Friday, January 9, 2009

Sound and Fury

"Do you want to turn this State over to the Democrats for the next ten years to get even with men who share your principles?" Governor William Glasscock (R) at a Republican unity meeting in Fall 1910.

In 1908 West Virginia Republicans enjoyed twelve years of success by any political standards. They controlled the Legislature, Governor's Mansion, and the congressional delegation. Despite this success, some Republicans grew bitter at their leaders. In 1908 they launched an iunsurgency, even creating a second Republican Party with a full slate. A few weeks before the general election the two sides patched up the quarrel and won. State party leaders offered concessions that did not satisfy the insurgents. By 1910 the constant fighting fatigued the GOP. Democratic candidates captured elections despite getting less votes than Democrats running for the same office two years before. Republicans, disgusted with the infighting, simply stayed home.

History sometimes tries to repeat itself. Earlier tonight (Thursday) was the much ballyhooed "secret meeting." Speculation leading up to the Salem gathering seemed to indicate that opponents of Doug McKinney and his new Executive Director Gary Abernathy could finally launch a removal campaign. Those that expected the organizers of the event to let slip the dogs of war against the two party leaders were disappointed.

The forty or so attendees of the meeting were a mixed bag. A few expressed some dislike of Abernathy and McKinney. Some came to speak on behalf of them. Some had problems with the way Abernathy was hired; others did not like the fact that he was hired at all. Many simply came because they knew there was a GOP assemblage. In short, no overwhelming consensus existed to recommend any kind of action against the two.

If the organizers had ever planned to attempt to remove McKinney, and that is not a given, they altered their plans prior to the meeting. Michael Stuart spoke first, insisting that he did not seek the chairman's position. He then offered his own ideas. During this talk, he discussed the importance of maintaining an elevated tone and not tearing down individuals. When asked what the "game plan" was, Stuart responded that he simply wanted to collect ideas, not stage a coup.

Organizer Jack Adams invited others to the podium as well. Greg Thomas discussed involving more active Republicans. Donna Gosney discussed the role of the Finance Committee and the bylaws. Tom O'Niell emphasized unity and stated that throughout the party, people had stopped truly listening to each other. Delegate Woody Ireland discussed the value of grassroots involvement.

The main issue of the night was the hiring of Gary Abernathy. The ugliness displayed on anonymous blogs did not show itself this evening. Most speakers professed that their main problem lay in the potential violation of bylaws. The party is not permitted to engage in a contract that will cause it to go into debt, but it is not clear that Abernathy's contract will result in that end. In the discussion, it was revealed that his contract was set up in three month increments. This means that if the executive director does not perform his job to the satisfaction of the chair, he can be released.

No one attacked Abernathy personally, but former candidate and client Bob Adams responded to the smear campaign leveled by others against his former consultant. Adams passionately defended Abernathy. His statements condemning anonymous mudslinging drew massive cheers. The most heated discussion involved the question of payments made to Doug McKinney. It was finally established by State Executive Committee Member Tom O'Neill that not only did McKinney not receive a stipend, he had also passed on asking the party for reimbursements of expenses.

The role of county executive committees and their chairs came up for discussion. One suggested that only county chairs should have votes on the executive committee. Others at different points bemoaned the lack of activity among many county committees and chairs. Kanawha County Chair Melody Potter asserted that McKinney and Abernathy were not perfect, but most everyone involved with the party had failed it in some respect.

At the end of the night it was decided that an ad hoc committee would form to take ideas to Dr. McKinney at the February 21 Winter Meeting in Charleston. The committee was formed from volunteers.

For all the expected fireworks, it turned out to be a relatively tame affair with a few minor blowups. A real attempt to unseat Doug McKinney over the hiring of Gary Abernathy would have absolutely devastated the state Republican Party. However, the possibility of removing McKinney was always slim. Some probably mistaken discontent or complaints with the desire to remove.

The question remains. Was this meeting ever conceived at any point as a "get rid of Doug" event? Either the organizers never truly considered it, or they created a strategic retreat from a very exposed position. All the Cain raised in the days before this meeting ended up signifying nothing too serious at the end of the day.

Democrats Outperform Republicans Again

The Party of the Common Man looks really impressive these days.

Remember the bad old days for the Republican Party? In 2006 the war had taken a bad turn, seemed like half of the Republicans in Congress were under investigation, and the donkeys were on the march. Democrats and their media friends trumpeted the "culture of corruption" that they claimed dominated the GOP. They ignored Representative "Cashbox" Jefferson in Louisiana who took the concept of cold, hard, cash way too literally and fell over themselves to report about an Idaho Republican who may or may not have flashed signs to an undercover gay prostitute.

What a difference a few years have made? The Democrats have certainly worked hard to regain the top spot in the corruption ratings.

The Illinois governor tries to sell Obama's Senate seat. His nomination, by all accounts a good guy, will not be seated so long as he is the current governor's nominee. The Black Congressional Caucus is not pleased.

The nominee for Commerce Secretary must step aside because he is under investigation

The nominee for education secretary is a former Chicago city official. Nuff said there.

