West Virginia

[helpisontheway]

I was just reading what Zogby said about West Virginia on the 21st:

Mr. Kerry’s problems here, in what used to be a reliably Democratic state, stem from his own political base. Just 75% of Democrats say they support him for President, while Mr. Bush has locked up 95% of his Republican base. Only 78% of Democrats say they have a positive opinion of their party’s nominee.

It is clear that residents here are not enamored of the White House – just 44% said things are headed in the right direction, and 50% say the nation is on the wrong track. It’s that 6% who say they are undecided on the question that makes it appear they would like to jump into Mr. Kerry’s boat, but they just can’t make themselves do so.

What in the hell is wrong with those democrats in West Virginia? UGHHHHHHHHHHHH

[JuniorPlankton]

1. Democrats in name only

Like certain Miller guy.

[spinbaby]

2. Two things...

All they're hearing down in West Virginia is:

John Kerry will take away your guns.

John Kerry will close down the coal mines.

And they all believe it.

[helpisontheway]

4. But

44% say the country is headed in the wrong direction. So they don't care if the country goes to hell as long as they keep their guns?????? UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I guess I can understand their concern about mines if they were being fed that.

[AlinPA]

6. And ban bibles.

[Petrushka]

7. "Two things . . . "????

In these here parts of West (by God!) Virginia, all we've been hearing for the past few days is that all nice Catholics better think twice before voting for the Catholic boy . . . something like that was said/written by WV's bishop, no less. (In case you haven't heard, the Mountain State is considered a "Catholic" state around here nowadays; but rumour has it that, when the other JFK ran for president way-back-when, West Virginia was seen as more of a hillbilly snake-handler & holy-roller heaven and, if Kennedy could win in a place like that--where prejudice and bigotry was supposedly rampant--he could win anywhere!)

As for what we're "hearing" in West Virginia these days? Are you kidding?! Local newspapers still haven't had any "news" about the missing explosives in Iraq (though there WAS an anti-Kerry editorial off-handedly mentioning something about it)!

Anyway . . .
When it comes to West Virginians being afraid that Kerry would shut down the coal mines, that's a crock of you-know-what! There aren't all that many coal-mining jobs left in this State because mountaintop removal and longwall mining methods have already put the majority of coal-miners out of work. Right now, the trouble is: Because the majority of men still working in the mines are so close to retirement age and their sons and grandsons aren't interested enough in mining to come back from the Carolinas, etc. . . . well, let's just say that if YOU are looking for work, rumour has it that Massey is hiring downstate.

Edited to add: Kerry's gonna take away our guns? Oh, my! NOT before deer season, please! (Sorry 'bout dat.)

[spinbaby]

11. Mining is a concern in the northern panhandle

Don't know about the south, but in the Wheeling area the mining issue is definitely of concern--most of the few halfway decent jobs left in the area are in mining. Many of the mines they're working at are actually in Ohio and Pennsylvania, but the miners live and vote in Wheeling. Murray Energy owns most of these mines and Bob Murray has sent letters to all of his employees (many of whom are REQUIRED to attend Republican fundraisers) telling them that they WILL lose their jobs if they vote for Kerry.

[Petrushka]

14. Wheeling area?

CONSOL does much more mining in the Wheeling area and in southwestern Pennsylvana than Murray does. In fact, Consolidation Coal Company introduced its Soviet shield-support system of longwall mining to the U. S. of A. in 1975 just outside of Wheeling . . . under Sorghum Ridge in Marshall County. Until a few years ago, there were three longwall mines in Marshall County . . . now, there's two of them and they're mining from the Ohio River to and across the Pennsylvania stateline. Unlike Murray's mines (in Ohio & Penna.), the Wheeling-Moundsville area Consol mines are UMWA and the UMWA is supporting Kerry.

Don't know where Bob Murray's coal-miners reside . . . though it stands to reason that SOME of them vote in Wheeling. However, when I made statements at a public hearing on the Ohio side of the river, the miners who made their own statements were from Ohio. (Same thing when petitions were taken on THIS side of the river against a Consol facility: miners mostly from Ohio.) In any case: There's nothing worse than a bunch of non-union, brainwashed and sleep deprived coal miners at a public hearing! Union miners, for some reason, are much more courteous--despite being sleepy, too. ;)

[spinbaby]

17. Murray's catching up, I hear

Mind you, I don't work in the industry, so this is second-hand information. But what I'm hearing is that the unionized Consol mines are on the decline and that the non-unionized Murray mines are growing. I've heard a lot about the expansion of the Century mine in Ohio--it's supposed to be HUGE.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Trial Lawyer Smears, Too? Welcome To DU

Thanks for the update...it's been confounding why West Va., as conservative as it is, wouldn't be in the Kerry column just based on the slumping economy, but your post sheds some very good light on that.

