Trump’s get-out-of-jail free card

In the 1998 action movie Armageddon, the Bruce Willis character tells the federal government what his team members want in return for taking on a dangerous mission to destroy an asteroid before it strikes earth. “None of them want to pay taxes again… ever.” It’s a funny bit because it borders on the absurd. Fast

Primary Election Post Mortem

A few post-election observations: –This election saw an historic divide within the state’s Republican Party, with candidates endorsed and funded by Governor Morrisey and related PACS vs. Senator Tom Takubo’s slate.  In Kanawha County, Takubo survived withering and well-financed attacks to win re-nomination, as did Senator Vince Deeds in Greenbrier County. However, as our Brad

Trump’s War

A few years ago, my wife was at the grocery store when a fellow shopper spoke to her in the freezer section. He reached for a half gallon of ice cream, looked at the price, and casually blamed then-President Barack Obama for how much he had to pay. And so it goes for every president.

Primary Elections matter, but most voters are not interested

The 2026 primary election is underway in West Virginia. Early voting started on Wednesday and will continue until May 9th.  Here are some facts, figures, and observations about this year’s election: More individuals are taking advantage of early voting.  The 2004 election was the first presidential election year where early voting was allowed in the

Where are the new WV Republican voters coming from?

The May 12th Primary is the first election since the state Republican Party decided in January 2024 to close its candidate selection process to only party members.  The move means non-affiliated or independent voters are not able to a receive a Republican ballot in early voting or at the polling place. So, what will that

Who will save The Greenbrier this time?

In 2009, the historic Greenbrier Resort was bankrupt and days away from shuttering.  Jim Justice stepped in to save the hotel by purchasing it and promptly investing in its development. He saved the Greenbrier. Now 17 years later, Justice is in the legal and financial fight of his life to maintain ownership of the resort.

The message from Artemis vs the message from Trump

The last few days, we witnessed the extreme opposites in messages to people everywhere. The encouraging and inspiring one came from space; the terrifying one originated from the leader of the free world. On Artemis II’s mission around the moon, we heard from pilot Victor Glover. As we settled in for Easter and Passover, Glover

West Virginia’s first-of-her-kind House of Delegates candidate

Artificial intelligence is rapidly integrating itself into many aspects of our lives—personal assistants and everyday help, health and medical decisions, shopping and product recommendations, news and information, and now politics. Meet Jenny, an AI-generated politician who, if elected to the West Virginia Legislature this year, will be the first non-human to serve in political office

What are we fighting for?

The United States has joined Israel in opening a war with Iran. For the last half century, Iran has fomented destabilizing terror in the Middle East while violently suppressing voices of opposition by its own people. The world would be a safer place without the theocratic regime of Iran. But is that the goal? It

Far-right WV Senators go off half-cocked on machine gun bill

The regular session of the West Virginia Legislature wraps up Saturday, and one of the most curious bills to get traction this year was SB 1071, the Creating Public Defense and Provisioning Act. Don’t be fooled by the generic title—who could be against public defense? The real purpose was to make it easier for West

SOS Warner rebuffs Trump’s voter registration fishing expedition

Donald Trump obsesses over his defeat in the 2020 election and is paranoid about possible congressional losses in the upcoming midterm elections. As a result, he has weaponized the United States Justice Department to try to prove his unfounded allegations and discredit potential midterm defeats. Meanwhile, he continues to drop hints about nationalizing elections while

Trump hits a new low in his rant against the Supreme Court

Our President of the United States has the emotional capacity of a fourth-grade bully and a knowledge of the Constitution to match. That has been evident for years for anyone paying attention, but it becomes ever more apparent when Donald Trump does not get his way.  Take for example last week’s 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court

WV federal judges stop ICE overreach

One of the primary motivations for the American Revolution was the hated “writs of assistance.”  These were open-ended powers for British customs agents to search homes, shops, and properties. Founding Father James Madison wrote that when colonists began to challenge the warrantless searches and seizures, “American Independence was then and there born.”  Madison’s passion for

Trump loses support on immigration

President Trump is finding out that there is a significant difference between policy and practice when it comes to immigration. A Pew Research Poll two months before the 2024 election found that six in ten voters said immigration was a very important issue to them.  That was a winning issue for Trump who promised tightened

2026 Republican Primary Election may lead to Senate shake-up

The 2026 West Virginia Republican Primary is shaping up to be a battle for the control and direction of the State Senate. Nineteen of the 34 seats are up for grabs, and at least 10 races feature candidates who may be willing to challenge the existing power structure. The outcomes could have a significant impact

Morrisey’s tax cut bait-and-switch

Governor Morrisey started the 2026 legislative session with a bait-and-switch. During his State of the State address last Wednesday night, he proposed cutting income taxes by ten percent. His language to lawmakers and the public was specific: “I am asking the legislature to pass a ten percent income tax cut. I see a lot of

WV GOP gives the Democratic Party a lifeline

The West Virginia Republican Party has surged from irrelevance to dominance over the course of a generation. The shift took wing with the 2000 General Election when George W. Bush won the presidency and carried West Virginia while Shelley Moore Capito was elected to Congress for the first time. In 2021, Republican voter registration overtook

Trump takes out Maduro. Now what?

The successful mission to snatch Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife reminded me of the phrase coined by long-time New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman when the U.S. was considering invading Iraq.  He called it the pottery store rule: “If you break it, you own it.” Colin Powell used that

Reflections on year one of (semi) retirement

As we wrap up the year, a lot of people have asked, “How’s retirement?” My standard response is, “Well, I was really good at work, but I’m really bad at retirement.” I’m mostly joking, but there is an element of truth to it. The fact is, I’ve been really busy since I stepped away from

The Christmas when the fighting stopped

(Editor’s note: This a reprint of a commentary I post every Christmas.)  Has there ever been a Christmas when there was no war, no fighting in any corner of our planet?   It’s difficult to imagine since the world’s history has been a series of conquests and defenses. But there was once a Christmas when