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The Republican Gazette
COMMENTARY
GOP caucus should make it known it will not suspend the rules
The recent special session of the West Virginia Legislature offered a perfect example of how Democrats in control of state government have whittled away at the state constitution to achieve their own ends with their own methods.Article VI-6-29 of the state constitution says, "No bill shall become a law until it has been fully and distinctly read, on three different days, in each house, unless in case of urgency, by a vote of four fifths of the members present, taken by yeas and nays on each bill, this rule be dispensed with."But when Democrats wanted to ram through a campaign finance bill, they were apparently taken by surprise when most Republican lawmakers refused to vote with them to suspend the three-reading rule, and tried to blame the GOP for costing taxpayers money by forcing the bill to be read three times over three days.That the authors of the state constitution believed the three-reading rule should only be dispensed with in very rare circumstances is made clear by the wording of the article, to wit, "in case of urgency," and the fact that it requires "four fifths of the member present" to suspend the rule.The law does not set the number at two thirds, or even three fourths. Instead, it demands an impressively high four fifths -- or 80 percent -- of members present to set aside the three-reading rule, indicating it should only be exercised in cases of true emergency.The campaign finance bill was not a matter of urgency, nor is almost anything else lawmakers of both parties typically pass via a suspension of the three-reading rule.Since Democrats have no incentive to do so, Republicans should lead the way in turning back the clock on the abuse of the suspension of rules.In fact, Delegate Tim Armstead and Senator Don Caruth, the GOP leaders of their respective houses, should issue a joint letter to Gov. Joe Manchin, Speaker Rick Thompson and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin putting them on notice that GOP lawmakers wil no longer agree to suspend the three-reading rule unless there truly exists a matter of urgency, i.e., a funding measure or an issue that really would result in a disaster were it not passed immediately.Items such as campaign finance reform should be handled during the Legislature's annual 60-day session. Special sessions should be so rare that they are only called in cases of true emergencies. If Democrats believe there is an issue requiring a bill to be passed outside of regular session, they should justify to the state why lawmakers should spend three, four or five days in special session while the three-reading rule is observed, rather than demand the rule be suspended every time they have a pet issue they want to force into law.Republicans should lead the way in making the law mean something again.
Facts don't justify Bush's low ratings
As the president winds down his second term, his poor standing in the polls seems to be more a reflection of bad public relations than reality
His critics claim the economy is terrible, the war in Iraq is a disaster, and the battle against terrorism has seen no progress. But the fact is, life has been pretty good over the past seven-plus years under the presidency of George W. Bush. Just don't tell anyone.That Bush is among the most unpopular presidents every to occupy the Oval Office seems to be of little concern to the president himself, which is very likely part of the problem.It is interesting that this nation has witnessed back-to-back presidencies that could not be more different in regard to the personalities of the individuals residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Bill Clinton lived for the polls, famously not making a move unless his pollsters reported the likelihood of a positive public perception. Bush has lived on the opposite end of that spectrum, doing what he believed to be right in all cases, polls be damned. In fact, a good president lives somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.Even his critics would agree that Ronald Reagan was obviously a president who lived by a political philosophy and led the nation in the direction he believed best. And yet, the Reagan Diaries reveal a commander-in-chief keenly aware of his standing with the American public. Every so often during his eight years in office, Reagan would make a diary entry noting the status of his latest approval numbers. He may not have been making decisions based on whether they would be popular, but he understood that to be effective he needed the public on his side more often than not.One has the feeling that if Bush is keeping a diary, and if it is ever published, there will likely be nary a word about what the polls have to say. George W. Bush's greatest failing has not been in regard to day-to-day decision making; rather, it has been in his failure, especially during his second term, to bring the public along for the ride. And that failure has more consequences than just for Bush himself, or his legacy. What the president has done by his complete lack of interest in what the public thinks is to make life immensely more difficult for every other Republican candidate or public official across the land.Certainly there are facts that cannot be ignored which can legitimately be laid at the feet of the president. Fairly or not, the president is always held responsible for things like the price of gas or cost of food. But overall, life in these United States is hardly the disaster the Democrat Party would have us believe. For example, the unemployment rate remains at around 5.5% and has varied little during Bush's time in office. It is often believed that 5% actually represents "full employment,"and those who buy into the notion that times are terrible do not remember the Carter years, when something called the "misery index" was invented to measure just how terrible things really were.
