A Baldly Political Farce

The redistricting process was expected to be political. We all knew that. But we didn't expect it to be this arrogantly dismissive of the concerns and actions of the voters.

First, the congressional districts seem to have been redrawn with the idea of pitting the two Republicans against each other, leaving Rahall safe, and opening up a third. This was too disingenuous because first, the law does not actually require residence in the district. Even if it does produce the desired result, one of the political figures with the most name recognition and popularity in the proposed second district is Republican Clark Barnes. If passed, the second district is not much larger than his currently expansive 15th. It is still an arrogant move for the Legislature to try and nullify the verdict of the election of 2010 on its own.

The House patted itself on the back for breaking up the three member 32nd, but left in place the notorious seven member 30th. Yes, South Hills, your 7% of the House of Delegates is still safe. Sorry southern Kanawha, you are still not truly represented in the House.

House Republicans have fought hard for our rights. Delegate Gary Howell plead on the House floor for the opportunity to have time for public comment before final passage of redistricting. Will we get a chance to voice our concerns? Let us hope so.

West Virginia Needs a Primary Election

Kanawha County Republican Executive Committee Chair Melody Potter on Facebook Tuesday endorsed a primary election to determine party nominees for governor before the special election.

I agree 100%.

Two alternatives exist. One would just be a wide open election where every contender was on the ballot at once. This opens the door for false candidates to try and siphon votes from actual ones. More likely would be a party convention where each of the three parties that generally run candidates for governor would select their nominees and put them on the ballot. However, this might reinforce the perception that West Virginia politics is basically a good ol' boy show.

A primary election is good for Republicans for a few reasons.

First, it is the more democratic way to operate. Candidacies are open and the people get to vote. That is the expectation of the voters in the 21st Century. They want to choose. Second, the race between the various GOP candidates will bring media attention to these individuals that will create name recognition for the general election. Some major candidates are better known west of the mountains and in southern West Virginia, some are better known to the east. It is important that registered Republicans and other voters across the entire state get to know all of the potential Republican candidates so that they can make an informed Republican vote in the fall.

The Republican Party is advancing a very experienced and capable set of candidates this time, most notably State Senator Clark Barnes and former Secretary of State Betty Ireland. Both of these candidates are exceptional campaigners, so a primary election plays to both of their strengths.

A primary election can help our party build a case for its nominee in the general election.

Footsoldiers in Their Own Revolution

Two clarion calls came out this week about state legislative races. State Senator Clark Barnes made a public plea for interested individuals to get involved and run for State Senate or House of Delegates. Chris Stirewalt of the Washington Examiner interviewed Virginia state party chair Ed Gillespie, who described in an interview why he chose to move from the national party to Virginia's organization. Former Bush political guru Gillespie explained to Stirewalt that the state legislatures are where a huge part of the action is this year.

(For full Stirewalt story, see http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Republicans-think-locally-for-2010-and-beyond-82555367.html )

Interestingly Gillespie recommended that state party organizations harness the Tea Party movement in ways that even they have not always considered, namely running them for the state legislature. Why, Stirewalt stated, should Tea Party activists be footsoldiers in someone else's revolution? Put their energy and principles to work in their own races, then take their values to places where they really count. Social conservatives helped to advance the Reagan Reevolution in the 1980s and Scott Brown simply ran for Senate because he was mad as hell. Massachusetts shared his anxieties and anger and voted him into the Senate.

In West Virginia we have yet to fill all legislative races with Republicans. West Virginia Red suggests that some of the lesser known candidates for the West Virginia 1st Congressional (and there are quite a few) may want to consider running for the state legislature rather than Congress since well-funded and experienced individuals have filed for that race now. There they can put their energy and zeal to work and gain experience for a future run at higher office.

Why are legislatures so important? The 2010 census will require each state to adjust its districts to reflect population changes. West Virginia has seen how Democrats will twist and turn districts to try and gain the best advantage for legislative and congressional districts. Across the nation, these races need quality candidates and support from donors and volunteers. We can start at home by encouraging friends to run if they live in places lacking a Republican challenger. Then do what you can to help get them elected.

It's up to us, the time is now. Let's get out there and do it!

WVGOP Senate Caucus response to Gov. Manchin State of State Address

As Governor Joe Manchin prepares to deliver his State of State address to the people of West Virginia this evening, Senate Minority Whip Clark Barnes urges West Virginians to not get caught up in the governor's rhetoric. With unemployment hovering at 10% jobs are leaving West Virginia at a rate faster then they can be created and Obama and the EPA have all but declared war on West Virginia prosperity.

