West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has a healthy dose of P.T. Barnum in him. The American showman, pitchman and founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus is credited with saying, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
Barnum had the famous circus dwarf “General Tom Thumb.” Justice has Babydog, the family’s English bulldog.
We have come to know a lot about Babydog since Justice made her the mascot of the ongoing efforts to motivate West Virginians to get vaccinated against Covid. Thursday night, viewers of the Governor’s state of the state address got an even closer look—too close, in fact—at Babydog when Justice flashed the dog’s posterior.
Justice suggested to singer Bette Midler and others critical of the state that they could kiss Babydog’s prominently displayed heiney. Midler earned the Governor’s anger when she said in a tweet that West Virginia was “poor, illiterate and strung out.” She later apologized.
The crowd—members of the House and Senate, various state officials and guests crowded into the House chamber—seemed to love it. They stood, laughed and applauded.
Perhaps Justice tapped into that simmering desire in many to tell critics to just kiss off. There is something cathartic and empowering about that. I’m not above base humor and I laughed out loud, but it was also a nervous laughter, as in, “I-can’t-believe-he-just-did-that,” because I knew there would be fallout for our state.
I had a similar reaction a few years ago when, to make a point about his dissatisfaction with a budget bill, Justice called everyone together at the Capitol to lift the lid off a platter to reveal a pile of bull manure.
Did he really just do that?
Questioned about the Babydog antic on Talkline Friday, Justice said folks should lighten up. “I think it was done in a funny way about a little bulldog that makes a lot of people smile and laugh,” Justice said. “Anybody that would think of that in a negative way, I feel sorry for them.”
The problem with Justice’s stunts is three-fold:
First, it risks offending people’s sensibilities. The Babydog flashing was in the House chamber, where there exist rules of decorum. And this was, after all, the annual address to the Legislature and the state. There is history and protocol.
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, who would never be confused with a knee-slapping jokester, was reportedly livid, especially after Babydog was led down the Chamber center aisle like an honored guest. The picture of Justice flashing Babydog’s undercarriage while Hanshaw sits in the background stone-faced says it all.
Second, the attention-grabber trumps the rest of the speech. Justice reiterated several of the state’s significant economic development announcements and highlighted a handful of new initiatives, but the following day no one was talking about anything except Babydog’s backside.
Third, the whole spat started with Bette Midler’s mean gibe about the state. It triggered the sensitivities of Justice and others who bristle when West Virginia is portrayed in a negative light. “Tail-gate” just reinforces those negative stereotypes and provides another opportunity for mockery.
It was trending that way on Twitter. “I think he just made Bette’s point,” one said. Another wrote, “thank you for proving Bette right.” And another said the only thing missing was the banjo music from Deliverance.
P.T. Barnum was wrong. Of course not all publicity is good, especially in today’s environment when a mistake or negative image can be flashed around the world instantly. West Virginia has much to offer visitors and would-be residents, but Babydog’s backside put on graphic display by the state’s Governor during a statewide address is not one of them.