West Virginia Republicans Shatter Stereotypes

Most people can list common stereotypes of West Virginians.  After all, academia and the media perpetuated them for years.  Demographically, the state is merely described as overwhelmingly white.  Many would add uneducated, insular, suspicious, misogynist, and a number of other three and four syllable words that add up to what West Virginians call "backwards."  In other words, they spread the smear that West Virginia Republicans are resentful of advancing women and are inherently racist.

Nationally, Democrats and other leftists work tirelessly to attach the same stereotype to the GOP as a whole.  In both cases they are wrong.  Elections over the past ten years prove it.

Do West Virginians, and Republicans in particular, mistrust immigrants who come, live, and thrive here legally?  State Republicans have nominated at least three first or second generation immigrants to important offices.  In 2006, second generation Lebanese-American Chris Wakim was nominated and strongly supported by the Republican base and independents. Left wing conventional wisdom assumes that Republicans are racist and West Virginians even more so, but Wakim's ancestry was no issue for GOP voters.

Two years later, state Republicans nominated Charleston businessman and Nigerian immigrant Charles Minimah for secretary of state.  Minimah, who also works to promote black history and cultural events in the Kanawha Valley, again garnered Republican and independent support despite a huge funding discrepancy between him and his opponent.  This year, he is in a tightly contested race for the 37th delegate district in Charleston. Republicans often cite his experience, kindness, and honesty when talking about their support for him.

Just this month, Republicans in the West Virginia Second District nominated Alex Mooney for Congress.  Voters responded positively to the story of his mother's escape from Cuban tyranny as forming part of the foundation for his ideals.  National predictions still see the district as "lean Republican."

As for the national liberal "War on Women" scheme to tar the party, the Mountain State shatters that myth too.  For many years, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and former secretary of state Betty Ireland served as pillars of leadership for the state GOP.  Ireland has since stepped back, while Capito is expected to cruise to victory in her US Senate race.

Also if state legislative races show anything, it's that the good ol' "boy" network of the Democratic Party remains alive and well.  Fifty percent more women ran in state senate and delegate races on the Republican side than the Democratic.  Many of them, including several incumbents, won their primaries or ran unopposed.  Seventeen year old Saira Blair received national and international attention for upsetting her primary opponent.

Democrats, mostly white male Protestant liberals in positions of influence, will rush out the tired old tales of Republicans being racist and hating women.  But the truth is not what is said, but what is done.  The West Virginia Republican Party has attracted and supported more female and minority candidates than its Democratic counterparts due to its more inclusive atmosphere and its more effective set of ideals.

Candidates and Community

It takes a lot of time, commitment, money, and effort to run for office and I respect anyone who takes the plunge and follows through with fundraising, door to door walking, attendance at fairs and festivals, and anything else necessary.

That being said, some candidates tend to earn more respect than others from their communities. Those are the ones that didn't just start caring about community because they ran, but ran for office because they cared about their communities.

One great example is Harley Staggers Sr. Almost everyone has a story about his commitment to this region before and after his election as congressman. He taught kids to play ball, helped the sick find doctors in the middle of the night, and commuted to and from work in Washington most days. Remember, that was prior to four lane highways, too. His son keeps that family tradition alive by coaching middle school basketball in Keyser.

You see other candidates around the state with that same mentality. Charles Minimah and his wife are both running for the Legislature from districts in Charleston on the Republican ticket. They run a small business and have been active for many years in promoting black heritage in the Kanawha Valley. Locally you see Gary Howell active in Rotary, Rose Ann Maine in Kiwanis, and all our legislators, Dave Sypolt, Ruth Rowan, and Allen Evans, contributing by sponsoring livestock at the fair. You see them at the community dinners and gun bashes in and out of the political season. School Board candidate and recent addition to the county Republican executive committee, Butch Wahl has helped raise thousands of dollars for the Keyser High School athletic complex. They show their support for local fundraising by purchasing tickets and attending events whenever possible.

