Hey kids! Governor Manchin here! People keep asking me if I will run for vice president with my buddy, Bill Richardson, who's running for president! I keep saying no! And I mean it! Why would I want to be vice president? So I can run for president someday? Shoot, I can run for president someday without being vice president! How? Easy! Chances are good that I'll be in the United States Senate before I finish my second term as governor! How? Well... best not to get into that right now. I do call Senator Byrd once a week just to ask how he's feeling. But when I get to the Senate, with my Mojo at full strength, I'll be all over the news, all the time! I'll be on Meet the Press, Face the Nation. Shoot, I'll even go on Fox News Sunday! Sometimes I can hardly wait!
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Friday, May 25, 2007
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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.
Seriously, GOP must take on Manchin
While some Republicans have been debating the wisdom of challenging Gov. Joe Manchin next year, the simple fact is that the party has no choice if it wants to maintain its status as a recognized party in West Virginia.
West Virginia state code says, "Any affiliation of voters representing any principle or organization which, at the last preceding general election, polled for its candidate for governor at least one per cent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for that office in the state, shall be a political party..." (WV Code 3-1-8)
Further, in order for the state to pay for future statewide Republican primary elections, a GOP candidate for governor must poll at least 10 percent of the vote in a general election. (WV Code 3-1-13)
The Mountain Party has long strived and usually succeeded in hitting the one percent mark with its gubernatorial nominee in order to qualify for future general election ballots.
While there have been gubernatorial elections in modern history where the GOP candidate did not fare well, no one has come close to only getting 10 percent of the vote, at least
The party's legal recognition hinges on drawing a certain percent of vote
NO FREE RIDE -- Gov. Joe Manchin may well be celebrating another victory next year, but the GOP cannot allow him to do so unopposed without losing its legal status as a recognized party.
Rockefeller, Byrd split on sanctuary cities vote
Sen. Jay Rockefeller on Thursday voted against an amendment that would eliminate "sanctuary cities" for illegal immigrants, an especially upsetting vote since the Fort Dix terror cell nabbed in New Jersey operated out of sanctuary cities. Sen. Robert Byrd voted in favor.
assuring future primary elections for the Republican Party.
The worst GOP finishers since 1900 were Cecil Underwood, who polled only 33.82% against Jay Rockefeller in 1976; Monty Warner, who garnered just 34.00% against Manchin in 2004; and Cleve Benedict, who drew just 36.58% against Gaston Caperton in 1992.
The worst finish by a Democrat candidate for governor since 1900 was by Arthur B. Koontz, who in 1920 ended up with just 36.27% against Republican Ephraim Franklin Morgan.
Armstead tells Thompson he wants gambling hotline facts
House of Delegates Republican leader Tim Armstead has written a letter to House Speaker Rick Thompson asking that Department of Health and Human Resources Director Martha Walker and state lottery director Dean Musgrave appear before the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to answer questions about the transfer of the problem gamblers hotline from DHHR oversight to lottery commission control.
Jefferson shoots down Unger on request for exclusive use of county property for meetings
Jefferson County Commissioners on Thursday shot down a request from Sen. John Unger to use county facilities to hold "constituent meetings" once a month, telling his representative they would make the space available, but not just for Unger.
An Unger aide, Tyler Oyler, said Unger wanted to use county office space the fourth Tuesday of each month for constituent services and meetings. But commissioners seemed uncomfortable with that notion, and eventually agreed to make the facility available, but for any federal or state elected official who wanted to show up. Oyler did not seem pleased. (You can view the commission meeting by clicking here. Find the 5-24-07 meeting, part one. Oyler's appearance is about halfway through the video.)
Some locals spoken with Thursday night found it ironic that Unger was requesting use of the facility at the same time he is apparently launching a bid for Congress.
As one Eastern Panhandle politico said, "This is classic Unger--using tax dollars to build his empire. Here he wants to use public facilities to further his campaign for Congress, just as he used public tax dollars to mail out Blue Books to poll workers. Hasn't the guy ever heard of paying for things out of his pocket, or out of his campaign, instead of always using public vehicles paid for by tax dollars?"
