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REPUBLICAN OF THE YEAR
Workman says abortion should be legal, gays should be added to WV anti-discrimination law
Supreme Court candidate answers survey questions typically avoided by candidates for the bench; says state environmental safety laws should be stricter than federal mandates, and supports term limits for state legislators
MARGARET WORKMAN
Answering survey questions as though she was a candidate for the state legislature rather than for the Supreme Court, Margaret Workman has revealed her positions on a number of political issues, many of which will likely come before the High Court within the next few years. Workman answered the so-called "Political Awareness Test" sponsored by Project Vote Smart, offering blunt responses to questions ranging from abortion to gay rights to tax and environmental issues.Judicial candidates typically avoid such surveys in an effort to make sure they are seen as fair and unbiased when seeking a spot on the bench. Neither Menis Ketchum nor Beth Walker -- the other two candidates for the Court -- participated in the survey. (UPDATE: A reader points out this morning that it appears Workman's answers are from her 2004 state Senate race. And yet, Workman is identified as candidate for the Supreme Court, and other information has been updated as well.) The PAT test asks candidates questions on a variety of issues, and offers multiple choice answers, from which a candidate may choose as many as desired. They can also write additional thoughts if they so choose.Workman was not shy about revealing her positions in answering a number of questions, including:* "Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion." Workman chose two responses: "Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered" and then added her own words, "Support women having choice to have abortion; oppose abortion in the last trimester unless life or health of mother requires."* "Do you support limiting the number of terms for West Virginia state senators and representatives?" Workman answered, "Yes."* "Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment." Among the answers checked by Workman indicating her support was, "Include sexual orientation in West Virginia's anti-discrimination laws," and "Increase the state minimum wage."* "Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy." Among Workman's checked answers was, "Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law."Workman offered scores of specific answers to a plethora of other questions, ranging from health care to taxes to energy. Whether some of her answers could be construed as conservative, moderate or liberal, the fact that she so openly expresses her viewpoints as a candidate for the bench is both unusual and, by typical judicial standards, inappropriate.Been reading about Russ Weeks lately? Not in the newspaper
Hoppy Kercheval has penned a column today based on a conversation we had Thursday, wherein yours truly basically whines and complains about the lack of media attention given to Russ Weeks and his campaign for governor.The topic came up rather casually, as we were discussing political reporting in general and at one point I said I was beginning to believe I have become a pretty lousy wordsmith because it seemed I couldn't get Russ Weeks mentioned in a newspaper story if I paid for it. (By contrast, local talk radio shows have been good to Russ around the state. Television? Uh... never mind.) Hoppy, in turn, devoted his column today to the subject, and he's summed up the issue pretty accurately, as usual.I hate to come off as such a whiner, but, as Hoppy reported me telling him, after seven years of advocating for Republicans in the media in West Virginia, I'm pretty much at the point where I'm ready to quit pretending there's any pretense of fairness going on, with a few notable exceptions.On Russ Weeks, the Beckley Register-Herald has done more full-blown stories on their hometown candidate than anyone else, by far. The Charleston Daily Mail has done a couple. Phil Kabler in The Charleston Gazette has done a couple of column items. Other papers around the state have done a token story. The Associated Press has focused primarily on fundraising, as well as on Russ' pay raise lawsuit against the governor and the legislature. But talking about an actual issue is the death knell for coverage of Russ.(The fact is, none of the GOP's statewide candidates have gotten much ink in West Virginia. Count how many stories generated by West Virginia media you can find on all of the GOP statewide candidates combined. Go ahead... it will only take a minute.)Oh, stories on Russ are coming, to be sure. There will be a few debates that will generate stories. But for now, while Gov. Joe Manchin generates three -- count 'em, three -- separate stories in one day in The Journal of Martinsburg this week just for showing up, Weeks couldn't get even a mention when he attended a big GOP rally there a couple of weeks ago.It's not that the material isn't available. But we've been careful in the Weeks campaign not to overload anyone's email box with press releases. We probably average about one every 10 days or so. You'll know that if you read this website, but outside of the exceptions pointed out above, that's the only way you'll know it.So far, a sarcastic column I wrote a few weeks ago pretending that coverage of the governor's race would be aggressive and balanced, and not just come when we find some tabloid-style issue to pounce on, has been sadly prescient. Now, if Democrat Chairman Nick Casey has some stupid comment to make about a John McCain visit, well, read all about it, because it will be included everywhere. But if Russ Weeks talks about reforming the special projects slush fund, investigating the handling of the recent Turnpike mess, the new rules for cardiac care at hospitals, Manchin lying about the purposes of special sessions, the abuse of the use of state vehicles, or numerous statements about the scandal at WVU, it hits the dead zone, with the possible exception of a line buried deep within a somewhat related story.I joked with one reporter recently that I was going to start marking press releases "For Your Eyes Only," since that's the net effect anyway.Maybe it's me, maybe it's Russ, maybe it's the power of Mojo. But still, Russ Weeks is the Republican candidate for governor of West Virginia, and that status alone should guarantee him at least a minimal level of coverage, as opposed to an invisible level. In reality, the facts are much more along the lines that Hoppy writes today: So why is it that Weeks, the GOP nominee for governor, gets about as much press coverage as a church covered dish supper? Part of the answer is that Weeks isn’t going to beat Joe Manchin. It’s hard for the press to get interested in a race that, well, probably isn’t going to be much of a race. But Abernathy complains that assumption—by me and others—puts his candidate in a Catch-22: The press dismisses Weeks’ chances and therefore doesn’t cover him, but the lack of coverage hurts Weeks’ chances of making a race of it...Another problem for Weeks is that he’s running his campaign on a shoestring budget. In fact Weeks—who is a man of modest means—spends his own money traveling the state and campaigning. (Hoppy Kercheval, by the way, was called the best political reporter in West Virginia by a Washington Post columnist a few months ago.)No one expects the press to go above and beyond the call of duty to help Russ Weeks or anyone else make their campaigns viable by an overabundance of unwarranted coverage. But Joe Manchin is susceptible to criticism on a number of issues, and no one is better positioned to pose those questions than his major party rival in an election year. Just because donors are afraid for their names to show up on Weeks' finance reports doesn't mean Manchin should be above being asked to respond to some charges from his opponent now and then. And maybe the gov could even be pressed for more than a one-line response from his press office, which the media usually settles for when it does seek a reply.There are two major parties in West Virginia, and each one has a candidate for governor of the state. One might be seen as an overwhelming favorite for reelection, but the other, by his mere status as the party standard bearer, deserves much more press attention than he's been getting so far, and there are serious questions regarding Manchin on many, many issues, not the least of which is the WVU affair, that are completely legitimate to continue exploring. We'll keep doing our part. You can read the press releases here, and I'll keep cluttering up the media's inboxes with them, just for fun.Weeks, Boley call on governor to probe handling of Turnpike mess
(Press Release) Former state Senator and GOP gubernatorial candidate Russ Weeks, along with state Senator Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, on Thursday called on Gov. Joe Manchin to investigate the handling of the accident on the West Virginia Turnpike on Tuesday.The accident shut down traffic in both directions for hours, but motorists were allowed to continue pouring onto the backed-up turnpike long after the accident occurred. Many motorists were delayed for three hours or more. “I’ve heard many complaints from drivers who were stranded in traffic for three or four hours or more, when there was actually plenty of time for them to be diverted onto alternate routes before they reached the logjam,” said Weeks. Weeks noted that right after taking office, the governor installed himself as head of the Turnpike Authority, “and now he needs to go to work and figure out why this wasn’t handled better.”Boley agreed, saying, “This is not the first time motorists have needlessly been allowed to become ensnarled in backed-up traffic on the Turnpike. Permitting drivers to cross through toll booths only to run into miles and miles of backed-up traffic is unacceptable. The governor needs to demand a full review of the policies and procedures that are in place when accidents occur on the Turnpike.”Boley said also, “I had family members who sat on the turnpike from 8:30 p.m. (arriving in Charleston back to Atlanta) and got to Beckley at 3 a.m.Wednesday. Others sat longer. These kind of events do little to encourage the public to travel West Virginia highways.”Weeks and Boley took note of the online comments being posted on internet news stories from motorists who were affected by the incident. As one post said, “We arrived in traffic 3 HOURS after it happened... WHY oh WHY was the interstate still open further back where everyone would just keep driving into it???? Someone should have been rerouting traffic at the earlier exits!!! That was just insane.”Another post said, “wv has the nat'l guard, homeland security, threat preparedness and i know there are more agencies that are 'planning' for a disaster. This interstate accident was a real test, and the State failed. What a mess.”Greear seeking 5,000 $20 donors
(Press Release) "The Greear Grassroots fundraising program is designed to reach out to voters sympathetic to our campaign who may not have historically been involved in giving or supporting political campaigns," says the Dan Greear campaign."The goal of our plan is to identify 100 captains who will locate 50 individuals willing to become part of the team by donating as little as $20 to the Dan Greear for Attorney General Campaign. Ideally, these individuals will be new donors who have not been involved in previous campaigns."Walker endorsed by Family Foundation
(Press Release) WVFF PAC, the political action committee of the West Virginia Family Foundation, has announced its sole endorsement of Beth Walker for Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals. The WVFF-PAC is the internal PAC for the West Virginia Family Foundation, a statewide pro-family organization and affiliate of the American Family Association."I am proud to have the support of the West Virginia Family Foundation," Walker said. "Judicial activism has no place in our court system. The last thing we need are more liberal activist judges who all too often seem willing to ignore the law, and instead try to impose their values on us."In a letter to the Walker campaign, Kevin McCoy, Chairman of WVFF-PAC, stated "Beth Walker will bring integrity, fairness, and transparency when deciding cases brought before the Court." 