Caroline Kennedy has shoved her way to the forefront of much more experienced candidates for New York's Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton who may be opposed in her quest to be Secretary of State by Robert Byrd who is citing constitutional issues. Kennedy has the lukewarm blessing of Obama who has a major political favor to repay to a family that craves to remain relevant. Hillary Clinton also intends to repay her campaign debt through money raised by her husband abroad. There's a great way to start your tenure in that office!

Minnesota may or may not have elected a comedian to their senate seat. Fox News showed conclusively that ballots cast for Republican Norm Coleman were counted for Franken.

At least in Logan County they have the sense to make up colorful nicknames for themselves so we can easily identify the shady characters. I mean geesh, I thought Bill Richardson was the best guy they had for the presidency or failing that Secretary of State.

Meanwhile Obama's surprising choices of moderates for many positions have the Left fuming. One Leftist group is actually suing to get God removed from the inauguration. The Left thought they elected Leon Trotsky, not Bill Clinton. Hopefully Obama's moderate course is a sign for the future.

Ain't it a little fun to be a Republican right now? At least watching the national scene.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Party of Business

The party of business should look to business as a model in building its efforts over the next two years.

Money is the lifeblood of a political party. Grass roots volunteers may be the most important asset a candidate or party has, but money is vital. Last summer even getting from point A to point B posed a challenge to many good candidates. The West Virginia Republican Party took a giant step by retiring its debt last year. Now it must move forward from that foundation.

Fund raising simply cannot boil down to "We're Republicans, you are Republicans, you should donate because we all believe the same thing and have the same goals." When you purchase a product for $1,000 or even $100, you put thought into that purchase. Is it good for me? Will it work? Will I get the most for my money? Businesses sell to self-interest. Charities appeal to the heart and sense of duty. Political parties often fall somewhere in between. State Republicans should move farther in the direction of the business model when trying to convince donors to give.

It's not so much the ideology that needs sold. We are "Republicans for a Reason." Certainly we need to continually reshape and refine our message as the times change and generations reprioritize, but there are guiding principles that remain the same. To get people to believe in the party, they must be sold on the people and the potential for action. What will the GOP do differently in two or four years? What vision is being shaped this year to carry us forward and win elections? How are we going to close the registration gap? Before most people write a meaningful check, they want answers to those questions. The February winter meetings should be a strong indicator of what the party's vision will be going ahead towards 2010.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Bill Stewart and Century Aluminum Update

Certainly it was not a football season that Mountaineer fans hoped for, but 9-4 was not a bad showing. As a matter of fact, many experts picked that very result.

The circumstances of Stewart's hiring led to him and his offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen receiving the bulk of the blame for WVU not returning to the BCS. The emotional post bowl hiring last year, the possible involvement of the Governor, and the losses led to a lot of anger being expressed towards the coach.

Let's look at the facts. Mullen and Stewart sought to bring in a new offense to replace the system that had sputtered against Pitt and South Florida. College football offenses and defenses constantly adjust and evolve. Rich Rodriguez never tweaked his offense when the defenses caught up to his scheme. Michigan's offense this year looked like a Model T in a NASCAR race compared to Florida, Arkansas, or even WVU.

Stewart understood that in the long term, WVU needed to change. That meant a more pass oriented offense designed to attract the best receiving talent. We had to take our lumps this year with players not suited to that style of play. The wide receivers were mostly converted from other positions and many were brought in mostly for their blocking ability. How many times this year did a first down or a touchdown fall from the receiver's hands? This resulted in a sputtering offense at times, but also the successful recruiting of some of the best wide receiver and quarterback talent in the nation.

Another problem was the lack of a big running back to grind out tough yards. Stewart removed Ed Collington from the team for a drug arrest. A fullback recruit that could have played the role was injured for the season. As an emergency measure, they even tried big, fast backup quarterback Jarrett Brown. After all, it worked in Florida with Tim Tebow. The injury bug bit there as well.

From the beginning to the end of the year, the team improved from the head coach down to the last player on the bench. Injuries could have decimated the defense, but this was never an excuse to lose. Reed Williams, a potential All American, missed the season. His replacement, Anthony Leonard, another great talent, became injured as well. By the bowl game, some hard hitting defensive backs had fallen to injury and illness as well.


The final product hit the field in Charlotte. Receivers caught deep touchdown passes, Noel Devine ran well, the defense had problems at first as North Carolina picked on inexperienced freshmen, but then clamped down. All in all the high scoring in the first half combined with the big plays of those very same inexperienced freshmen and sophomores on defense brought WVU an improbable one point victory.

Stewart is now 2-0 in bowls, is bringing in great talent, and should have a great season next year. One issue is one he will never overcome. Stewart is a West Virginian. He looks, acts, and talks like a laid back one in public, although he showed some steel in dealing with players and officials. His colloquialisms touch on the inferiority complex some West Virginians feel. Rodriguez talked like a generic urban southerner while Stewart is like a congenial uncle from the country. Should Stewart win, this will be seen as acceptable eccentricity. Losses will bring more vitriol.

