The biggest player in West Virginia Republican Party politics

[wallybarron]

http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=12206

[Lasher]

1. We Need to Do Better

In opposition to the bond, Blankenship sent out mass mailings. Everyone I know got one. I also got an automated phone call from him about a week before the election. He appeared on the radio and ran TV ads.

I got an automated phone call from Manchin the day of the election, asking me to vote for the bond. Democrats won the support of the Chamber of Commerce, which few people knew about, and even fewer would have cared, had they even known. Democrats met in Charleston about 4 weeks before the election, but I don't know of any way that translated into getting the word out.

[davidinalameda]

2. the coal barrons are back in power

lord help the great state of West Virginia

[Petrushka]

3. "...back in power"???

When were they ever OUT of it?

[Lasher]

4. Know what I would do?

Blank Check Blankenship bankrolled defeat of Manchin's bond issue. Know why? Blankenship was mad because Manchin had raised coal severance taxes. Know what I would do if I were Manchin? Raise coal severance taxes again.

Then I would have DNR people all over Blankenship's operations, enforcing existing pollution laws. Then I would get state troopers in there to mace him, then black jack him...no, blackjack first, then mace.

[hollowdweller]

5. I'm not sure how much of a part Blankenship played in the defeat.

In my informal survey of people who voted against it I saw several things in play.

First from what everybody could see the plan would mean the state would have to pay LESS money into the fund in the present. Many state employees voted against it that I talked to because they were skeptical of the claims that the stock market would meet the predictions that the administration was making. After the state shorting their pension fund for so many years they would rather see real money in there even if it cut into the state's budget because they had been given so many IOU's before.

Second, any plan involving state money, the stock market, rosey financial forecasts put people to mind of the fiasco A James Manchin presided over. I heard at least 3 people compare the two things.

Third there is a little bit of issue bleed over from Bush's private accounts and the arguments that his forecasts are rosy into the bond issue.

Not a single person I talked to that voted against the bond mentioned the commercials or really seemed to be influenced by them. On the other hand I heard a LOT of people mention the attack ads against Mc Graw back when those were running.

[Hubert Flottz]

6. I'm voting for your idea!

If Donna Blankensnipe want's to fight send him to Iraq on the next boat!