Somewhere Booker T. Washington Is Smiling At the West Virginia Republican Party

In the 1870s Booker T. Washington worked precincts in eastern Kanawha County, speaking on behalf of that county and the state's Republican Party, supporting candidates and spreading the word. He understood that the GOP's messages of individual liberty and responsibility should resonate with all peoples everywhere. Washington took that message to the national level, preaching his belief in the power of education.

Today's West Virginia Republican Party has worked hard to try and reach out to a broad variety of peoples. Republicans believe that limited government and less taxes mean more business opportunities and more jobs, plain and simple. As Democratic leaders prove that they will raise taxes and spending, then cement high rates of both there by congressional action, traditionally Democratic groups have started to gravitate in the "right" direction.

To those on the extreme left that still say the Republican Party has a tinge of racism, we offer the fact that in 2008 we supported our nominee Charles Minimah for the second most powerful elected statewide office. We are proud to say that he has decided to sacrifice his time and energy once again in the vital Charleston region 17th Senatorial District. His wife Pamela has also entered the race in the 31st Delegate District. In Huntington, staunch Second Amendment supporter and ironworker Douglas Franklin signed up to run in the 15th Delegate District. Republicans everywhere should be grateful to all candidates that choose to devote the next several months to the difficult task of running for office. They all need our support, whatever we can offer.

Republicans in West Virginia can say with pride, regardless of background, that they walk in step with the legacy of one of their own. Booker T. Washington worked hard to advance Republican ideals 130 years ago. Those beliefs in individual liberty, education, hard work, and responsibility, have not changed a bit since then.

The Dream

Two years ago I was getting to know West Virginia's Republican nominee for Secretary of State, Charles Minimah. Minimah, an immigrant from Nigeria, operated a home health care business in Charleston and ran the the request of the West Virginia Republican Party.

In asking for Minimah's help, the state party hearkened back to its roots. In the 1870s, civil rights leader Booker T. Washington was asked by the Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee to speak in Charleston and points east. As a loyal Republican and resident of Malden, his oratory struck a chord among residents. Although it failed to win many victories in those lean years, it did push Washington towards his famous career and contributions. The 1870s were a fearful time as Republican president Ulysses S. Grant attacked Ku Klux Klan violence and terrorism with federal laws, attorneys, and troops. It was a dangerous time for anyone to advocate for black rights, much less promote black civil rights leaders.

By 1900, Republicans gained control of the state. Black legislators won election in several districts and West Virginia GOP governors proudly appointed blacks to some leadership positions in the executive branch. The Black Republican newspaper McDowell Times urged blacks to come to West Virginia to find work and the freedom to vote. Democrats complained about the efforts of Republican appointees to US Attorney and US Marshal because they worked tirelessly to ensure black access to the polls on election day. Decades later, Cecil Underwood led the smoothest transition to desegregated schools of any southern state. West Virginia Republicans, among states considered southern, took the lead time and time again in trying to defy the oppressive Jim Crow culture dominating much of the country in that time. We can be very proud of that history.

Today we rightly reflect on the struggle made by blacks in the hundred years after the Civil War for their political rights and ability to enjoy full citizenship. We also remember our West Virginia Republican Party's own contribution to that fight. Finally we remember the martyrdom of Martin Luther King who strove so hard to create a world not of racial preferences, but of racial blindness.

"Tennant For Governor" Office Now Open! or Goodbye Betty Ireland, Hello Third World!

For four years West Virginia has enjoyed the vigilance of an aggressive secretary of state. Betty Ireland's zeal for following the laws laid out by the state legislature even led to some GOP criticism. It also meant that groups like ACORN would find no easy way to violate state and federal election laws. However we would much rather have a person in this office who is dedicated to the law than see what is about to happen now.

Natalie Tennant initiated step one in turning the secretary of state office into her own left wing feudal domain. When Ireland took over four years ago, she kept the capable Elections Division head hired originally by Joe Manchin. No one ever said that Ireland did not aspire to a higher office, but she was willing to irritate her own party to do the job right.