Republicans are worried that the democratic leadership is just covering up the problems until they become unfixable. Senator Barnes is urging state law makers to return back to basic conservative values that can save the state from a fiscal, energy, and taxation crisis.

Fundraising issues for Mollohan: Barnes, Smith lead challenger pack

Alan Mollohan is having fund raising trouble. According The Hill, "Third quarter House recap: Big funding surprises from little-known challengers. They list Mollohan as only one of six incumbents that failed to raise more than $100,000 in the last quarter, despite facing tough challengers.

Among announced Republican challengers against Mollohan for the 2010 election both Clark Barnes of Randolph County and Scott Smith of Preston County have both tied for first with 40% in a recent PHC poll. Daniel Swisher is a distant 3rd polling only 9%. Cindy Hall and Tom Stark both polled less than 5%.

I Like Clark

Last weekend my parents were in town. We went for dinner at a local place here in Keyser called the Candlewyck Inn. You pick up the menu in a place like this and think hard about all the choices. So many look appealing, but eventually you settle on one because you think it is the absolute best choice out of several good options. (I picked the filet mignon covered in crab! Delicious!)

That is how I feel about the many choices we have in the First Congressional District for the Republican nomination. So many good options, some of whom would make good candidates and respectable Representatives. To me, speaking only for myself and on behalf of no other person or group, Clark Barnes represents the most solid choice.

I note reactions of non political people when they hear Clark decided to run. News of Barnes in the race generates a lot of excitement. Even Democrats who have grown sick of the mess in Washington see Clark as a man who can make things happen.

To those who have never met him, it may be difficult to convey the energy and charisma he brings to an event or a campaign. Barnes has both of the key characteristics of a great campaigner. He connects well with both crowds and individuals without fudging on his principles. Barnes brings a systematic campaign style that emphasizes personal contact with constituents. Many successful GOP candidates have used the personal touch to overcome Democratic majorities in their districts and Clark is no different.

Next year we have an opportunity to add West Virginia to the list of states that will successfully rid themselves of Democratic Representatives. Alan Mollohan is well-known and well-funded, but Jim Humphries of Charleston will tell you that money and notoriety alone will not beat a popular and charismatic congressional candidate (lost to Capito twice.) We need the right kind of candidate, however, to connect with Democratic and independent voters.

Nominate Clark Barnes and he will beat Alan Mollohan. Send him to Congress, and he will represent his state and district, not the whims of a dictatorial Speaker of the House.

Clark Barns to take on Alan Mollohan for Congress

Clark Barnes currently serves as a State Senator in West Virginia's 15th district. Which includes Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton Counties in the Potomac Highlands. Barnes is also known as the winning underdog taking on well fund candidates and defeating them on the issues. Clark becomes the 4th Republican Candidate to join the field against Mollohan.

Left to Right: State Senator Clark Barnes, Tom Collins, State Senator Dave Sypolt

Barnes vs Blair: Rhetorical Cagematch Between Good Republicans

Anyone paying attention to the news lately has seen the state GOP finally capture the headlines for something positive.

Delegate Craig Blair has used his aggressive rhetoric to outline a plan to drug test all applicants for welfare. He contends that the taxpayers are served poorly when their funds go to enable continued drug use by aid recipients. To those who argue that the plan is cost prohibitive, Blair argues that the savings created by drug users shying away from identification will make up for the price of drug testing.

Senator Clark Barnes contends that this violates the constitutional right to privacy as well as rights explicitly spelled out in the 4th Amendment. To Barnes, Republican ideals mean that government ought to stay out of the lives of individuals until they give an overt reason to bring the police power of the state upon themselves.

This debate has overshadowed Governor Manchin and the Democratic Legislature and at times has become heated. However, this debate demonstrates the strength inherent in the ties that bind Republicans together. At the beginning of the day, Craig Blair and Clark Barnes are good friends. At the end of the day they will remain friends despite disagreements. At the end of the day, the party appreciates the efforts and different strengths each man brings to the table.

Compare this to how the Democrats have responded to Blair's proposals. Delegate Sally Susman (D) Raleigh, openly ridiculed Blair in a transparent attempt to deflect the debate into the margins. Senator Barnes debates the issue on principles and merits. Democrats wish it would go away because they fear open and honest discussion.

