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Tuesday, June 17, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
Russ Weeks: An American Life
BETTY IRELAND
Poll gives Ireland high marks for voting trust
A Rasmussen poll that came out a couple of days ago got a lot of attention for its findings regarding the campaign between JohnMcCain and Barack Obama in West Virginia, but the results of another question posed to West Virginians in that same poll reflected very well on Secretary of State Betty Ireland.
The question was, "How confident are you that the votes in your state will be accurately counted this year and that the appropriate candidates will be declared as the winner?"A full 73 percent responded that they were very or somewhat confident that the vote count will be accurate and the appropriate candidates will be declared the winners. That's an impressively high vote of confidence in this day and age of media-driven skepticism about election results, and it demonstrates the fruits of Ireland's efforts to bring fairness, honesty and accuracy to the state's election process, especially considering its scandal-ridden history.The Rasmussen poll asked a couple of rather odd questions, including, "Are American elections fair to voters?" What? Are American elections fair to voters? Compared to what? For the record, the answers were, yes, 41 percent, no, 43 percent, with an unusually high 17 percent undecided -- probably people who also thought the question was just plain bizarre. If American elections are not fair to voters, what's the alternative? Hungarian elections?The poll also asked a question absolutely designed to get a negative response, to wit, "Generally speaking, does the federal government represent the will of the people?" Predictably, 76 percent said no, an answer you're bound to get any time you give people a chance to blast the federal government.Pro-life group might contradict '04 explanation
Four years ago, WV for Life explained its endorsement of Manchin. Giving him the nod this year would go against the defense it used back then
Four years ago, West Virginians for Life endorsed Joe Manchin over Monty Warner in the 2004 campaign for governor, a decision that caused enough of an outcry from various pro-life quarters that WVFL felt compelled to issue a letter offering a detailed defense of its endorsement process.The letter begins, "We have been surprised and saddened to hear that a few people were upset with the West Virginians for Life PAC endorsement of Joe Manchin for governor. We assure you the WVFL Board looked closely at both candidates and considered many factors before reaching this decision."So upsetting was the criticism that the pro-life group wrote that "WVFL staff has had to lay aside work on an ad campaign exposing John Kerry's radical pro-abortion record and detailing President Bush’s pro-life record because we have had to deal with the fallout of this endorsement decision."Primarily, the letter says that the decision to endorse Manchin over Warner was based on the fact that Manchin had a voting record and Warner did not."We view a voting record as the most important factor; some politicians play both sides of an issue. (Candidates will often say anything to get elected.) A candidate with a solid pro-life voting record has proven himself or herself to be pro-life," said the letter."The Board was faced with this choice: a candidate, Warner, who was making promises and a candidate, Manchin, who had already taken action. Even though we believed that Mr. Warner was sincere in his promises, we had to stand with the candidate who had taken action," the letter said.We view a voting record as the most important factor. Remember that line.Joe Manchin last voted for a pro-life issue in 1993, according to the letter. Fifteen years ago. Russ Weeks, on the other hand, has been a member of West Virginians for Life for two decades, served as an officer in his local chapter during that time, and consistently cast votes for the pro-life cause during his State Senate term, through 2006 -- just two years ago. As has been well documented, Manchin, as governor, has treated WVFL and the abortion issue in general like an unwanted crazy cousin crashing his house at dinner time. He says nice things to his face, but puts him up for the night on an old couch in the garage.In 2004, WVFL could make a legitimate case, based on its guidelines, to endorse Manchin because he was the only candidate of the two who had a voting record on his resume. This year, of course, they don't have that excuse, so endorsing Manchin will require a more elaborate set of hoops through which to jump in order to justify giving its nod to a candidate who last showed it some love 15 years ago, compared to a candidate for whom abortion is a personal cause and a deeply held belief -- with a very recent voting record to boot.What did Mojo mean by comment that the next governor will be a woman?
The lead paragraph in the June 12 Wheeling Intelligencer was attention getting:"The next governor of West Virginia will be a woman, according to current Gov. Joe Manchin."What?Let's see -- the two candidates vying to be the next governor of West Virginia are Russ Weeks and Manchin himself. Are one of them contemplating a sex change operation? If so, only Joe seems to know.Manchin's comment got a lot of attention after it was transmitted across the state by The Associated Press. What happened was, Manchin was speaking to Rhododendron Girls State at Wheeling Jesuit University. He said to them, “I predict that the next governor of this state — and it’s not going to be too far down the road — is going to be one of you all.”The governor was using typical Mojo-speak, which means that we have to decipher what he says to find out what he is trying to say. What he apparently was trying to say was one of the following:A) Either he or Russ Weeks is planning on becoming a woman.B) One of the students of Rhododendron Girls State is going to be the next governor.C) After he serves his second term, a woman is likely to be elected governor.We're going with "C," since the governor is arrogant enough to assume his reelection is assured, and he has been arrogant enough for quite some time -- remember him telling a rebellious Democrat lawmaker in 2006, "I'm safe in 2008. Are you?"So, is Manchin predicting a Betty Ireland vs. Natalie Tennant race in 2012? Or a Shelley Moore Capito vs. Anne Barth rematch? And how does John Perdue or Earl Ray Tomblin feel about all this?Russert was good, but TV goes too
far honoring itself
Tim Russert was, by all accounts, a great guy -- a loving husband, father and son. He was also the best interviewer on TV, and "Meet the Press" was must-see TV for political junkies.But no one loves honoring its own quite like TV network news, and the never-ending eulogies are beginning to become repetitive already.Russert was great. Ever hear of Chet Currier, John Roderick, Kenny Mack Sisk, or Ralph Bernstein? Probably not. They were all longtime AP or UPI reporters who died in recent months. They were great, too.May God rest all their souls -- even the ones not on TV.