Hoppy’s Commentary Archives


TodayMarch 19, 2024

Manchin v. Blankenship? Possible, but not probable

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is leaving open the possibility—albeit remote—that he could run for the Senate as an independent. The veteran Democratic Senator announced earlier that he is not running for re-election, and he has ruled out a third-party run for President. Manchin says he wants to get away from Washington politics and devote

YesterdayMarch 18, 2024

West Virginia and the Irish

This year’s convergence of the national political issue of immigration and St. Patrick’s Day got me thinking about West Virginia and the Irish. I am not a historian, but even just a little amateur research reveals the significance of Irish immigrants in the Mountain State. An estimated 1.5 million Irish left their home country for

ThursdayMarch 14, 2024

Coach Josh Eilert–A True Mountaineer

  Years from now, a young Mountaineer fan will be thumbing through the WVU basketball media guide and notice the nine wins and 23 losses in the 2023-2024 season. That youngster will wonder what went wrong. Hopefully, a long-time fan will be around to tell the full story, and it will take a while. No

WednesdayMarch 13, 2024

No-show Jefferson County Commissioners face the consequences

Jefferson County Commissioners Tricia Jackson and Jennifer Krouse are in trouble, and they should be. For several months late last year the Republican commissioners refused to attend meetings. They said their absences were a disagreement with two other commissioners over who should fill a vacancy on the five-member board. Krouse posted on social media that

TuesdayMarch 12, 2024

The real fake news

Fake news is real. I’m not talking about how the term is casually thrown around about any story that a news consumer happens to disagree with or believes is slanted. Former President Donald Trump has codified that as a convenient way to try to discredit the media. No, this is about actual fake news. The

MondayMarch 11, 2024

Confessions of a former legislature fanboy

Back in January, I wrote a commentary in praise of the West Virginia Legislature. Here is what I said: “Let me confess now that I am a fan” of the Legislature. I went on to write about the importance of real people—not professional politicians—collectively making decisions they believe are in the best interests of their

ThursdayMarch 7, 2024

Legislature faces big decision on state unemployment program

Here is a question West Virginia legislators always need to ask themselves, especially in the closing days of a session: Is it better to something or do nothing? That applies to the current debate under the Capitol dome over SB 841 which makes significant changes in the benefits paid to laid off workers and the

TuesdayMarch 5, 2024

Joe Manchin and the ‘sick f–k’ protester

Last Friday, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was delivering a talk to a small group at the Harvard Institute of Politics.  His presentation was interrupted by a handful of radical climate activists. They got in his face, chanted and yelled at him for his support, among other things, of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. One protester

MondayMarch 4, 2024

I know “In God We Trust” but…

The West Virginia House of Delegates is considering a bill that requires the display of our national motto, “In God We Trust,” in public schools. The bill passed the Senate 31-1 with two absent and I will make the bold prediction that it will pass the House if it comes up for a final vote!

ThursdayFebruary 29, 2024

The inconsistent Republicans

In politics, it is often difficult to be consistent.   Holding true to a particular ideology may require an individual to be for or against something that they personally object to or that they know will anger their constituents.  I’m thinking of many of the Republicans who hold super majorities in the West Virginia Legislature

TuesdayFebruary 27, 2024

House of Delegates rolls back the clock on life-saving vaccinations

In West Virginia, we often find ourselves trailing the rest of the nation in many categories. We are frequently at or near the bottom in health outcomes. When we find ourselves at the bottom it is dispiriting, but here is a stat West Virginia can be proud of:  West Virginia’s school-aged children have one of

MondayFebruary 26, 2024

Huggins has zero chance of returning as WVU’s coach

WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker will conduct a nationwide search for a permanent head basketball coach. Baker indicated when he hired Josh Eilert on an interim basis last year that he would wait until the end of the season.  However, if Baker is doing his job, he is already exploring the possibilities. Eilert should be

ThursdayFebruary 22, 2024

Lawmakers want to block the release of mugshots

A bill moving through the West Virginia Legislature would prevent state corrections officials from releasing to the public mugshots of individuals who have been arrested.  The House Judiciary committee has approved and sent the full House HB 4621 which says, “photographs of a person for identification purposes taken by the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation

TuesdayFebruary 20, 2024

Legislators look to finish off income tax on Social Security

The House Finance Committee has taken a step toward approving Governor Jim Justice’s proposal to eliminate the state income tax on Social Security benefits for middle and higher income West Virginians. However, lawmakers are taking a more cautious approach to the tax cut. The bill that came out of committee would phase out the tax

MondayFebruary 19, 2024

Manchin moves on

  In the end, Joe Manchin made up his mind quickly. The West Virginia Senator is notorious for overthinking decisions and shifting views. That can frustrate those closest to him, but it also allowed him to consider all possibilities. It was that attribute that made him the ultimate deal maker. His driving life force is

MondayFebruary 12, 2024

I’m off

I’m off for a week. Dave Wilson will be filling in on Talkline.  The commentary will return on Monday, Feb. 19.   Hop

ThursdayFebruary 8, 2024

Chris Miller is making noise in the governor’s race

Chris Miller is emerging as a wild card in the race for the Republican nomination for Governor in West Virginia. An indicator of his building momentum came this week when the Club for Growth started running TV ads attacking Miller. The Club for Growth is backing Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for Governor, and the PAC

TuesdayFebruary 6, 2024

The political mine field of border policy

Oklahoma Senator Republican Jim Lankford has for the last four months been a key player in the Senate negotiations to try to craft a border security bill. A few days ago, the Oklahoma Republican Party approved a resolution censuring Lankford. Lankford’s home state Republicans accused him of “playing fast and loose with Democrats on border

MondayFebruary 5, 2024

The paradox of Jim Justice

Jim Justice is in the news in West Virginia about every day. What the state’s governor does and says is typically newsworthy, and Justice is very quotable. He is running for the U.S. Senate, so his candidacy makes news. In addition, there is often news about one or more of his family companies not paying

ThursdayFebruary 1, 2024

Notes from under the gold dome

Some thoughts about a couple of pieces of legislation at the state house:  The first is a resolution. Delegate Kayla Young (D, Kanawha) has introduced House Joint Resolution 27 calling for an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing women the right to control their reproductive decisions, including abortion.  The proposal is similar to one that