The strength of the state Republican party lies in our ability to disagree and remain supportive of each other. Senator Barnes opposed the presidential nominating convention last year, but remains one of the most respected Republicans in the state. When Democratic United States Senator Joe Lieberman backed President Bush, his party essentially banished him. They tried to run him out of office with a primary opponent more loyal to the party line, showing a distinct intolerance for diverging points of view. The same is about to happen to Representative Heath Shuler, Democrat from North Carolina (yes the former Tennessee quarterback.) His opposition to Nancy Pelosi has earned him banishment to the political wilderness and most likely a well funded liberal primary opponent. That is the way Democrats operate. Thank God we in the Grand Old Party are different!

Republicans understand that sometimes we have to agree to disagree. Debates among different points of view, such as between Blair and Barnes, leave us stronger at the end of the day. Even when our party members respectfully disagree with the party itself, this is not a negative. Republicans gain a reputation for free thought and ideological tolerance. Think of our state party without Clark Barnes?

Respectful debates between free thinking Republican leaders create an atmosphere of excitement that will help recruit young people to be active in the cause. We need to recognize this buzz that Blair and Barnes are creating and continue to build upon it. Respectful, honest, and open public debates over issues always help our party and its image.

What We Learned From West Virginia Election Results

Think about this for a second. On the face of it, state Republicans lost ground in the Legislature and the Board of Public Works. However the way that the Republicans showed remarkable resilience in the final results should give the Democrats reason to worry.

The Democratic Party actually tried in this election cycle to rid the United States Congress of Shelley Moore Capito. They got national help and assistance from the liberal media. Capito remains as resilient as ever. Her star power remains high in West Virginia and we should not be surprised if she begins to garner national attention.

Clark Barnes also is a Republican star on the rise. He fought off a very well-supported challenger who once sat on the seat he occupies. His popularity in both parties reflects that of Capito. Incidentally, both did well in strongly Democratic Hardy County.

Gary Howell, as we mentioned before, came within a hair's breadth of seizing the 14th senatorial. His opponent outspent him four to one, but Gary nearly captured the heavily Democratic county of Tucker.

Dan Greear, Beth Walker, and Mike Teets also captured large numbers of Democratic votes. Greear came closest to capturing his goal, the attorney general's office.

What we learned is that Republican campaigns that get the candidate out to directly meet the people and deliver their message can effectively counter media bias and massive amounts of money. The message that Republican candidates take to the voters is earning a response. This should encourage the state GOP and hopefully inspire more financial support.

Lenin, Stalin, Casey?

Last week the word was out. The State Democratic Party, in their perpetual function as "ruling party" of West Virginia, blasted Clark Barnes, Craig Blair, Kelli Sobonya, and other GOP legislators. The horrible crime committed? Not being team players. The goal? To use every device necessary to get voters to expel them from the Legislature.

In the 1920s Vladimir Lenin imposed upon a session of the USSR's Communist Party Congress a no faction rule. Not content with operating a secret police that stole property while torturing and massacring many, Lenin hated disagreement within his own party. The rule was that once agreement was made, no more opposition could exist.

This same attitude pervades the "not a team player" approach taken by West Virginia Democrats. Maybe they are surprised that Republicans and their voters have a different idea of how to run this state. Then they have the gall to disagree with the Ruling Party! Of course the Democrats, assuming the people are always in their corner, call upon the voters to get rid of what little opposition they have to their schemes.

This smacks of arrogance. In most states each party must respect the other because at some point the outs will be in and vice versa. West Virginia Democrats cannot even imagine a day when their grip on power will be reduced, much less rejected, by the voters. Gains will come this year and more hereafter. Voters must make all state politicians more accountable by showing that Democrats can lose.

Potomac Highlands Dinner a Sucess

The Potomac Highlands Republican Club held its annual Reagan-Eisenhower Dinner in Moorefield this past Saturday night. With the top Republican candidates in the state present and Shelley Moore Capito giving the key-note speech well over one hundred attended.

Congresswoman Capito address the group.
WV Supreme Court Candidate Beth Walker speaks with Attorney General candidate Dan Greear and Agriculture Commissioner candidate Mike Teets.

Dan Greear and Senate candidate Gary Howell

State Party Chair Dr. Doug McKinney

State Senator Clark Barnes was the nights Master of Ceremonies to the right are Tom Collins Representing John McCain and State Senator Dave Sypolt.
Dr. Harry Boggs talks with PHRC President and Hostess Christy Barnett.

Senator Clark Barnes and the Law of Unintended Consequences

The law of unintended consequences is a fact of life in West Virginia. Our Democratic leadership has unleashed this draconian condition time and time again because they rarely think through the effects of the laws that they create. Here is one example from several years ago. Sweeping anti-drug laws remove the prerogatives of school principals to deal with their own students, resulting in children expelled from school for illegally passing a Halls cough drop.

