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VISIT NO MO MOJO
In the text box below, nominate your Republican of the Year, and describe in a few words why he or she should be selected.
REPUBLICAN OF THE YEAR
UPDATED DAILY!
CLICK TO PURCHASE -- Click the image above to purchase a ticket to the Rock'n'Roll Party for Russ Weeks on Sept. 16 at the Raleigh County Armory in Beckley. All online donations of $20 or more between now and Sept. 16 to the Weeks campaign will be credited toward admission to the event. Tickets are also available at WVGOP headquarters. The fundraiser is being hosted by Joe and Julia Long, Del. Linda Sumner, Raleigh County Chairman Dereck Severt, and Summers County Chairman Joe Garcia. Call 304-344-4671 for more details, or click here.
McCain-Palin advantage could mean coattail time
Manchin ducks debates with challenger Weeks
Gov. Joe Manchin is apparently afraid to defend his record and debate the issues facing West Virginia, based on the number of debate invitations he continues to turn down. The latest "no" from Mojo was to WSAZ in Charleston. According to station news director Scott Saxton, "We wanted to feature the candidates for governor -- Russ Weeks and Manchin. Weeks says yes but Manchin's people sent regrets via e-mail. There was no reason given."There are, of course, two reasons Manchin won't agree to more than one or two debates. First, he figures he has a big lead in the race and debating could only hurt, not help. Secondly, there are a number of questions he simply does not want to address.So far, it appears Manchin has agreed only to the debate sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, and one by West Virginia Public Broadcasting (we think). Weeks, meanwhile, has challenged Manchin to a series of seven regional debates around the state, but the governor is so far too busy traveling around handing out grant money at election time.The news Monday that the USA Today-Gallup poll now has the McCain-Palin ticket leading the Obama-Biden pairing by 10 points among likely voters (the only measure that counts) shocked pundits across the nation. Those not shocked were anyone but the most far-left liberals, because the Sarah Palin factor has energized not just conservatives and Republicans, but voters who have been apathetic so far about either ticket.The 10 point lead will not hold consistently, and the race will be tight through most of the campaign. But it is not inconceivable that on Election Day, John McCain and Sarah Palin will indeed win by a 10 point margin and carry as many as 35-40 states in the process.The Election Day results will come in one of two ways -- McCain will win big, or the election will be close. Barack Obama cannot win big.If the McCain ticket does indeed end up winning in the biggest blowout of the past 20 years, presidential coattails could actually have meaning again, which bodes well for every Republican on the ticket in West Virginia, as well as GOP congressional candidates around the nation.So far, most of the talk from political gadflies has been in regard to how much damage the GOP can contain in November. But if the McCain-Palin ticket takes off, and John and Sarah recognize in the last couple of weeks that they can spend some capital on behalf of GOP congressional candidates, the effect could be similar to 2002, when President Bush's cross-country blitz helped Republicans pick up seats in the off-year election, contrary to conventional wisdom. As USA Today reported Monday, "The convention bounce has helped not only McCain but also attitudes toward Republican congressional candidates and the GOP in general. 'The Republicans had a very successful convention and, at least initially, the selection of Sarah Palin has made a big difference,' says political scientist Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. 'He's in a far better position than his people imagined he would be in at this point.'"And so far, the Democrats remain at a loss as to how to respond to Gov. Palin.
GOV. SARAH PALIN
Is Sarah Palin ready to be U.S. president?
The question is one which makes many Republicans bristle, but it is legitimate nonetheless: Is Sarah Palin qualified to be John McCain's running mate, only a heartbeat from the presidency?The issue is every bit as relevant for Gov. Palin as it is for Barack Obama, and it is not just political rhetoric to suggest that Obama's preparedness is even less than Palin's.It is not mere partisanship to acknowledge that Obama has done virtually nothing to qualify himself for president. Community organizer, state legislator and one-term U.S. Senator is hardly the stuff of presidential resumes, by most standards. At least as a mayor and a governor, Sarah Palin has been in the role of executive decision-maker, which Obama has not.Obama has been groomed to run for president through a calculated series of public-relations efforts -- two books, keynote speaker at the 2004 Democrat convention, election to the Senate only after his GOP opponent, Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004, replaced at the last minute by the loquacious but ineffectual Alan Keyes, who was not an Illinois resident when he agreed to run.So Obama has not exactly been challenged. In fact, his path has been cleared by choreographed events and Democrat maneuvering.Palin's path to elective office has been quite different. She fought her way to victory in a tough city council race in Wasilla, Alaska, then, four years later, took on and defeated the incumbent mayor of the city.Rather than having her path cleared by friendly party supporters, Palin was successful by taking on cronyism and corruption within her own party. She made a variety of changes in leadership, eliminated departments, and actually cut her own salary. She cut property taxes by 40 percent, and yet improved the city road system. And get this: When Sarah could not run for reelection due to term limits, her stepmother-in-law, Faye Palin, ran for the office but lost the election to Dianne Keller -- after Sarah Palin endorsed Keller. That may have led to awkward family dinners, but it also represented Sarah's independence.As we all know, Sarah then ran against the Republican incumbent for governor, defeating him and then claiming victory over Democrat and former governor Tony Knowles by a handy 8 points.Her