Tennant hired as chief of the Elections Division Dave Nichols. Nichols runs a leftist blog and formerly headed Progressive Democrats of America/West Virginia. Anytime you see the word "progressive" it means Communist. Vic Sprouse's blog compares this hire to the hypothetical scenario of Betty Ireland hiring Gary Abernathy for the same job. The difference is that Abernathy generally uses wry humor and rarely crosses the respect line. Nichols is a firebrand bombthrower with a burning hatred for all things Republican. Sounds like the bad old days with a Marxist twist. West Virginia elections, at least in some regions, may once again descend into the septic tank of Democratic corruption.

Welcome to West Virginia ACORN. Feel free to violate any law you want. Natalie's too busy running for governor to care.

Why oh why didn't someone, somewhere pump a little money into Charles Minimah's campaign?

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Sometimes you just have to love story placement. Yahoo News this morning listed about five or six headlines. One headline proclaimed that an ice and snow storm had covered much of the country and killed I think seven. The one right below said that global warming is irreversible for a thousand years.

Global warming chicken littles are really pulling out the stops now. Sure this winter was the coldest in forty years and last summer was, except for a few weeks, not really hot. But don't you worry, disaster is just 'round the corner!

Truth be told, many world scientists (now that the hated Bush is gone!) are coming out and saying what the Old Farmer's Almanac has always told us. It's the sunspots. This past year saw the complete disappearance of sunspots for the first time since the Little Ice Age. It led to a predicted colder winter.

I guess my sedan and my neighbor's SUV made the sunsports come and go. Or maybe it was the Cheney Weather Machine.

The Republican Party: Where We're At

Sometimes it takes a failure of massive proportions to force renewed vigor and imagination. This is the state we are in right now nationally.

Mineral County Republicans can pat themselves on the back. Charles Minimah, Beth Walker, Dan Greear, Mike Teets, Gary Howell, John McCain, and others carried the county soundly while Republicans kept many of the county offices. Bob Schadler and Jay Courrier ran unopposed. Republicans in this region remained vigorous and confident. They marched in parades, maintained blogs that kept people talking, organized fundraisers and events for local and statewide candidates, and made phone calls. They also never forgot that, as Doug McKinney has put it, we are Republicans for a reason.

If it was just about hard working people, Republicans would have won in a landslide. Look at Doug and Sue McKinney putting about half a million miles on their car going from town to town. Look at Gary Howell who fought every single day against overwhelming odds and came within a hair of upsetting a candidate beloved by the special interests. His friends and neighbors supported him overwhelmingly and he even almost won heavily Democratic Tucker County. Look at our statewide candidates who were everywhere pounding the pavement. Hopefully our campaigns at the very least kept the conversation going about corruption and cronyism. Look at Christy Barnett, a one woman campaign machine trying to rally the Potomac Highlands. This is not failure; it's a foundation. But we must build upon it.

Here are some suggestions.

We must stop clinging to the shadow of Ronald Reagan. He was one of our greatest Americans, but many new voters have no memory of him except in history books. Reagan's revolution has lessons that will always be relevant, but they need updating. By clinging too much to Reagan and not moving decisively towards a future blueprint, we risk looking like the stodgy old FDR Democrats of our parents' and grandparents' generation. Time for us to find the next great thing. Luckily we have a pitbull in waiting.

Start emphasizing science, technology, and research. The Republican Party may have fewer friends in the research fields, but it has many in engineering. We must emphasize that American technology constantly needs investment. Blue collar jobs will continue to grow less prevalent while science, technology, and small business entrepreneurship will keep growing. Leading the world was a constant goal in the twentieth century. Why not recapture that spirit for the twenty-first century?

On the state level, we have a dedicated state party chair who volunteers countless hours to be wherever he is needed to promote the cause. We had outstanding candidates with the vision and spirit to lead West Virginia forward. The problem was that our state party does not have the resources to function as it should. Dan Greear, Mike Teets, Gary Howell, and others ran very tight races despite being outspent sometimes 5 to 1. Additional organizational and financial support could have put these people over the top to help bring about a better West Virginia. The state party needs more resources and more support if we are to ever make this state great again.

In 1888 Democrats had dominated West Virginia for sixteen years, but the elections kept getting closer. By 1896, a strong Republican organization with a real vision captured the state and did not let it go for decades. Remember that example.

