Quiet time for politics seem to end this week…WV House Speaker Thompson resigned…Obama sandals get noisy…the media is looking for a new Watergate [if your old enough to recall it]…some young hungry reporters have visions of being the next Woodward & Bernstein [key players in Watergate]…and WV political types are looking to the future…where to begin?

Most interesting…what could have moved Thompson to leave as Speaker now…it was well known Delegate Doug Skaff (D-Kanawha) has long had an eye on the Speakership…BUT was moving to become a serious candidate for the 2^nd congressional seat…could this be a Manchin machine maneuver to get Skaff out of the congressional race…Sen. Manchin endorsed Nick Casey when he announced a run for Congress…Skaff’s political base in Kanawha could be an obstacle to Casey in the primary…nothing in politics is without purpose.

Where is the strong Democrat candidate…for the Rockefeller Senate seat…Congresswoman Captio is everywhere…the race may be over before a strong Democrat emerges…or will Captio peak too soon?

Gone but not forgotten…former AG Darrell McGraw and his wife Jorea Marple [State School Superintendent fired for no reason] will  be honored tonight in Charleston…McGraw will receive the Si Galperin in Defense of Democracy Award…Marple is getting the Don Marsh Public Award.

State Republicans are getting a daily dose of news…Executive Director Ward is putting together a collection of WV & national political news…it is called WVGOP Press Pass.

Rob Alsop who is leaving as Chief of Staff to Governor Tomblin built an impressive public policy & political record…while at the Governor’s side.

NOT TOO FAST…there is talk of Obama’s sandals turning into another Watergate…even of impeachment because of them…it should be remembered Watergate started slow…just a minor break-in at the Watergate headquarters of the Democratic National Committee…even in today’s fast moving 24/7 news & blog cycle Republicans should use caution…let all this mature…news organization will do the job…they like to sell newspapers and increase their TV ratings.

With Republican House of Delegates members breathing down the neck of their Democratic colleagues…don’t look for a family feud over who will be the next House Speaker… Democrats well know the GOP only needs to hold current seats and five victories to elect a Republican Speaker after the 2014 election.

After Conrad Lucas defeated fellow candidate Bob Adams [among others] to chair the State Republican Party…Lucas announced Adams would lead a major email fund raising effort…would be interesting to know if the WV GOP effort took place…but Adams is filling up the email boxes across the country using Benghazi & impeachment of Obama raising funds for Revive America USA.

February is the month the groundhog appears…well guess it’s time for PHILLIPSBILLBOARD…to show up before the month is out…seems political news has been slow during hibernation.

What has really been slow is a significant Democrat to emerge for the U.S. Senate seat …now that Rockefeller is not running…campaigns take a while…and filing is less than a year away.

Maybe the Democrats…face the same dilemma that Republicans did for years…if your name was not Moore or Underwood…it was hard to become a statewide candidate…the cost of getting known today is great.

Statewide Democrats just elected to the Board of Public Works have name ID…but it does not look like any of them are going to try…Perdue & Tennant took a run in the 2011 special election for Governor…and that did not turn out well…plus they are likely looking at the opening slot for Governor in 2016.

Back to the dilemma…the names of Manchin, Tomblin & McGraw are about it…there are plenty of Manchins…Gayle, Mark, Tim and it goes on…Tomblin is not likely to leave the Governor’s Mansion and McGraw’s name is still known despite 2012.

Ralph [Who] Baxter…having just moved back to Wheeling from California…seems to be making sounds…he is close to the Manchin clan…heard Senator Harry Reid has made a few recruitment calls…but who would want that connection as a candidate… and all the while Shelly MOORE Capito keeps moving around outside her 2^nd Congressional district.

NOW BACK TO TIDBITS…

Republicans seem to like the Eastern Panhandle…they have a State Committee meeting slated for March 9^th in Morgan County…this will be a first for Ward Wyatt…their promising new Executive Director.

Nationally Republicans still need an answer…how they will face the future…tons of articles have been written…RNC Chair appointed a Fix-It panel and the NYT wrote about how it will take 20 years before the young techies can wrestle control of the party…that may not be in the case in WV.

Bill Maloney….was wandering the legislative halls recently…not sure he was looking for the Governor’s office…attending various receptions…and showed up at the high priced Chop House with AG Morrisey…wonder if he might be thinking of a move from the 1^st congressional district…there is an open congressional seat in the 2^nd.

