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Abernathy Strategies
RepublicanGazette
Thursday, February 21, 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
I've got my slogan, now all I need is a theme song!
Hey kids! Mojo here! Everyone knows I have my slogan for my campaign -- "Not Your Average Joe!" Now, I hear Joe DeLong is saying I stole that from him, but even so, he should be honored! Anyway, what I need now is a good theme song -- you know, something to play at all my rallies, like Bill Clinton used to play "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow." I have a couple of ideas. One of them is, "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top. Another idea is, "How Do You Like Me Now?" by Toby Keith! Someone who used to be on my staff until today suggested "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon! Funny guy! Hope he finds work soon! Let me know your ideas!Fine! I'm going back to Ohio, where I belong!
You know what? I'm going back to Ohio, where I belong!Why? Because I'm fed up! I'm fed up with a few people who, for almost seven years, have been telling me I should just pack up and go back to Ohio! After a while, it wears on you! Even if your skin is as thick as an alligator's hide, like mine, eventually it gets to you!So today, I'm giving in and going back to Ohio!Ever since I came to West Virginia in 2001, I've had people -- mostly Democrats, but even a Republican here and there -- telling me I should just pack up and go back to Ohio!So today, I'm doing it!I'm going back to Ohio!You know one good thing about Ohio? No? Then let me tell you! If you move to Ohio from West Virginia, there will never be one Ohioan -- not one person out of 11 million Ohioans -- who will ever tell you to go back to West Virginia where you belong! They just don't think that way, for some reason. Oh, they might tell you to get lost, or they might even tell you to go to hell! But they won't tell you to go back to West Virginia, or Kentucky, or Michigan, or wherever you were born. They're mostly happy to have you living and working in Ohio, even if they don't like you.So Ohio it is! And over the weekend, my wife and I will go see a movie -- in an Ohio movie theater! And then I'll probably watch a Cleveland Cavaliers game on Fox Sports Ohio! Just because I can!And then we'll go out to eat at an Ohio restaurant!So there! You can be happy! I'm out of West Virginia, and back in Ohio, where I belong!And I'm staying there!Well..... at least.... until Monday, when I'll be back in West Virginia.I like West Virginia too much to actually leave for good. I especially like the Republicans in West Virginia -- even the ones who don't like me. I even like some of the Democrats, truth be told. And the chance to be a small part of a positive change makes it worth fighting the fight.I like the idea of fighting a political battle against impossible odds. What could be more challenging, or fun, for a political junkie than that? As a Republican, even if you just win one race, or one issue, out of ten, it's more satisfying than winning nine out of ten in Ohio, or anywhere else.(Fact is, if I didn't have family in Ohio, I'd never leave West Virginia, even on weekends.)Honestly, I'm as unfazed as ever by the handful of people who are rude enough to suggest I should leave West Virginia. I'm actually numb to it. But it does baffle me. Before I came to West Virginia, in all my years in Ohio it never occurred to me, if I was upset at someone who wasn't born in Ohio, to tell them to go back to whatever state they came from.In fact, it never crossed my mind to wonder if they were born in Ohio or not. It is definitely a West Virginia thing. But it's also part of West Virginia's parochial charm. Native born West Virginians are fiercely proud of their state, and I mostly admire that, until one or two of them get downright rude about it. Oh well. Takes all kinds.Maybe we have this whole border security argument all wrong. Maybe instead of focusing on the border with Mexico, we should just close all the state borders, and get rid of interstate commerce, tourism, and migration. Sometimes it seems to me that a few people think that way.Maybe someday I'll go back to Ohio. But I doubt it. Even if I did, I wouldn't really be back in my home state.Thanks to the U.S. Navy inviting my dad to serve there for a couple of years back in the '50s, I was actually born in Pensacola, Florida. Guess I just can't win.In praise of Larry Starcher and Brent Benjamin & what matters
LARRY STARCHER
BRENT BENJAMIN
With all the hubbub about Spike Maynard, Larry Starcher, Brent Benjamin and the West Virginia Supreme Court, what's important is to stop and think about the big picture.I'm not talking about the big legal picture, or even the big picture about the future of West Virginia's legal system, or the election of judges, or recusals, or whether business or labor dominates the court.
