How Dare You Question a Democratic Candidate!

Both the Democratic candidate for president and the incumbent governor of West Virginia appear to be easily rattled by scrutiny.

Joe Manchin tried, and failed, to trivialize the degree scandal at West Virginia University, then got his hackles up in response to Russ Weeks' criticism of West Virginia's economy. Barrack Obama lashed out venomously at Fox News for doing what every other news organization on earth has done to John McCain and Sarah Palin. Fox has looked at Obama's background, questioned his decisions, unearthed inconsistencies. It does the same to McCain and Palin, but rarely gets recognized for its diligence. Fox News gave the same kind of scrutiny to President Bush. When in 2004 the Democrats tried to unleash a November surprise against Bush, Fox reported it first. Hillary Clinton earlier this year admitted that Fox News was the most fair of the outlets.

Obama may hate Fox News, but his childish outburst reflects an arrogant man who believes the most fawning words the press prints about him. If elected he faces a factionalized party that voted not for him, but against George W. Bush. Is anyone counting how many times the man mentions Bush as opposed to McCain or Palin? On top of that most of the information that critics ridicule, such as the super complex latte drink he prefers, came from outlets such as the New York Times society writers who probably never dreamed that middle America would find that funny.

Joe Manchin has also not seen many hard questions tossed his way. It is revealing how much Russ Weeks, who supposedly has little chance, has gotten under the governor's skin. Maybe the governor knows something that the media and the voters do not.

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Joe Manchin may have made the most prescient comment about an Obama presidency in the entire campaign. He stated that Democrats can vote for Obama because it is unlikely Obama will be able to accomplish anything he actually wants to do. Obama wants to jack up taxes on professionals and small businessmen in addition to others whose earnings provide jobs. Other than that, he only promises vague change. To get what he wants, Obama would have to face a Democratic Congress whose newest members are much less liberal than their leadership. The vague promise of change will be interpreted differently by different individuals, most of which will be disappointed. Our foreign policy will be painful to watch as he first tries appeasement, then tries to look tough when that policy fails. The Supreme Court nominations would be disastrous, except for the fact that the Democrats for eight years instructed GOP senators on how to gum up the works.

So what do you get for voting Obama? Worst case scenario is that your taxes go up, employment goes down, and the United States is humiliated on the world stage by Jimmy Carter the sequel. Best case scenario? Nothing happens at all. An arrogant and frustrated Obama flails about as his own Congress refuses to implement the Communist Manifesto.

Voting John McCain gives us a president with a steady foreign policy hand who will keep us safe, a man with many more years of experience working with congressmen. McCain saw his tenure in the Senate as a priority, not a stepping stone for his ambition. As much fun as it would be to watch Obama flounder and take his party down with him a'la Carter, the country needs John McCain.

Clear Differences between Bob Williams and Gary Howell

News Tribune host meet the candidates at Wind Lea

Assessor candidate Betty Reall (D) in the background, Assessor Rose Ann Maine (R) speaking.

Sheriff Candidate Paul Sabine (R) speaking, Craig Fraley (D), Ringo Nelson write-in candidate, and News Tribune Publisher Dave Boden.
Donnie Ashby (D) County Commission candidate, publisher Dave Boden and current Commissioner Janice LaRue (R)

Also in attendance Bob Williams (D) from Bridgeport running against Gary Howell (R) for the 14th Senate Seat. Donna Kuhn (D) running for the 48th Delegate seat, Dave Harman (R) and Sue Roby (D) running for magistrate.



Ringo Nelson gives an emotional speech.

Mike Teets Releases New Campaign Ad

Debatable

Time magazine, rarely a publication with conservative sympathies, declared John McCain the winner of the final presidential debate. The immediate impact of the debate itself did not register the same with other pundits. McCain has a tremendous amount of work to do in the last few weeks to win the election.

I have a problem with the focus so intensely placed upon presidential debates. News outlets and major networks play them up to gain ratings. The billing for them resembles that of a boxing match, especially in CNN's marketing. How much do they really matter?

To me they border on almost the meaningless. A president's strongest attribute ought to be what he decides on important questions and issues after thought and consideration. The debate format reduces significant positions of policy into easily digestible chunks with an emphasis on how such information is delivered. A witty remark trumps five minutes of thoughtful response. Brutus can never compete with Mark Antony.

Picking who you want to be president based upon debate performance is like selecting an NBA first round draft pick based upon how well the player competes in H-O-R-S-E. It reflects one small part of what ought be be consideration of the entire candidate. What has he done? What does he believe? What will he do as president?

History remembers very few debates. Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest communicators to ever sit in the Oval Office, got trounced in a debate with the forgettable Walter Mondale. John F. Kennedy's debate performance (rather than his flagrant and outright lies about the "missile gap" in an election that hinged on the national security debate) is credited in his victory that he won by the skin of his teeth over Nixon.

Some great men would never have consented to debate. Washington (like Adams and most 19th century candidates) considered personal campaigning beneath him, much less a debate. Lincoln famously debated in a Senate campaign with Stephen Douglas, but never met his opponents in 1860 or 64. Lincoln was a master at this art, mixing a great legal mind with the fine art of storytelling.

The election of 2008 has thus far favored the great speaker with nothing to say over the solid man of experience. Speaking and debating reveals nothing of the true substance of a candidate. In stormy times, one should cling to a rock instead of a forsythia bush.

