It has been said money is the “mother’s milk of politics.”  The candidates in the special primary election have filed their first reports with the Secretary of State.  Though the campaign has been quiet to now you can learn a lot by reviewing these reports. Below are...

Campaigns… are picking up…so is the snow in Elkins…Democrat Natalie Tennant has released a document with policy ideas…is she following the Gaston Caperton model…in an usual TV move John Perdue has a two minute spot…could be a good move… time for voters to learn about...

The Economist a respected international publication takes a harsh look at Barack Obama’s energy policy.  They talk about his “half-baked, reheated list of proposals as anything more than a reassurance to the environmentally-minded”.  Read the full story here.

WINTER meeting of Republican State Committee made it…held three days before Spring…attendance looked like a record…it was professionally organized…and you could sense an infrastructure coming together…members were delighted with the new less costly headquarters…even...

Sarah Palin Says She’s ‘Tempted’ To Run for President In 2012, Even as Evidence Mounts She Won’t By Jon Ward (HuffPost) Washington—What is Sarah Palin up to? The former Alaska governor told Fox News Wednesday night she is “still thinking about” running for president...

Karl Rover’s Crossroads GPS launches Wikicountability document-sharing website By Mathew Boyle (The Daily Caller) Through his Crossroads GPS organization, former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove rolled out a new document-sharing website similar to Wikileaks on...

Constitutional firestorm over Libya war and Biden’s past impeachment words greeting Obama By Andrew Malcolm (Lost Angeles Times) Oh, my how awkward is this? President Obama, his daughters, his wife and him other-in-law just debarked from five days of parties, toasts...

Would Obama help or hurt deficit negotiations? By Ezra Klein (The Washington Post with Bloomberg) The implicit assumption of the letter that the Gang of 64 sent President Obama is that it’d be easier to craft a budget deal if the White House was aggressively and...

Palin: I could have brought change in ‘08 By Jordan Fabian (The Hill) Republicans would have been more successful in the 2008 presidential elections if she was at the top of the ticket, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested Saturday.  Read the full story here....

The incredible, changeable independent voter By Chris Cillizza & Aaron Blake (The Washington Post) In American electoral politics, independent voters are the holy grail.  Thousands of hours are spent by political strategist and reporters (read: nerds) pouring over...

Democrats run West Virginia very well By Larry Puccio (OP-ED, Charleston Gazette) Recently, the West Virginia Republican chairman resorted to his favorite tactic of preaching gloom and doom about our state.  While state Republicans claim they want to better our state,...

Legislation to block EPA regulations makes significant gains in Congress By Amanda Carey (The Daily Caller) Republicans in the House and Senate made major gains Tuesday in efforts to block Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. ...

Governor Tomblin’s birthday and Speaker Thompson got the present…Teacher Unions endorsed Thompson for Governor…teachers got their present when Thompson pushed their pay raise…in legislative session. ON THE OTHER HAND…Governor Tomblin had a huge birthday [fund raiser]...

Session Damaged Our State By Mike Stuart (OP-ED, Charleston Gazette) The 2011 Legislative Session was not only a failure, but also damaging to the perception of West Virginia for those that might consider this as a possible destination to locate their business.  Read...

Trump Unplugged By Jason Mattera (Human Events) [Editor’s note:  There are uncut excerpts from HUMAN EVENTS’s exclusive interview with Donald Trump on culture, politics, and his potential run for the presidency.  Read the full story here.

Donald Trump: I’m a Committed Republican By Jason Mattera (Human Events.com) Before Donald Trump would even have a shot a Barack Obama in a general election, he’d first have to get through the Republican primaries… Read the full story here.

Barbour Slams Obama on Economy and Energy By Jeff Zeleny (NYT) CHICAGO – Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi may not yet be a Republican presidential candidate, but his travel itinerary suggests that may be simply a formality, as he visited President Obama’s hometown on...

“Now that labor unions are joining the chorus” against EPA regulations, “the pressure on the agency is intensifying,” reports the Wall Street Journal.  Check out the link to WSJ.

STATEHOUSE reports paint a picture of conflict & chaos of the just concluded legislative session…if you think this was bad…wait until next year…when members of the House  and some Senators will be running in new districts…and it is likely Tomblin, Thompson &...

Last week was the 109th birthday (March 8th ) of Senator Jennings Randolph.  To my surprise I learned in the Sunday Gazette-Mail his work of establishing the U. S. Institute of Peace is at risk. Jennings Randolph served seven terms in the U. S. House of...

THE SUNDAY TAKE by Dan Balz is a Sunday read for me.  The Washington Post columnist focused today on Obama keeping his eye on independent voters.  Obama should be keeping his eye on job creation and foreign affairs not the 2012 election.

Let the gubernatorial games begin By Phil Kabler (Statehouse Beat, Charleston Gazette) We may remember last week as the week that House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, watched his gubernatorial aspirations slip away.  Read the full story here.

Palin would base campaign in Scottsdale By Ben Smith (POLITICO) The prospect of Sarah Palin running for president is, increasingly, dismissed by a political class that sees her facing weak poll numbers -- especially in key early states – and doing nothing to correct...

David Broder is gone. For those of us who follow politics and participate in the game it will never be the same.  He was famous for walking the precincts before an election to determine the concerns, hopes and outlook for the coming election.  I looked forward to...