This is how it all starts. The people come to their legislators with a problem, such as poor attendance and dropout rates in West Virginia schools. Now everyone wants to increase school attendance and keep kids in school until they graduate. That point is hard to dispute. The law says that kids can opt out of school after age sixteen, so what leverage do we have to keep these kids on track to graduation? The answer is a state driver's license. Licenses are privileges, not natural, or constitutional rights (although most liberals rate it above the right to use a gun to protect your family.) The state Legislature wants the dropout rate to improve so driver's licenses are revoked on minors that are not attending school.

Terrific! Watch the school attendance rate rise and we feel much better about ourselves. We used the power of government to create positive social change.

But we forgot something. We forgot to think it through. We forgot about the exceptions to our scenario of lazy kids just ducking school to play video games. Some sixteen and seventeen year olds are not in school for a good reason. They have to work to help put food on the table. Some have children of their own. In Clark Barnes' district one minor mother has a child with a severe birth defect. The defect is so severe it requires constant monitoring. The mother made the right decision and put her child first. The law said that she could not have a driver's license, but she sometimes has to rush her child to the hospital from her rural home.

When a concerned citizen brought this to Senator Barnes' attention, he immediately went to work and got the Senate to amend the law. Luckily he acted in time. However what if the child had a severe problem before he acted?

We should all thank the humanitarianism of Senator Barnes because he did work to change a fairly popular law. However the lesson here is that we need to think very carefully before using the power of government to adjust the non criminal behavior of individuals. This usually does too much damage to warrant the assumed good.

Kicking It Off Right

Last Saturday the Potomac Highlands Republican Club kicked off its existence with an exciting dinner in Romney. The event featured Secretary of State Betty Ireland. Our Secretary of State is easily the most charismatic and energetic member of West Virginia's executive branch and last Saturday she definitely did not disappoint.

Her speech emphasized Republican unity and focus going into the 2008 election year and she presented it in her usual "take no prisoners" style. Ireland always challenges state Republicans to do more to support candidates as well as the party organization. Additionally she endorsed the idea of regional clubs such as the PHRC as models for the future. Ireland had strong praise for club president Christy Barnett's organizational skills and energy.

Senator Dave Sypolt handled the master of ceremonies duties with his usual grace and good humor. Apart from Ireland, he also was able to introduce GOP strategist Gary Abernathy who gave the assembled guests an update on the state presidential nominating convention. Following Abernathy's explanation of the convention process, Sypolt presented three presidential candidate representatives. Tom O' Neil described the ideas of Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney while Senator Vic Sprouse endorsed former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Finally Abernathy explained the virtues of former United States Senator Fred Thompson.

Senator Clark Barnes gave the final talk of the night. The feisty Barnes opened fire on critics of the administration of George W. Bush, reminding the guests of the president's many successes over the past seven years.

This dinner served as a key event to introduce the public to the PHRC. The club's most important goal lies in strengthening Republican involvement even in off years. Supporting candidates also remains an important function. Secretary Ireland emphasized the benefits of an organization that crosses county boundaries. Such a group can better assist those candidates who seek to represent multiple counties.

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The club wished to thank those who helped to sponsor the event: Bob Adams, candidate for governor; Gary Howell, candidate for state senate, Chris Wakim, the Grant County Republican Executive Committee, and two unnamed Democrats who decided to support the conservative values many of us share regardless of party. Of course one of the main themes of the night could be expressed in two words.

BEAT HILLARY!

Potomac Highland Conservative Candidates at a Glance

The following Conservative Candidates have Pre-filed to run for office in 2008

• 14th Senatorial District
  
• Republican
  
• Gary G. Howell
• Hometown: Keyser, WV
  
• Filed 4/26/2007
  
• Home County: Mineral
• District: Barbour, Grant (part), Mineral, Monongalia (part), Preston, Taylor, Tucker
  

• 15th Senatorial District
• Republican
• Clark S. Barnes
  
• Hometown: Elkins, WV
  
• Filed 12/11/2006
• Home County: Randolph
• District: Berkley (part), Grant (part), Hampshire, Hardy, Morgan, Pendelton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur (part)
  

• 50th Delegate District
• Republican
• Ruth Rowan
  
• Hometown: Points, WV
  
• Filed 12/11/2006
  
• Home County: Hampshire
• District: Hampshire (part) and Mineral (part) Counties

• 51st Delegate District
• Republican
• Daryl E. Cowles
  
• Hometown: Berkeley Springs, WV
• Filed 2/9/2007
• Home County: Morgan
• District: Hampshire (part) and Morgan (part) Counties.