It isn't that bad

I have lost both of my staff members in the last 4 days. Both had offers for jobs paying more money. How can this be? Here I thought that jobless rates were soaring, no one could find a job, yet my staff found greener pastures with bigger companies. How is this possible?

I would venture to say that the economy is not that bad, gas prices are down, and I still can't find anyone that is in mortgage foreclosure. My house is for sale and people are still shopping for homes. My Realtor advised me not to lower the price on the home.

So why is the stock market still going down? The news programs ignore the polls that show Obama in the lead. Obama has pledged to hike the capital gains tax rate. Anyone with a low cost basis should be selling their stocks. If you invested in a stock that cost $10 and is now worth $100, you will pay Obama's increased capital gains tax on the $90 increase. If he makes this ordinary income and you make over $250,000 (or is it $200,000), your tax rate could cost almost half of your profit. Sell it today and pay $13.50 in tax or sell it next year and pay $36 or more of it in taxes. The stocks value would have to rise nearly 45% to return your same $87 hat you can get for it today if you wait for the tax changes that are promised.

Smart investors are cashing in because they know that the market will keep going down then eventually back up. Once they feel the bottom has been reached, they will buy again. Sure they lose 15% of their purchase power to current taxation, but they will make that back up. If Wal-Mart announced that they were going to lower the cost of their merchandise by 5% each week through Christmas, people would be flocking to their stores. Same idea, for those savvy investors who don't mind taking the risk, they are going to buy stock on sale and plan to let their investment rise when everything rebounds.

War? What War?

Funny how news of the war has dropped to an almost imperceptible amount lately.

Perhaps it is because violence has dropped considerably over the past several months and US casualties occur relatively rarely these days. Iraqi forces have assumed responsibility for most of the country and absorb most of the casualties. The liberal screeching about civil war has turned into a rush to discuss anything else.

US money and resources have gone into building a strong public school system for Iraqi children. Yes our schools need money too, but many of these children are attending a secular school for the first time. They will learn about their important national traditions as well as the importance of democracy and respect for others. Investing in their education means that less children need to go to the fundamentalist Islamic school-terror brainwashing centers that would otherwise be their only alternative.

Just yesterday, American forces targeted and killed Al Qua'ida's number two leader in Iraq. The terrorists have lost there because America embraced a strategy of patient, but firm commitment. US troops tried to avoid violating sacred places while maintaining pressure. The commitment of George W. Bush to victory over political expediency ensured that the sacrifices of the US and Iraqis would not end up in vain. Democracy strengthened in the past year to the point that Iraq asked us to figure out when we could leave. Such self-confidence was lacking for a long time.

Victory in Iraq should be a crowning achievement for the Bush administration, but it will take years until he receives credit. Should his economic interventions stabilize the economy and reestablish growth, Bush may go down in history as one of our great presidents.

Meanwhile both Democrats and Republicans fear any kind of war related discussion. Republicans need to stand up and show pride that they supported democracy over tyranny, even when the situation looked grim. Their political courage helped to create an Iraq on the verge of success.

Teets Calls on Douglass to Explain Half Million Dollars in Double Dipping Douglass Actions "Shameful Violation of Public Trust"

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Jeffrey Loudin
The Phillips Group
304.636.5568/304.614.2457
jeff@phillipsgroupideas.com

Lost River - Agricultural Commissioner candidate J. Michael Teets called on Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass to offer a thorough accounting to the public following news reports that Douglass has collected half a million dollars in retirement benefits from the state, while also collecting $75,000 a year as agriculture commissioner.

"Gus Douglass owes West Virginia taxpayers an explanation," Teets said. "For nearly 20 years he has collected half a million dollars in retirement from the state while also earning a high-paying salary for the same position. He has been double dipping for nearly two decades."

"I call on Gus Douglass to stand in front of the cameras and face reporters' questions about this shameful violation of public trust," Teets continued. "Under Douglass's watch, the Department of Agriculture has wasted taxpayers' dollars time and again. Now we learn that the biggest offender may be Douglass himself. It is past time for Gus Douglass to explain his actions."

The Charleston Daily Mail, on Friday, reported that Douglass has collected $509,930 in benefits through the Public Employees Retirement System. Douglass "retired" as agriculture commissioner in 1988 after losing in the Democratic gubernatorial primary that year and began collecting a pension. Yet Douglass ran again for agriculture commissioner, at the first opportunity, and was reelected in 1992. He has collected a state paycheck and a pension ever since.

A spokesman for Douglass attempted to excuse Douglass's double dipping by claiming that Douglass, "thought he was done with politics (after his 1988 gubernatorial bid.)." In response, Teets pointed out:

"Gus Douglass could have been truly done with politics anytime after 1988, yet he has run for election five times since them. This is a weak excuse to justify selfish behavior. Time and again, for 20 years, Gus Douglass decided to double dip and come back for another state paycheck. And it's the taxpayers who have suffered.

"We have West Virginia public employees with underfunded state pensions, yet Gus Douglass enjoys the benefits of retirement as well as a handsome state salary. We have West Virginians losing their jobs and their retirement plans as a result of the global economic crisis, yet Gus Douglass enjoys a guaranteed state pension and a guaranteed state paycheck. It's time for the voters to retire Gus Douglass once and for all."

For more information, please visit www.miketeetsforwv.com