Dear Ryan and Laura Kennedy . . .

This is an open letter to Ryan and Laura Kennedy, candidates for the State Republican Executive Committee.

I noticed that you are running for West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee. I also see that you are young, energetic looking folks who have good, solid principles. Being part of the Tea Party movement means that you are on the ground floor of something that is transforming our country. For all the work you and those like you have done, I sincerely applaud you!

The only thing that I have a question about is the accusation that Republicans in West Virginia have ignored the hard working people of this state. I'm not writing this to slam you guys, far from it. Can you clarify what you mean? In what ways do West Virginia Republicans ignore working people?

I only ask this because I have worked multiple campaigns, talked to legions of candidates, state and county executive committee members, and have almost always been struck by how much most of them care. Your candidacy is a good sign that young people still care and want to fight for what they believe in. However, those who have worked with the Republican Party probably take issue with what you are saying.

I'll be the first to admit that every party has their operatives, people who put their emphasis on victories first, ideology second. But most Republicans that I have run into have very strong principles and fight for them whenever possible. Take for instance the Craig Blair/Clark Barnes debate over drug tests for welfare recipients. Both make arguments based on GOP principles and both feel passionately about this issue. It's not grandstanding or attention getting. Both men are trying to protect the people, they simply disagree on how to do it. Shelley Moore Capito has spent the past year battling for all West Virginians against the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats. Betty Ireland has spent a lot of time recently trying to help facilitate the donation of the Dow Technical Park in Charleston because she believes it will create jobs. I noticed Tommy Phillips signed up to support you. Few Republicans have put in more volunteer hours than Tommy.

West Virginia Republicans by and large care about the future of the state and our elected officials work hard to try and improve conditions for all businesses and working people. Very often they disagree as to how to go about reaching goals or who should lead the struggle, but it is rare to find someone who spends a lot of time with the party who lacks principles. In the Democratic Party, political workers get rewarded with state jobs because they have dominated the executive branch and expect to keep doing so. We don't work in expectation of political favors; there are almost none to give. We work because we care about the candidates and the issues.

Fact is, that most of us who are deeply involved are the working people. We have a candidate for the Legislature from Huntington who is an ironworker. We have a lot of small businessmen and women who put in more hours than most and frequently pay their own salaries last. We have current legislators who are school bus drivers and schoolteachers. We are not rich people by and large. That's why we share the concerns of working people, because we are, for the most part, the working people.

As I said, this is not to slam the two of you. I am really interested to see what you mean when you say Republicans ignore working people. I hope I can get you guys to respond because dialogue is good. We need to link the Tea Party movement and the GOP together, to harness the energy and ideas of the former to invigorate the latter. We need to stay true to principles also. The more we meet and talk, the more we can plan how to get our country back. I hope that even if you guys do not win the seats you are runnign for, that you will stay involved and keep bringing your ideas to the forefront.

Anyway, good luck and I hope to hear from you.