Over the next two years we need to emphasize our vision, rally behind our successful candidates, and build an organization with the resources to help our candidates get over the top. We should be very proud of the personal efforts of our candidates and volunteers. They are something to build upon for the next go round.

Nationally we have faced challenges on this scale before. In 1976 and 1992 we bounced back aggressively. We found bold leaders, updated our message, and changed America for the better. We cannot continue to cling to the shadow of Reagan, but we must adapt his ideas to create a blueprint for the future. It is not a question of if we do it. We must.

And we will.

Charles Minimah Releases new campaign ad

Don't Count On Hollywood to Get Anything Right About West Virginia

The Ernie Davis story is coming out soon on the big screen and West Virginians will not be pleased.

Movie makers wanted to portray the Syracuse star from the 1960s breaking racial barriers and overcoming intolerance. The trouble is that West Virginia University fans are used as a prop in that story. In the movie they hurl racial epithets and garbage at Davis while he plays in Morgantown. The trouble is that the scene never happened, according to Syracuse's starting quarterback that year, Dick Easterly. Players from both teams agree that West Virginia fans never mistreated Davis.

West Virginia had its share of racial problems in that time, but no more than the rest of the nation. In fact, school desegregation under Governor Cecil Underwood never saw the violence or protests registered in other areas. Will Hollywood make a movie about that?

We'll see Hollywood stars lying about movies being banned in West Virginia because of intolerence, but never see anyone discussing how WVU fans embraced one of the first black quarterbacks in college football that became a bona fide star. We'll never see the story about how Charles Minimah rose from his teenage years in the Nigerian Army to be the GOP nominee for Secretary of State.

The inaccuracies did not just insult us, but also Davis's coach and teammates. Tensions were portrayed among players and coaches that simply did not exist. The filmmakers insult the memory of a gifted athlete and class human being by failing to get his story straight.

West Virginia has plenty of problems and it does not need ignorant Hollywood writers to pile on.

If West Virginia's Obama Voters REALLY Want Change . . .

Sure they are a minority, but they will make up perhaps 40% of West Virginia's voters in this coming election. Obama voters have latched onto a candidate who has promised nothing substantial beyond "change." Yet those same voters will:

Vote to re-elect a Commissioner of Agriculture who has held the office since the days of Lyndon Johnson. Gus Douglass is not a bad guy. However J. Michael Teets has fresh ideas that will invigorate our agricultural sector and take advantage of emerging market opportunities in the "field."

Vote to return Joe Manchin for four more years as governor. Again, Joe Manchin is not a bad guy. He has not done a bad job, nor has he really made an impact on changing the political culture of the state. Russ Weeks promises to attack the culture of cronyism and corruption that strangles state government, but Obama voters will not choose his kind of change.

Vote to bring back Darrel McGraw for another term. McGraw launches frivolous lawsuits and distributes much of the money to political allies who in turn throw him major fundraisers. I guess we should not change that either.

Vote for Natalie Tennant instead of Charles Minimah for Secretary of State. Betty Ireland has been changing our state's political culture and Minimah has committed himself to continuing her fight. Minimah is outside of the traditional old boy network, also.

Vote for Democrats running in state legislative races. Now there is a vote for change. The same party has been pulling the same shenanigans for over seventy-five years. Definitely continue to vote for these guys if you seriously want change. Oh, by the way, while in charge, Democratic rule of West Virginia has seen our state plummet in population, economic indicators, and congressional representation. Thanks Ruling Party!

Obama liberals are entitled to vote for what they think is change (even though it is really for Chicago machine politics sporting a Cheshire cat grin.) However, they ought to at least be consistent. If they really want change, beneath that presidential box vote a straight Republican ticket. Now the GOP in West Virginia really is change we need.

Natalie Tennant Supported By Crackpots

A crackpot fringe group calling itself the Center For Public Integrity has pledged to help elect Natalie Tennant through its Secretary of State Project.

