CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some members of the state Legislature are wearing their new nickname with pride.
After Gov. Jim Justice said ‘knuckleheads’ who are skeptical of his proposals should get on board, Delegate Gary Howell booted up his computer, navigated to Amazon, ran a search for a very specific key word and added about a dozen “knucklehead” lapel pins to his cart.
Now Howell wears one of the pins on his own jacket, and he’s been carrying a fistful around the halls of the Capitol to distribute to others.
“A few of the delegates and one of the senators has already grabbed some of them off of me. We look at it kind of like a badge of honor,” said Howell, R-Mineral. “If we’re knuckleheads, we’re actually the adults in the room trying to solve the state’s problems.”
Justice made the knuckleheads comment Feb. 17 while speaking to a crowd gathered at the Capitol to support state infrastructure projects.
“I’ve got to have you,” Justice, a newly-elected Democratic billionaire, told the crowd, asking for help to persuade legislators to support his plan that involves increased taxes, fees and bonding.
“I’ve got to have you tell a lot of knuckleheads that are stuck in the mud and saying no, no, no, no and they believe that you can constrict and constrict and every time now we constrict we’re cutting into the bone. And when we constrict, we will die.”
The comment initially rubbed some legislators the wrong way. This past week, some in the Republican majority rose to make speeches objecting to name-calling.
“Just outside this chamber, the other day, we had our governor call not just the Republicans, not just the Democrats, knuckleheads,” state Senator Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, said in a Wednesday floor speech. “He called each and every one of us knuckleheads.”
About the same time in the House of Delegates, Majority Leader Daryl Cowles said he thinks being critical of Justice’s proposals doesn’t equate one’s cerebral functions with finger joints.
“I’m not a knucklehead. My colleagues are not knuckleheads if we stand and defend the tax payer,” said Cowles, R-Morgan. “What we will do is fund a responsible government that funds the necessary services. It is our duty to thoroughly review the budget bill the governor gave us.”
Delegate Mike Caputo, the House minority whip, was among those who asked for the governor’s proposal to be considered.
“The governor has a bold proposal that can bring a lot of jobs to West Virginia,” said Caputo, D-Marion. “He might get a little folksy at times and call us a knucklehead, but I think he means it in a good, honest way.”
Howell, showing off his new knucklehead lapel pins in the Capitol Rotunda, said he’s going to take it in a good way from now on.
“The governor uses it as a derogatory term to the legislators because we’re not on board with what his agenda is. We think that raising taxes is going to hurt the state’s economy, not help it,” Howell said. “I’m reminded of Winston Churchill: ‘I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.'”
“It doesn’t work. We’re taking the knuckleheads. We’re going to fix the problem. We’re going to solve the state’s problems. We’re going to do it our way. We’re going to do what’s best for West Virginia.”
Howell said his knucklehead pins, actually meant for Harley-Davidson enthusiasts, cost him about five bucks apiece. He said he’s willing to order more if they catch on among his legislative peers.
If the Justice administration is looking for a response, the same online shopping website has “Don’t Be a Knucklehead” buttons on sale for $1.99.