Continuing his rise in state politics…Delegate J. B. McCuskey elected to the House in 2012…will be among the national speakers at this year’s CPAC conference in Washington…he was chosen as one of America’s rising young conservatives.

Maybe Sen. Joe Manchin is on to something with his “no labels” organization…seems no one is happy with either political party at the national level.

A senior Democrat in the WV House of Delegates…says he believes the only interest some of the new GOP members have is creating issues for 2014…if that is the case Democrats had better learn how to use social media.

Education is the topic of the day…in the Legislature…besides reviewing the Governor’s bill…someone should “dust off” the $750,000 audit…that proposed saving $90 million.

Heard on the street…Charlotte Lane a former GOP candidate for Attorney General…is lobbying for a seat on the State School Board.

Post Script —FOR ELKINS RESIDENTS (before March 5th forward this blog post to your voting friends in Elkins)

Don’t believe Mark Scott’s [candidate for Mayor] statement “I am transparent-there are no backroom deals with me”… in the February 25^th Inter-Mountain news story.   I know first-hand that is not the case.    Last June he promised to support my candidacy for a state Republican Party post.  In August when the vote was held he nominated my opponent.  This may sound like “soar grapes” so be it…but voters need to know.

BTW I thought Elkins city election was non-partisan…friends have told me the State GOP is making calls urging Elkins Republicans to vote for Mark Scott…they should remember there are more Democrats than Republicans in Elkins…that could well back-fire.

POLITICAL TIDBITS as we ended the first week of 2013.

Another Republican…House GOP Leader Tim Armstead understands the importance of working with Democrats…he recently told the Register-Herald in Beckley…”We’ve already had discussions with Democratic members about working together.”

Rumblings are being heard from 2012 GOP losers…wanting to know why…they should ask their campaign managers.

Even before State Senator-elect Bill Cole takes office Republicans are talking about him taking on U. S. Rep. Nick Joe Rahall.

Alarm sounded…by Pam Van Horn to the members of her Democratic Legislative Council… “In order to play, we’re going to have to change the way we do things…” she told AP’s Lawrence Messina.  The same could be said for Republicans on the national level.

Wonder who was behind all that out-of-state funds that helped the GOP gain 14 members of the Legislature…you guess.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…The Fix [Washington Post Column] named Sen. Joe Manchin as a Winner in the cliff fight…this is two positive national press hits for Manchin during the holiday period…other winners in the piece where Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, President Obama, Debt ceiling and Legislative jargon.

Think about this…the first strategic move in the 2016 presidential contest came during the post-midnight cliff vote in the Senate…FL Senator Marco Rubio and KY Senator Rand Paul voted no…2012 VP candidate Paul Ryan voted yes in the House.

Congresswoman Capito in demand as speaker for Republican events…GOP Legislative Committee fund raiser January 8^th….State Party Lincoln Day Dinner February 11^th…both in Charleston.

Chad Holland is leaving as Executive Director of State GOP on a high note.  He helped lead the State GOP to its most successful election since 1928. Though he and I were not always on the same wave length I respect his contribution over the last three years.  With every good wish Chad.

DO NOT MISS…a column by Dr. David Turner in The Inter-Mountain…here is a teaser…”After winning the midterm election elections of 1958, Lyndon Johnson and is paladin in the House, Sam Rayburn, bemoaned “too many Democrats”.”

Rumor has it there is a fight brewing about who will replace Senator Walt Helmick…when he resigns to become Commissioner of Agriculture…the question is should they come from the old 15^th District or new 11^th.

More Joe Manchin…he joined VP Joe Biden on the Capitol steps to greet GOP Senator Mark Kirk…who returned after a stroke and learning to walk over last year…Kirk’s goal was to walk up the Capitol steps…watching the news clip I could see a little of “Uncle Jimmie Manchin” and the kindness of Jennings Randolph in Sen. Joe Manchin…boy we could use more like Jennings Randolph & Bob or Harry Byrd in that place today.

BTW I also noted this week Sen. Joe Manchin & former GOP presidential candidate Gov. Jon Huntsman have teamed up to co-chair the anti-partisan group No Labels…wonder what Manchin is planning?

As expected the inauguration Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will not be lavish…that fits his style.

Remembering Rev. Sherman Davidson who passed away this week…he was a fighter for Republicans as Chair of the Taylor County Committee.