Congress returns from a summer recess on Tuesday.  President Obama will address a joint session of Congress mid-week.  He must believe another speech or a more “prescriptive” health care plan will put his Democrats colleagues at ease.  Well, he may be too late....

My hobby is following the national political news.  This weekend I saw where Vanity Fair will hit the newsstands nationwide on September 8th with an article “Me and Mrs. Palin”.   No doubt Levi Johnston – father of Bristol’s baby – has earned real money for this one. ...

Our readers have asked if I could get a copy of the recent voter opinion surveys conducted by Mark Blankenship Enterprises (MBE).  I gather not all the media have reported on the findings.  The first survey addresses political favorability ratings and economic...

Central West Virginia Democrats must think the primary election for Governor is near. Serving as Marshal of the Grand Feature Parade at the Barbour County Fair this week was House Speaker Richard Thompson (D – Wayne, District 17).  The Speaker is known to be...

A West Virginia tradition has been for the Governor to crown the Queen at the Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins.  The Inter-Mountain has reported Governor Manchin will be on an out-of-country trip. Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin (D – Logan District 7th) will...

Columnist Dick Morris offered an interesting perspective on how Democrats can retreat on healthcare.  His theory comes from a criticism Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) offered on the Obama healthcare initiative.  I thought I would share the Morris piece. In the...

The writers of the Politico piece “Obama’s Big Band could go bust” posted here earlier implies diminished prospects for winning final passage of a cap-and-trade legislation this year. I have been thinking this may not be the case.  If President Obama loses the...

It may seem President Obama is about to replace Jimmy Carter….you know what I mean.  Or, that healthcare will bring about another 1994 congressional election in 2010.  Republicans don’t get excited.  There is a national election atmosphere being created by the...

A reader telephoned to share that State Treasurer John D. Perdue has announced his candidacy for Governor.  Not an unexpected development.  It appears he is quietly visiting county Democratic Executive Committees seeking support.  In so doing he told one that he is a...

For the political junkies that read phillipsbillboard.com I came across this Politico piece.  I thought it was an interesting explanation of Team Obama’s policy strategy.  West Virginians will be pleased to read these writers believe passage of cap-and trade’s...

Act One in the 2012 Democratic gubernatorial primary played out yesterday in the Legislature. House Speaker Richard Thompson (D-Wayne) and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin (D-Logan) both are known as wanting to be Governor.  Labor supported Thompson for Speaker in...

It has been a while since I thought about the strength of Rural America in the U. S. Senate. Today the Outlook section of The Washington Post provides an excellent insight into how small states can influence the outcome of legislation in the United States Senate.  It...

Members of Congress look forward to August when they go home.  It has become a tradition.  But 2009 is different.  The debate in Washington over health care has now spilled over to the towns and villages throughout America. Peggy Noonan points out in her Saturday Wall...

Over the weekend I participated in the Underwood Interns Republican Summit.  The exchange of information was productive and the new faces were exciting.  Driving home I thought it is time for a real Republican Summit.  Nothing is getting done by the State Party.  The...

A former colleague (non-political) from my days in Washington telephoned.  They wanted to know if I had seen the piece “The Squandered Stimulus” in today’s The Washington Post. After reading it I thought this has to be shared.  Remember this came from The Washington...

West Virginia’s number one salesman Governor Joe Manchin has moved into a leadership role as Vice Chair in the National Governor’s Association (NGA).  All of us should be proud to see our Governor in this role. He is positioned to influence policy and the direction...

Every West Virginia voter should thank Melody Potter for raising important questions about satellite early voting.  The Republican Party of WV really owes Ms. Potter.  State party leaders never even appointed a committee or form a task force to look at the...

Emails were flying asking West Virginians to contact their Representative when the U. S. House of Representatives considered the Cap and Trade legislation.  The effort was successful and all voted no.  But the bill passed. The action now is in the Senate.  I bet there...

Doug McKinney, Chairman of West Virginia Republican Party, sent a newsletter asking for thoughts on improving the WVGOP.  He asks specific questions.  Since readers of this blog are interested in a two-party system in our State I thought I would share my respond to...

Political observers across the country have been wondering what impact Governor Palin’s unexpected resignation would have on Republicans if she decided to make a bid for the Republican nomination in 2012. I came across this piece on the CNN Political Ticker this...

Is there a more beautiful place than the mountains of Tucker County to campaign? A Friends of Blackwater fund raiser was hosted Friday by Steve White and Chuck Smith two former chairs of the State Democratic Party.  When two Democrats gather these days you can expect...

One of my objectives as a blogger is to put forward “think pieces”.  One caught my attention in The New York Times “Week in Review”.   It provides a history of how both national political parties have come back from bad situations. Those interested in the future of...

Two experiences I had this weekend provided encouragement about West Virginia’s young people and our leaders for the future. As a judge for a Future Farmers of America (FFA) project I meet nine outstanding young people from various parts of our State.  Each were...

Senator Robert C. Byrd still has Corridor H on his agenda.  This is exciting news.  Governor Manchin was in Washington to brief Senator Byrd and his staff on highway needs.  He reported on his telephone visit with Senator Byrd.  “The first thing he wanted to know was...