commitment to reform and taking on anyone and everyone -- Republican or Democrat -- saw her approval rating in Alaska top the 90 percent mark at one time, and hover around 80 for the rest. So, is Sarah Palin ready to be president? She is unquestionably ready to be vice-president, and if the nation could be assured that John McCain will serve four healthy years, there would be no questions at all on the experience factor. But such assurances are not possible, so the question is legitimate -- could she step in as president right away, if need be? Of course she could. Every president learns as he (or, maybe, she) goes. There is no proper preparation to become President of the United States. Every president enters office with strengths and weaknesses, and every president relies on a team of policy experts to make decisions. The key is having the nerve to make the final, right call, without waffling.Sarah Palin has demonstrated an abundance of leadership qualities in her politically young life. She has shown herself to be a firm and decisive leader, able to gather information quickly and make executive decisions. She blew away the Republican National Convention, and most of the nation, with her acceptance speech on Wednesday, and she did so not just because she had a great speech in front of her, but because she showed a poise and bearing that offered not a hint of nervousness or timidness. Someone may have helped craft the words, but the sentiments were obviously her own. Her pro-life, pro-gun, pro-reform conservative credentials are of demonstrably long standing. She has gotten to where she is today because of her own grit and initiative, and America recognizes as much, no matter how hard the angry left tries to say otherwise. Sarah Palin is the real deal, an outsider who has already proven she is in the arena to make a difference. And in the process of doing so, she is making a splash, because Americans want action, not words, and change, not just talk about change.And that is why Barack Obama and his campaign are very nervous about John McCain's running mate, and cannot seem to make a firm decision about how to respond to her.Greear: McGraw's silence hurts WV
(Press Release) Attorney General Candidate Dan Greear has not received a response to his multiple requests for a series of debates with his opponent, Darrell McGraw. Greear stated while McGraw believes he can hide until Election Day, his silence only hurts the people of West Virginia.“Darrell McGraw has no defense for his outrageous actions as Attorney General and simply refuses to debate,” Greear said. “We have sent him certified letters which were returned, emails where we received a delivery confirmation, and we even had a process server hand deliver the request and still no response from Darrell. Where is he hiding?”He pointed out that a McGraw campaign spokesperson told the Martinsburg Journal last week that “the Attorney General refuses to debate at this time.” McGraw also skipped the Charleston Daily Mail editorial board meeting this morning.“The people of West Virginia deserve the truth. They deserve a public forum where they can ask the candidates questions. Unfortunately, Darrell’s hope is to hide until Election Day. We will continue to pursue what is best for West Virginia and that is a full debate of our very different visions for the future of the Office of Attorney General.”McCain-Palin: The original mavericks (new ad)
Rob Potter and Kanawha County Republican Executive Committeewoman Diana Brown carry the McCain banner in the recent Regatta Parade in Charleston. Tadd Rupp and Pam Camp are seen carrying the Capito signs.
Republicans on the march in Regatta Parade
An excerpt from Fox News Sunday:Fox News' Chris Wallace: "Now, David, McCain and Palin do have records of going up against their own parties. When has Barack Obama ever gone up against the Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate?"Obama Senior Strategist David Axelrod: "One of the first things that Senator Obama did when he came to the U.S. Senate was push for the most far-reaching ethics reforms that we've seen since Watergate. That didn't please people on either side of the aisle, and he has done that consistently in his career. He's reached across party lines to find consensus and he's taken on his own party on issues like, like ethics reform. You know, what was interesting about these attacks about bipartisanship and so on is that people like Dick Lugar, the very respected Republican senator from Indiana, spoke out and said, These are just partisan attacks. I've worked with Barack Obama.' They worked together on arms control. Senator Coburn in Oklahoma worked together with him on budget issues, like putting the budget on Google so we can see how our money is being spent, putting caps on the contracts around Katrina rebuilding. Senator Obama has a strong recor d of working across party lines to produce progress for people."Wallace: "But David, because you guys always talk about ethics legislation and the nuclear non-proliferation deal with Dick Lugar, I went back and looked -- both of those measures passed by unanimous consent. They were so accepted by the Senate that there was not even a vote. In fact, ethics legislation was one of the campaign promises. These were not -- if I may, if I may. These were not areas where Barack Obama went up against the leadership of his own party nearly in the way that John McCain did on campaign finance reform, on limiting interrogation of terror detainees, on immigration reform. He did not go up against his own party on either of those issues."Obama camp stumped on question of candidate challenging his own party
Manchin: Palin 'a dedicated, family-focused woman' who is 'a good lady'
Veering from the Democrat talking points, Gov. Joe Manchin told WVNS-TV over the weekend that Gov. Sarah Palin is a "dedicated, family-focused woman" who is "a good lady. She really is."According to the story, "Manchin says he knows Palin and has worked with her closely because she serves as his vice chair of the Governor's Association."The report quotes Manchin as adding, "My desire is to have a change at the top with Obama and Biden. But I wish her well. Just not too much well."Manchin and Palin both lead the Natural Recourses committee within the Governor's Association, as the story noted. 