GOP panics as ex-con close to winning republican primary in WV

[DetlefK]

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/republicans-fear-another-roy-moore-style-disaster-west-virginia-ex-con-coal-ceo-takes-lead-polls/

The West Virginia Senate race has an ex-con in the lead of the Republican primary and the GOP is fearing it might become another Roy Moore-level disaster for their party.

...

Now, the GOP is starting to worry. In a race against conservative Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Blankenship has to go as far right as the likes of Moore or Pennsylvania congressional candidate Rick Saccone. At the same time, having an ex-con whose lax safety in coal mines killed so many West Virginians isn’t a good look for the Republican Party.

Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV) and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey both questioned what the party could do to stop him. The Senate GOP campaign paid for a survey to examine the electoral strength of Blankenship’s candidacy, but even if he has staying power, it might mean a hit to the GOP brand and another loss.



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Congratulations GOP. You are now officially the party of pussy-grabbers, child-molesters and robber-barons.

[RKP5637]

1. What's with their panic, he's just a typical GOP guy. n/t

[jrthin]

4. Bingo. They have a con in the WH. nt

[workinclasszero]

10. No kidding

What's one more criminal in the GOP crime family?

[imanamerican63]

2. This has to change!

If you are convicted of a crime, why should you be allowed to run for any political office? There are so many other jobs they don't allow to get!

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Because Some People Change

They take their punishment, they repent, turn over a new leaf, and move on with their life.

Now, i'm not saying this kind of white collar criminal is likely to do that, but there has to be some room for the people who actually have turned their life around.

Kid steals a car at 18. He's now a productive member of working society and wants to run for state office 30 years later. Would you stop him?

[flibbitygiblets]

7. Depends on the state. In FLA a felon is barred from even voting, for life.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Which I Believe To Be Wrong

I know that's correct, but it's still not the right thing to do. And i did hear there's a move to change that.

[haele]

8. Well, Issa was elected several times. And most people knew his reputation prior to his first run.

Since he was living in a good "Conservative" district (i.e., he was in tight with the Orange County Republicans, known for helping to promote such upstanding luminaries as Richard Nixon...), he was still able to get rich, and that apparently trumps any known previous run-ins with the law for the GOP.

A Democrat probably can't overcome something like that in most places.

Haele

[trixie2]

14. Or are jailed for their views.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. This is who the GOP is now

Which is why so many are getting out, opening the door for a Democrat blue wave.

[oasis]

5. GOP disaster? The party that caused America to endure the disaster of Trump.

Screw them.

[Initech]

11. The GOP tends to attract that kind of person!

After all, you can't spell the word "conservative" without "con"!

[BigmanPigman]

12. Gteat guy, wonderful citizen!

"Coal baron Don Blankenship is freshly freed from one year in prison after a mining safety incident that killed 29 miners. The incident marked the deadliest coal mining incident in 40 years, and Blankenship was found partially responsible. He became the first ever high-ranking executive who was convicted of a workplace safety violation."

[Caliman73]

13. When your only strategies are to pour money into campaigns and to cheat...

you tend to get panicky when people start to wise up a bit.

As others have said, Blankenship is GOP through and through. He represents the culmination of current GOP policy. Their embrace of Trump has enabled people like Moore and Blankenship to really consider themselves viable candidate. Because of Gerrymandering, they may be so in the current climate, but with the movement to make actual representative districts gaining steam, the Republican bag of tricks is shrinking rapidly.