is West Virginia’s Secretary of State.
ES&S voting machines are trustworthy
By Betty Ireland
Greear event set for 26th at Power Alley Grill, Charleston
(From Invitation) Friends to Elect Dan Greear the Next West Virginia Attorney General request the pleasure of your company at a Fundraiser Celebration!As Dan Greear Aggressively Campaigns for the Office of Attorney GeneralTuesday, February 26, 20086:00 PMPower Alley Grill601 Morris Street in CharlestonFood & Non-alcoholic beverages will be providedDonations will be graciously accepted, but not necessary for attendanceDan Greear for Attorney GeneralP. O. Box 11026Charleston, WV 25339This is an opportunity to meet Dan and discuss how the state of West Virginia can take back the Attorney General's Office! We also encourage you to visit our website and learn more about Dan!