I'm talking about the really big picture. Check out, for instance, the biographies of Starcher and Benjamin posted on the West Virginia Supreme Court website. There are striking differences to be sure, but some similarities as well.According to their biographies, Larry Starcher is a husband and the father of three children. Brent Benjamin is also a husband and the father of five children.Both men earned A.B. and J.D. degrees. Starcher served as a circuit court judge for 20 years prior to being elected to the high court, while Benjamin served a similar number of years in private practice. But both Starcher and Benjamin have been very active in their communities, and have spoken or instructed at various legal conferences. Both have devoted their lives to the law, although they obviously approach their duties on the bench in very different fashions and from very divergent viewpoints.In politics, people and positions get demonized with broad strokes of black and white, good and evil. Conservatives and business interests like to paint Justice Starcher as the embodiment of all that is wrong with the court system. Likewise, liberals and trial lawyers tend to see Brent Benjamin as a threat to their long dominance of the high court and a justice who owes his seat to the expenditures of "one rich man."In reality, of course, neither caricature is true. Even those who do not know him personally (like yours truly) can be confident that Larry Starcher does not see himself as evil, or as a judge who ignores the law to reach his own ends. He undoubtedly thinks of himself as an honest arbiter of the law and an honorable jurist who puts aside his personal feelings in the pursuit of justice.Those who do know Brent Benjamin personally (like yours truly) know for a fact that he sees himself as a justice solely dedicated to interpreting and applying the law fairly, regardless of the cases or individuals before him. He believes he is beholden to no one but the voters for the seat he holds.There are stark differences to be sure. Starcher seems to wear his heart on his sleeve, and cannot seem to issue an opinion that does not answer every criticism ever leveled at him, or delve into his personal opinions about all that is wrong with the world.Benjamin keeps mostly mum in regard to his public utterances, and regularly refuses to answer his critics, which seems to irritate them to no end. But what we can be confident of is that neither man likely thinks of himself first in terms of his job. My guess is that both men value their families above all else, and they both love their state and their country. They go home after a long day of work, they kiss their wives, hug their kids (or grandkids), pet their dog or cat, and try to put the turmoil of their day behind them. Everyone who works as a partisan in the political arena falls into the habit of coloring the world with absolutes. There are absolutes to be sure, but at the end of the day, everyone -- including both Larry Starcher and Brent Benjamin -- who ventures into the perilous world of public service, voluntarily making themselves a target, deserves credit for putting themselves out there in the first place. The political battles are important, but they're not everything.Sometimes all of us need to remind ourselves of that particular truth, and reign in the artillery, just a little.NY Times does hatchet job on McCain with years-old claims
The New York Times, not surprisingly, is doing its part to help the Democratic presidential prospects by regurgitating a practically decade-old allegation designed to damage Republican presidential frontrunner John McCain.The Times is "reporting" on completely unsubstantied suggestions that McCain's ties to a female lobbyist back in 2000 involved more than just political business.Both McCain and the lobbyist strongly deny the allegation, and no evidence is presented to back up the claims other than "suspicions," but the Times apparently had space to fill that had long ago been blocked off as "McCain Hit Job Here."Smallridge opines on Ohio case
Kanawha County Family Court Judge Jane Charnock Smallridge was featured Wednesday on WOWK-TV commenting on an Ohio domestic violence case that happened at a school recently. To watch the report, click here.Despite inclement weather, pro-life rally draws big crowd at Capitol
A pro-life rally at the Capitol on Wednesday drew a big crowd despite inclement weather. Attendees heard from West Virginians for Life President Wanda Franz, Executive Director Melissa Adkins, and former Executive Director Karen Cross, who now works for the National Right to Life organization.Also addressing the crowd were countless pro-life lawmakers from both parties, as well as a handful of GOP candidates, including Attorney General candidate Dan Greear and 14th District State Senate candidate Gary Howell. Yours truly offered brief remarks on behalf of 16th District State Senate candidate Bob Adams, who could not attend due to illness (he's going to be fine). The rotunda was rimmed with displays from several county pro-life organizations.