This site repeats the most exaggerated claims possible, such as the idea that Republicans are poised to challenge hundreds of thousands of votes in Ohio in upcoming elections and even that the GOP has taken people's homes. It asserts that Republican secretaries of state suppress rightful voters. The Secretary of State Project itself appears to be a blog manned by a writer slightly influenced by e.e. cummings' crusade against capitalization. It does claim to have secured five victories for Democrats somehow, but its writing focuses almost exclusively upon Ohio.

It's true, even in our state, that the Republican Secretary of State does suppress voting. Betty Ireland suppresses voting by corpses, by people who already voted, and by others who attempt to get around the laws that keep our elections fair. Suppressing illegal votes is part of the job, as many Democratic secretaries of state in our history have failed to realize. Across the nation, Republicans have fought the attempt by Democrats to suppress the votes of servicemen deployed abroad. Are they afraid that these soldiers will once again vote Republican and keep them out of the White House?

Of course part of this groups claims are that Republicans are racist in their selection of whom to "suppress." I doubt that even they could levy that charge against the GOP nominee in West Virginia, Charles Minimah. He has pledged to keep our state's elections as clean as possible while expanding access to the disabled. West Virginia needs Charles Minimah in the secretary of state's office to maintain the reforms started by Betty Ireland.

Have You Seen These People?

The following respected West Virginians have come up missing in the last few months. If anyone sees any reports on these people's whereabouts in the state media, Katie bar the door because it is a sure sign the Apocalypse is on the way.

Russ Weeks, Republican Nominee for Governor: This former Vietnam vet and state senator published a book and has toured the state using personal money. He has probably used a much higher percentage of his assets to run than some multi-millionaire incumbents. Weeks has strong positions against cronyism and corruption, but on any given day could be pushed off the news pages by reports of a cat stuck in a tree. Distinguishing characteristics include blunt honesty and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

Charles Minimah, Republican Nominee for Secretary of State: Another veteran, a successful businessman, and another candidate spending more time meeting the people than his opponent. While his opponent spent her youth in a mascot costume, Minimah was serving his country. Minimah is well known for promoting black heritage in the Kanawha Valley and is determined to help the handicapped have better access to voting. When the national media bashed West Virginia as a state of racists after the Democratic primary, you might think that proud newspapermen and women would have cited this gentleman as proof positive of the opposite. Distinguishing characteristics include a strong desire to continue Secretary Ireland's reforms and preventing the bosses from getting their rotten influence back.

Dan Greear, Republican Nominee for Attorney General: If you get your political news from Phil Kabler, you might assume that Greear's consultant Vic Sprouse was running for some sort of statewide office. Amazingly, Kabler's vendetta against Sprouse gets more attention than any of these people actually running for office this year. If you get your news from the Wall Street Journal, you know that Greear is West Virginia's best chance to overthrow an attorney general infamous even within his own party for questionable practices. Distinguishing characteristics include tremendous speaking ability and a passion for cleaning up state government and how the attorney general's office operates. If you see trial lawyers wandering around looking for job handouts, you will not find Greear in the vicinity.

J. Michael Teets, Republican Nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture: The entire country is entering a revolution in agri-energy. West Virginia should be poised to take a strong role in creating new products as well as providing raw materials. Teets may not have been in office for many, many, many years. However his home is in Hardy County where the capital city of state poultry production is located. Distinguishing characteristics include amazing energy and the constant presence and support of his wife, Joyce.

Jay Wolfe, Republican Nominee for United States Senate: Wolfe can be spotted on the correct side of energy debates. He supports the expansion of drilling for oil to reduce prices and foreign dependence. Wolfe also supports reforming the tax code to promote prosperity for all and making revenue collection more fair. Jay Wolfe is pretty easy to spot. He stands head and shoulder above a lot of politicians.

Beth Walker, Republican Nominee for West Virginia State Supreme Court of Appeals: Walker is an amazing individual among those seeking the position of justice. She regards the law as her guide rather than special interests or personal whims. When she joins Brent Benjamin on the bench, the state will finally have a strong and solid group on the bench dedicated to interpreting law correctly and fairly. Walker has legal experience in a wide variety of issues.

