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Abernathy Strategies
RepublicanGazette
Tuesday, March 11, 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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Overheard at the session...
As the legislative session drew to a close on Saturday, Gov. Joe Manchin had successfully convinced lawmakers to hold off on okaying a pension bail-out plan for teachers.One legislator, in private conversation, was defending the governor's cautious approach, explaining, "This stuff is kind of hard to understand if you're not an accountant or an actuary."To which the other person replied, "Too bad the governor doesn't have an MBA like his daughter."Ouch! By Marty Gearheart
Mr. Rahall was eventually going to have to support one candidate or the other. From my perspective the choices before him left a lot to be desired. Neither of the remaining Democrat candidates seems to have much in common with the people of the 3rd District of West Virginia.However in his endorsement Mr. Rahall doesn’t take the time to point out those areas of disagreement he may have with Barack Obama, he simply mentions the fact that he has good ideas and is bringing new voters into the process.Many may recall that Rahall’s endorsement in the 2004 Presidential Primary was Howard Dean. Few would argue that there would be a close contest between Dean and Obama to determine which is the most liberal politician in the country. It is sad to see such unqualified support for those with values so different from the people that have placed Rahall in office. Www.ontheissues2000.org identifies the following positions held by Barack Obama:* Strongly Favors abortion as a woman’s right* Strongly Favors Affirmative Action* Strongly favors same sex domestic partnership* Opposes teacher led prayer in public schools* Opposes school choice * Opposes death penalty* Opposes absolute right to gun ownership* Supports tax increases with tax cut expiration in 2010* Favors illegal immigrants earning citizenship* Strongly favors replacing coal and oil with alternativesThe site identifies Obama as a hard core liberal. I ask the people of southern WV are these positions you can support?Full disclosure commands that I let you know that I will support John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election. I voted for Mitt Romney at the WV Presidential Convention and find my ideas and Mr. Romney’s to be very close. My support of Mr. McCain is not without objection on a number of issues, particularly on taxes, immigration, and campaign finance. I will continue to voice my opinion on these issues and be separate from the Republican presidential candidate in these areas. Mr. McCain and I do agree on many issues that I think are important to West Virginians. I doubt that Obama has much in common with us and Rahall’s endorsement reflects that maybe he doesn’t have much in common with the people of the 3rd District of West Virginia either.Marty Gearheart is the Republican candidate for Congress in West Virginia's 3rd District.Gearheart: Rahall's nod for Obama shows he's out of touch with WV
Policy Council of West Virginia on March 28.
The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Edgewood Country Club in Charleston. Bauer is a former aide to Ronald Reagan and current president of American Values. Mike Agnello, co-host of "58 Live," will be the evening's master of ceremonies. The Famiy Policy Council of West Virginia describes itself as "a servant organization that advocates for policies that embrace the sanctity of human life, enrich marriages, and safeguard religious freedom." Jeremy Dys is president and general counsel of the organization.“The government should promote and encourage strong families. Families should be the first priority of our leaders, not an afterthought,” said Dys. “There are numerous bills this year that will either positively or negatively impact their lives, and it’s my hope that this dinner will inform concerned West Virginians about the key issues facing our state and how they can best support our efforts to advance the pro-family agenda.”The council works closely with Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and the Alliance Defense Fund "to make families our first priority, not an afterthought," council officials say.Tickets are $50 per person and may be reserved by calling 304-982-2803, emailing event@familypolicywv.com, or by RSVP-ing at www.familypolicywv.com.
Gary Bauer keynote speaker at banquet in Charleston 3/28
GARY BAUER
JEREMY DYS
Former Reagan advisor Gary Bauer will be the keynote speaker at the first ever "Policy and Outlook" banquet hosted by the Family Japan gives OK for WV to go back to 'Wild, Wonderful'
Negotiations were likely tense as international community weighs in
Even though the Legislature failed to act on the issue, Gov. Joe Manchin is ready to proceed with plans to replace the "Open for Business" welcome signs with ones declaring West Virginia is "Wild, Wonderful" -- but apparently not until the Japanese weighed in with their approval.According to a report on MetroNews, Manchin spokesperson Lara Ramsburg said the governor has the authority to go ahead and change the signs, but added that not everyone is thrilled with the change, pointing to the Japanese as an example. As MetroNews reported:As for the "Open for Business" slogan, Ramsburg says it served the state well. "Even the Japanese Ambassador in New York told the governor at one point, "We're ok if you go back to 'Wild, Wonderful' but we still want you to stay open for business." So I think the message got out there and that was well worth the money spent,” she said. (MetroNews, 3-10-08)Thank goodness the Japanese are okay with the change, because history shows what can happen if they get mad. The gov recently traveled to Japan on a trade mission, and there can be little doubt that his shrewd negotiating skills avoided a major incident over the welcome signs issue.Weeks picks up support at AARP meet
Republican gubernatorial candidate Russ Weeks drew praise Monday night from AARP members in Huntington when he described steps he would take as governor to hold government accountable for tax dollars.Weeks joined several statewide candidates at the forum, including Republican Supreme Court candidate Beth Walker and Secretary of State candidate Charles Minimah.A few Democrat candidates were also on hand, including SOS hopefuls Joe DeLong and Natalie Tennant. Sen. Billy Wayne Bailey, another SOS candidate, was not present.
After DeLong answered a question about where tax dollars go in Charleston, Weeks spoke up and offered his own response, detailing the need for better oversight into contingency funds, and stricter auditing of government agencies, including departments that receive federal funding. Afterward, several attendees, including numerous Democrats, praised Weeks' approach.About a hundred AARP members attended.