Political Tidbits…2.28.13

Feb 28, 2013

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 Democratsface 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 2nd Congressional district.

NOW BACK TO TIDBITS…

Republicans seem to like the Eastern Panhandle…they have a State Committee meeting slated for March 9th 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 1st congressional district…there is an open congressional seat in the 2nd.

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 25th 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.