If you just read state newspapers (outside of The State Journal, The Charleston Daily Mail, the Mineral Daily News Tribune, and a few others) you won't know that these people even exist because of the bias that permeates the profession. It is up to you, the voters, to go out and educate yourselves since the press won't do it for you. Look up their websites. See what they stand for as individuals. Read non partisan blogs such as Lincoln Walks at Midnight or partisan outlets such as Change West Virginia or The Republican Gazette. In all these places you will see information that will balance the bias of the state news establishment. You know that every vote for the people described above is a vote against seventy-five years of Ruling Party mediocrity.

Sheep and Wolves

One of Blackstone's most memorable legal maxims is that the sheep ought not be left in the care of the wolves. This idea drives much of our legal thought and policy because it represents common sense. You cannot leave the vulnerable to the whims of the predator.

Which brings us to Charles Minimah. The Republican Party selected Charles Minimah as its nominee to ensure that West Virginia elections remain as fair and free of corruption as possible. Minimah has a strong track record as an effective businessman and community leader. State GOP laders know that he will continue Betty Ireland's zealous commitment to fair state elections. Minimah also wants to make voting as accessible as possible to the handicapped, elderly, and others.

If Charles Minimah is the shepherd to our more corruption free election process, the Democratic Party represents the wolf. They selected a young anchorwoman with an attractive face, name recognition, and a commitment to the Democratic Party as their nominee. Certainly some of them long for the bad old days before Secretary of State Ireland took office and elections were easier to manipulate. She has in four years erased almost all of the cometary vote and Minimah will continue to prevent West Virginia's deceased from playing a role in the political process. Put the inexperienced candidate with close ties to the Democratic machine into office and our clean elections will be placed in jeopardy.

Elect Charles Minimah because we must not allow our elections to be in the hands of predators that want to manipulate them.

A Word on Behalf of Charles Minimah

Despite the constant attacks from the liberal media and professional America bashers like Michael Moore, the United States continues to serve as a beacon around the world to those seeking freedom and opportunity. The American system rewards anyone who is willing to follow our laws and work hard. Charles Minimah, Republican nominee for secretary of state, is one such individual.

Minimah served his native country of Nigeria during its civil war in the 1970s, then sought opportunity in the United States. Our country and state was built in no small way by immigrants such as Minimah. German born Carl Schurz emigrated to Missouri and served as a Union general and United States Senator. Closer to home, my great-grandfather came to Barbour County from Italy. He quickly learned the language, sent his children to public school (then later on Alderson-Broaddus College), and established his own businesses. Almost everyone in West Virginia has family or friendship ties to individuals who have arrived in the past hundred years.

Once in West Virginia, Minimah established a business and worked earnestly to make it a success. Like so many other immigrants he gave back to the community. Minimah helped to establish black heritage museums and tours in the Kanawha Valley. This region was home to civil rights activist and Republican orator Booker T. Washington. Minimah certainly has helped to carry on Washington's legacy.

Minimah's vision lies in making voting more accessible and secure. The state must continue enforcing the reforms enacted by current secretary Betty Ireland while continuing to reinvigorate voter confidence in the system. Coming from a region that sometimes struggles with democratic ideals, Minimah insists that he has "an appreciation of our democracy that is often taken for granted." Like many who come to the United States, including so many of our ancestors, he understands how special this country is.

Charles Minimah will continue the current secretary's fight for clean democracy.

WV GOP out of debt

State Party Chairman Doug McKinney proudly announced that the WV GOP is out of debt, at the Winter meeting held in South Charleston Saturday.

Many in the state party worked hard to pay of the debt lead by Larry Pack and Jim Reed. Bob Fish and the crew of the state Presidential Convention also deserve credit from bringing positive cash flow.

Many candidates were on hand for the event including US Senate Candidate Jay Wolfe, Gubernatorial Candidate Russ Weeks, Attorney General candidate Dan Greear, Secretary of State candidate Charles Minimah, and Agriculture Commissioner candidates Lawrence Beckerle and Michael Teets. The party is upbeat and ready to take on the Democrats in November.