The misery index is the unemployment rate plus the rate of inflation. Applied to every year since 1948, the misery index under Bush has been among the lowest in the past 60 years. It reached a high of 20.76 during Carter's last year. Reagan got it down to 8.91, and Clinton actually enjoyed a year when it was as low as 6.05. The average for the misery index during Clinton's eight years was 7.80. The average for Bush's first seven years has been almost identical -- 7.89. And yet, the Democrats and much of the media will tell us that life under Clinton was an economic dream, Bush, a disaster.There can be little disagreement, though, that Bush's short-term legacy will hinge on the Iraq war, and those who believe invading Iraq was a mistake will not be persuaded by its ultimate outcome. But the facts of the war are not such that Bush should be suffering the poll numbers he receives. While every casualty of any war is lamentable, the casualties in Iraq continue to pale in comparison with World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A ruthless dictator who clearly wanted to expand his domain of power by force and eventually topple the United States has been deposed (and hanged), and even Barack Obama is having difficulty making the case now for immediate pull-out of troops, since the situation on the ground is clearly improving (thanks in no small part to following a course of action long recommended by John McCain).More importantly than anything else, America has not fallen victim to a terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001 -- a period of safety for our citizens that was not predicted by anyone seven years ago. Keeping America safe since 9-11 is in fact Bush's greatest lasting legacy, and the fact that the attention and affections of the American citizenry have been so easily distracted by manufactured complaints is a failure purely of the Bush public relations machine.Low unemployment, low inflation, relative success in Iraq, safety from terrorism -- and a president with an approval rating in the low 30 or upper 20s? It does not compute.If there is a lesson to be learned by future presidents from the current one, it is that doing a good job in and of itself is not enough. If you let your opponents define your actions, you will lose the debate in the public arena, which, in turn, severely cripples your ability to turn your initiatives into policy. Sadly, George W. Bush has let that happen.Is Mojo in line as Obama VP?
NEWS & NOTES
Armstead GOP luncheon speaker
House GOP Leader Tim Armstead will be the featured speaker at the Kanawha County Republican lunch on Tuesday, July 15. The lunch will be at noon at the Whitewater Grill at the Charleston Marriott. Call 744-3058 for more info.Stevens holding fundraiser for Howell
Former Delegate Debbie Stevens is hosting a fundraising event in Tucker County for Gary Howell, candidate in the 14th District State Senate race. The event will be the evening of Thursday, July 17. More details to come.Shrine Club holding candidate event
The Central West Virginia Shrine Club is holding a “Meet the Candidates" night Oct. 2. Social is at 6 p.m., dinner 7. The club meets at The Village Square on Route 19 South. Call 842-3476.
Did he, or didn't he?
Reports conflict as to whether Mojo was on hand for Mary Lou Retton
Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton was honored in Fairmont on the Fourth of July, and received the Living Legend Award.The Associated Press reported that "Retton was honored Friday by her hometown of Fairmont, which held a Fourth of July parade and concert in her honor. Gov. Joe Manchin presented her with a Living Legend Award."But wait. The Fairmont Times-West Virginian reported, "West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin was also supposed to attend the event but could not make it, so his chief of staff, Larry Puccio, presented Retton with the state’s Living Legend Award." So which is it? And if the Fairmont paper is right, what could have kept Mojo from such a high-profile event in his own hometown?During his recent confab with fellow members of the Democratic Leadership Council in Chicago, Gov. Joe Manchin was asked point blank whether he would agree to be Barack Obama's running mate. His answer? "I would hope he would choose from the gubernatorial ranks.” Manchin added that a governor's experience as CEO qualifies him to be president, according to a report from Abdon Pallasch of the ChicagoSun-Times. Pallasch reported that Manchin and fellow governors Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas) and Phil Bredesen (Tennessee) were reminded of a famous quote from former Vice President John Nance Garner that the vice presidency wasn’t worth “a warm bucket of spit,” with The Politico's John Harris asking all three govs, "Are you willing to drink from that pitcher?" In addition to Mojo's reply, Sebelius said she was willing, Bredesen hedged a bit.
"Leaving carbon footprints every chance we get"
