Manchin’s Poll Bump

Senator Joe Manchin may be an outlier among most of his Democratic colleagues in Washington, but he knows what plays back home.  A new survey by Republican pollster Mark Blankenship of MBE Research* finds Manchin is on solid ground with most voters in West Virginia. Manchin has a 61 percent approval rating among registered voters,

The Violent and Impactful Life of Sam Huff

On a fall weekend, while millions of fans focused their attention on the most popular sport in America, Sam Huff, the player who more than anyone epitomized the brutality, but also the transcendent appeal of football, passed away at a Winchester, Virginia hospital. Huff was 87 and had been suffering from dementia since 2013. Robert

McKinley, Mooney Square Off on Infrastructure Bill

The first issue of the 2022 Republican Primary in West Virginia’s newly-carved 2nd Congressional District has emerged, and it is a big one: The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Congressman David McKinley was one of just 13 House Republicans to vote for the bill. The legislation would have failed were it not for

Veterans Day: ‘Untold Service and Sacrifice’

(This is a commentary I have posted previously on Veterans Day) One-hundred and three years ago, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the fighting stopped along the battle lines in Europe, bringing an end to the hostilities of World War I.  The following year, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November

Gordon Gee Joins Campus Freedom Debate

The tweet this week announcing the startup of a new university in Texas caused a stir in West Virginia. The University of Austin (UATX) listed Gordon Gee’s name in the tweet without a further explanation of his role. The cryptic announcement prompted questions: What is this new “university?”  Is Gee going to work there?  If

Bipartisan Pavement

Every now and then, common sense and at least a modicum of bipartisanship breaks out in Washington.  That has happened with the Congressional approval of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The House passed the measure Friday night 228 to 206. The Senate passed the bill back in August 69-30. Specifically, the bill

Democrats Must Embrace the Possible

I make a habit of reading editorials in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.  Those opinion pieces usually give me intellectually strong arguments on both sides of important national issues—the conservative argument from the Journal and a liberal perspective in the Times and the Post. Therefore, it was surprising

‘WV Can’t Wait’ Goes Candidate Recruiting

The fledgling grassroots political movement “West Virginia Can’t Wait” is gearing up for another run in 2022. The organization this week announced a “You Should Run!” campaign aimed at attracting “anti-corruption candidates” for the next election. West Virginia Can’t Wait started three years ago with a goal of giving voters an option other than the

What the Virginia Election Means for West Virginia

I keep wondering when the West Virginia Democratic Party is going to get some encouraging news, but the bad news just keeps coming. Democratic office holders switch parties, the Republican Party continues to outpace the Democrats in voter registration (38% to 35%), and now neighboring Virginia, which had been trending Democrat, swings back to the

Manchin is on a Mission

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has finally gone on the offensive to defend his position on President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Manchin had been keeping a low profile during negotiations, but he is now telling the press why he is against the plan as it stands now. To his credit, Manchin is blowing the

Politicians and the Public Want a Refund on Defund

The murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by White Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May, 2020, motivated the Black Lives Matter movement and set off a summer of protests across the country. The frustration fueled the Defund the Police campaign.  The decentralized nature of the campaign meant there was never a cohesive strategy.

Death in the Time of Covid

Stories and commentaries about Covid-19 often focus on statistics, and this piece will as well later.  The numbers are significant because they are easy to understand and they provide a scale of where we are in the pandemic. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice cites the numbers during his frequent briefings, but he does something else;

Trump’s Unholy Coattails

I am already thinking about the 2022 election. Legislative redistricting, the announced candidacies of Republican Representatives David McKinley and Alex Mooney in the new 2nd district, the heated Governor’s race in neighboring Virginia are all reminders of the near constant state of campaigning. And then there is Donald Trump, and his most ardent supporters.  They

Hopefully, Marshall Will Welcome Brad Smith Home Today

West Virginia has many needs, but one of the most critical is human capital—individuals with attributes that make them, and those around them, successful. We have lost a lot of that capital over the years as young people have left the Mountain State to pursue their dreams elsewhere, only to return to visit family on

WV Unions Push Back Against the GOP

The West Virginia Supreme Court is considering whether to uphold a lower court order prohibiting the state’s Paycheck Protection law from going into effect. The law specifically prohibits state and local governments from deducting union dues from public employees’ paychecks. The Court’s decision may well rest on specific arguments over the standard for issuing a

What Manchin Doesn’t Want

I usually get one or two calls a week from national reporters who are doing stories about Joe Manchin.  Typically, this question comes up concerning the ongoing budget negotiations: “So, what does Manchin want?” I have gotten in the habit of answering that Manchin wants “a deal.” He is true to his often-stated position of

WV’s Low Jobless Rate Belies Deeper Problem

Last week, Governor Jim Justice touted the last unemployment figures for the state.  West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate for September was 4.6 percent. Workforce West Virginia Acting Director Scott Adkins said employment now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. “The 765,000 total employment is actually 1,900 more jobs than we had in September 2019,” Adkins said, “very

Mexit: Maryland Panhandle Looks for Almost Heaven

Leaders from three Western Maryland panhandle counties have reached out to West Virginia about the possibility of becoming part of the Mountain State. No, really. As our Brad McElhinny reported,  “In a short statement, the Maryland lawmakers say they seek ‘to open dialogue and request consideration of the possibilities of these three Maryland counties (Allegany,

The Republican’s Pointless Vaccination Exemption Bill

The West Virginia Legislature should have as a credo its own version of the Hippocratic Oath: Primum non nocere.  “First, do no harm.” The Legislature, meeting in special session primarily to redraw political districts based on new Census figures, was drawn into a debate over mandatory vaccinations.  Governor Justice, under pressure from conservative Republicans, had

Sanders Whiffs Trying to Pressure Manchin

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin recently in an opinion piece published in the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Sanders, employing his predictable “greedy rich vs. the helpless poor” rhetoric, tried to shame Manchin into backing the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill. The legislation would dramatically expand the social welfare system in this