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RepublicanGazette
Abernathy Strategies
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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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Thursday, May 22, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
RUSS WEEKS: Not your average Joe
MOJO & MIKE: Standing by his man
(Press Release) Lisa Peana, candidate for the House of Delegates, District 17, Wayne County is set to host a first-of-its-kind E-Fundraiser today.“This is a great way to use the modern tools available to us to reach individuals that otherwise would not attend a traditional fundraiser,” said Peana.“Where else can you go to a fundraiser where you don't have to leave your house or office? In addition to contributions, potential supporters can learn more information about the campaign and the issues important to me,” added Peana. Peana hosts E-fundraiser
With the canvassing almost complete and the results just about final, it is my pleasure to look back on the May 13 primary and commend everyone connected with the election on a job well done.We live in a day and age where the conduct of elections is under more scrutiny than at any time in history. With the harsh glare of the media spotlight and political operatives increasingly searching for the slightest error to turn into a major scandal, conducting relatively error-free elections is more challenging than ever.Thanks to a variety of factors, our West Virginia primary election came off remarkably well, for reasons including:•Well-trained and dedicated county clerks who take their jobs seriously.
Well-trained and dedicated county clerks who take their jobs seriously. •An excellent staff in my office that has stayed on the job and continues to do excellent work, in spite of the fact that there will be someone else sitting in this chair next year, making their futures uncertain. They are the unseen and unsung heroes and heroines of any election.
An excellent staff in my office that has stayed on the job and continues to do excellent work, in spite of the fact that there will be someone else sitting in this chair next year, making their futures uncertain. They are the unseen and unsung heroes and heroines of any election.•Excellent preparation and planning, which included having many "roving technicians" and vendor and office representatives across the state.
Excellent preparation and planning, which included having many "roving technicians" and vendor and office representatives across the state.•The fine efforts of our Fraud Unit, that moved all over the state throughout the day and night of the election, checking out rumors as well as instances of potential infractions at the polls.
The fine efforts of our Fraud Unit, that moved all over the state throughout the day and night of the election, checking out rumors as well as instances of potential infractions at the polls.•Learning from problems experienced in other states — a luxury afforded by holding our primary later in the spring.
Learning from problems experienced in other states — a luxury afforded by holding our primary later in the spring.We also had to deal with several challenges specific to this election, including:•Power outages and flooding the day before the primary. With a great assist from Secretary Jim Spears and his staff, the Office of Emergency Management Services (a division of MAPS) helped out by contacting AEP and Allegheny Power and giving them a list of our voting precincts so they could concentrate on restoring power to those
Power outages and flooding the day before the primary. With a great assist from Secretary Jim Spears and his staff, the Office of Emergency Management Services (a division of MAPS) helped out by contacting AEP and Allegheny Power and giving them a list of our voting precincts so they could concentrate on restoring power to those locations first. As a result, we only had one county with power problems, and only then in one precinct.
•A high turn-out.
A high turn-out.•A national press that at times seemed to be hoping for something to go wrong.
A national press that at times seemed to be hoping for something to go wrong.•Roving operatives from other states who spent their time trying to stir up problems and controversy.
Roving operatives from other states who spent their time trying to stir up problems and controversy.•Over-zealous national campaign representatives who insisted upon going into the polling places (we had them removed each time -- it is against the law to campaign in the polling place).
Over-zealous national campaign representatives who insisted upon going into the polling places (we had them removed each time -- it is against the law to campaign in the polling place).My mantra for this election was for West Virginia’s electoral system to stay out of the spotlight, and let our election night results speak for themselves. In that, we succeeded – no issues with machines we couldn’t handle, no shortage of ballots, no universally long lines, no hanging chads which cast any shadows on the electorate’s collective wisdom.What we could not do, of course, was control the picture the late night talk shows and arrogant national “news” commentators wanted to paint of West Virginia in the days after the vote. Like it or not, every state has voters with racial and sexist prejudices. I know; I’ve dealt with the latter my entire life. It is sad that so many national news editors, and a few here in West Virginia, showed their own preference for stereotype over substance by focusing on a handful of our voters whose views do not represent West Virginia’s kind and open-hearted people, any more than “valley girls” personify Californians or Elliott Spitzer personifies New Yorkers. Shame on them for taking the cheap shot instead of the bigger, and fairer, view.But nothing those critics say can change how proud I am that our little band of dedicated, professional election officials pulled off a feat that has not been seen in many other states – a well-run election. Take that, Jon Stewart.Bucking the trend of late night jokes, West Virginia can be proud of its election
By
Betty Ireland
Secretary of State
Spike returns to bench after loss
Silencing rumors to the contrary, Justice Spike Maynard returned to the bench this week, following his loss in last week's primary election. There were some who speculated that Maynard might retire early after his defeat.Rockefeller is a name which has been prominent in the public eye for decades. With that in mind, some with the name Rockefeller should understand the responsibility attached to their lot in life. To whom much is given, much is required. That should also be applied to the secular world of politics. Each of us makes mistakes and most may even apologize. However, there will always be consequences in wrongdoing, especially when someone is hurt.Jay Rockefeller has demonstrated adult behavior in that he apologized for his thoughtless remark, "He's a fighter pilot. He flies at 35,000 feet and drops laser-guided bombs, missiles. He was long gone when they hit. What happened down there, he doesn't know."Yet, the occurrence of such a comment leads us to question his ability to fulfill his duties as our representative to the United States Senate. Is this only the surface of a deeper problem? Anyone demeaning the sacrifices of young men and women serving our country is unacceptable as one of our lawmakers.
Subsequently, Sen. Rockefeller went out on his own to commit to Obama before his constituency had a chance to speak. He flat out did us wrong. However, the voters of West Virginia seem to suffer from battered wife syndrome. No matter how our representatives treat us and our state, we are forever loyal and forgiving. Some would never think of kicking them out. Some may threaten to do so but never follow through. We reelect them over and over.This year let's say we've been battered for the last time. Tell Jay Rockefeller his performance has disappointed us to the core. We should elect someone else who most assuredly can do a more respectable job: Jay Wolfe. Diana M. Brown
Charleston
Email to the Editor: Enough of Jay Rockefeller
Weeks greets voters at Senior Expo, meets with attorney
GOP gubernatorial candidate Russ Weeks met thousands of voters over the past two days at the annual Senior Expo in Charleston.Weeks and many other state and local candidates were on hand, discussing issues of concern to voters in the coming election. Weeks also met Wednesday with attorney Richie Robb to put the final touches on his lawsuit challenging the retroactive per diem payments made to lawmakers recently. The suit will be filed early next week. Manchin now says he'll wait 'til June on prez pick
Gov. Joe Manchin has told the Charleston Daily Mail he will now wait until after June 3 to announce whether he is supporting Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton for president. Manchin had earlier indicated he was waiting for West Virginians to weigh in, which happened May 13 when Democrat voters overwhelmingly supported Clinton. Obama has been endorsed by Nick Joe Rahall, Jay Rockefeller, and Robert C. Byrd.