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An update from Ravenswood, Jackson County. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito has stepped in along with Governor Joe Manchin to find ways to keep Century Aluminum open. Six hundred jobs are on the line there. With the attention of the Governor and West Virginia's most active member of Congress, those jobs are much closer to remaining in place.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Coming Soon! The Cult of The One

BRUTUS.Ay, Casca, tell us what hath chanced today,That Caesar looks so sad.

CASCA.Why, you were with him, were you not?

BRUTUS.I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.

CASCA.Why, there was a crown offer'd him; and being offer'd him,he put it by with the back of his hand, thus; and then the people fell a-shouting.

BRUTUS.What was the second noise for?

CASCA.Why, for that too.

CASSIUS.They shouted thrice: what was the last cry for?

CASCA.Why, for that too.

BRUTUS.Was the crown offer'd him thrice?

CASCA.Ay, marry, was't, and he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other; and at every putting-by mine honest neighbors shouted.


This is a piece that I've been rolling over in my mind for a few weeks now. I did not know whether or not I would join the minority chorus of doubt leading up to the inauguration. What have we as conservatives got to say now that we did not say in the past year?

There is something deeper going on than a man's political ideas, something scarier than the inauguration of a president. We do not see it manifest where we are because folks here are by nature political sceptics. If George Washington himself, much less Ronald Reagan, came back we in this region may approve of him, but we would never raise him above us. We have seen and understood too much of politics to entirely give over our faith to someone who simply says "Trust me" and has no track record to back him (or her) up.

It started last year when the mighty Lord Oprah conferred her favor upon The One. Lord Oprah delights in passing out presents to the peasants, but for the first time in an election she poured out the oil upon the head of The One and anointed him with her favor. The people and campaign managers rejoiced and the all too human Hillary was swept aside.

Then came the Democratic National Convention. In a scene more reminiscent of a Saturday Night Live sketch than an actual political event, The One actually appeared under a Greek temple facade. Although he did not go so far as to wear some sort of toga and wreath on his head, it was clear that the Democratic Party aimed to set The One up as beyond mere politicians and other rabble.

Most disturbing have been some of the utterances and sights since the election. A friend told me of a liberal speaking on the radio about the qualities he liked in a president that ruled over him. Such language in the 1790s would have probably gotten the man a stern lecture on the spot. The President of the United States does not "rule over" anyone. He serves the people. That is why we do not call him "Your Highness" or "Your Excellency," but simply "Mister President."

Then I went to Atlanta last Monday. The Atlanta Underground was filled to the brim with Obamysteria. A T shirt with his face proclaimed "The Greatest Dream Has Come True!" A fifteen foot tall poster with his air brushed name and visage was available for anyone willing to pay $2 for the privilege of having their picture taken with it. probably the final straw came when I walked into a room where my kids were watching a video show. One of the people wore a T shirt with Obama's face and a golden crown atop his head.

The phrase "cult of personality" means that a person is trying to create for themselves a transcendent aura to gain power when they have done little or nothing significant to gain influence. Usually when we use this phrase, we apply it to Robespierre, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, or Mussolini. It could also be applied to Huey Long (dictatorial governor of Louisiana in the 1930s) or John F. Kennedy. Americans tend to reject transcendent auras around their politicians, but on rare occasions it does work. Cults of personality are dangerous to democracies because they convince the person around whom they are centered of their own flawlessness while discouraging dissent. In the passage from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar above, Caesar rejects the crown, but aims for more power than even the people can imagine.

The One's cult of personality is understandable in some quarters, but not others. News media outlets have fallen over each other fawning over him, not subjecting him to even a tenth of the investigative coverage George W. Bush faced. A few voices of reporters on the ground actually create a disturbing image. Dean Reynolds of CBS wrote of his overwhelming arrogance, certainly a negative trait in an anointed one.

For the good of democracy it is important to maintain the pressure. It demands that we remain vigilant over his actions and also try to deflate the bubble of his personality cult. Democracy is better served when we openly debate a presidents positive and negative attributes.

It is never served by annointing a "One" and following him blindly. Usually following The One brings a people the following disaster:

8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
8:16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
8:18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

Monday, January 5, 2009

Maybe He Didn't Win, But He Got the Job Done

Russ Weeks fought a valiant campaign last fall. Underfunded, under covered, and under appreciated, Weeks put his all into the herculean task of dethroning Governor Manchin. The voters of the state chose to keep the incumbent.

However, eleven people and their families can thank Russ Weeks. For twice as long as he pursued the governor's mansion, Weeks fought for these people who tested positive for tuberculosis. These people contracted the disease at Pinecrest Hospital. Some worked there, some were patients, some simply visited the facility. Weeks exposed defective machinery and alleged other abuses. His campaign brought the spotlight of the state onto the hospital.

Those eleven people received half a million dollars in compensation due to the efforts of their lawyers and the publicity brought by Weeks. After his victory, Governor Manchin met with his former opponent to hear Weeks' concerns. Although they strenuously deny that there is an official investigation, the state has looked into some of the issues raised.

Weeks may not have achieved victory, but to eleven people he brought justice.