I've heard there's also been a large campaign within many of the mining areas that the trial lawyers are the cause for all the healtcare problems and that Edwards is the ultimate satan who will raise healthcare premiums sky high when the lawyers swarm down on the large mines for a large list of health and environmental-related issues.

Also, there's been many comments about the area being so military now...providing many of the reservists in Iraq and reliant on the military teet to survive...thus it's become far more right wing in the past 20 years...kinda a byproduct of Richard Byrd's influence.

Again, thanks for the update...Welcome To DU!

Cheers from Chicago!

[Petrushka]

16. Thanks for the welcome, IM !

Yep! Lotsa anti-trial lawyer advertising . . . don'tcha know? In the past few days, those poor guys have been found to even be the culprits when it comes to high automobile insurance premiums in the State. Of course, we don't want it known that downstate coal operators couldn't survive if the load-limit on coal trucks didn't get upped from 80,000 to 120,000 pounds--so's the coal haulers wouldn't be fined every-which-way for being overloaded!

Yeah, that's how it works in West Virginia more often than not. 'cause the people ain't runnin' the show . . . out-of-state, foreign interests are. It's the same-ole same-ole story with one big difference: Since the younger generation(s) sorta up and left to find work elsewhere , rumours are that the percentage of folks over the age of 65 living in West Virginia is higher than the percentage of oldsters in Florida. (As for Robert Byrd? He ain't exactly no spring-chicken, either, is he?) ;)

I gotta shut down this contraption before my olde eyeballs fall out!

[redstateblues]

3. nice try

[theHandpuppet]

5. Kerry needs to address some issues...

... of specific concern to West Virginians -- like investment in clean coal technologies, an issue he let GWB grab during the debates whilst he made no mention of it. In addition, the folks in southern WV have endured terrible floods over the past couple of years, a good deal the result of mining practices which leave the valleys susceptible to flooding and poisonous runoffs. What is Kerry's plan to address this issue and to help the thousands of WV families who have been left devastated by a combination of flooding and poor environmental practices? Did you hear Kerrry address environmental issues during the debates?

There are many issues Sen Kerry could address that would resonate particularly with West Virginians, yet I was disappointed to hear few of them addressed during the debates.

Some ask, what the hell is wrong with Dems in West Virginia? Well, many are like myself, and will gladly vote Kerry because I know the alternative is simply too horrible to contemplate. But many West Virginians are so used to broken promises and abandonment by both parties that you'll have to forgive their skepticism at promises of better days ahead.

This nation has a lot of healing to do.

[Petrushka]

8. Good points, Handpuppet . . .

In West Virginia's northern panhandle--as well as in southwestern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio--coal-mining = "longwall mining" = "intentional subsidence" = dewatered private wells, springs, ponds, streams + structural damage to homes, etc. Some of us (TOO many!) are paying the hidden costs of coal-mining in order for everyone else to have "cheap" electricity. Some day, folks are gonna discover that, once upon a time, there were other seams of coal above a certain gravy-train seam that's now being longwalled . . . mineable seams subsided, damaged and/or destroyed and left as just so much unmineable rubble . . . and, believe it or not, there's no known mining method for retrieving such coal in those overlying seams! Yet, the coal operators and politicians keep talking about the "Saudi Arabia of Coal" and "enough coal to last for 400 years"?

"Clean coal technology"?

Forgive the rant.

[kwolf68]

9. * will win West Va

We should concentrate on Ohio, Florida...Bush states new hampshire, colorado and nevada...and the Gore states Iowa and Wisco.

[seabeyond]

10. kerry cannot solve this problem, it is the dems to do

i understand living in the panhandle of texas. we have that here too. and what i am seeing, media doesnt present good kerry. and typically there are so many right, that you hear that all the time, the negative reinforced. without knowledge, or fact, lol lol.

the dems have to go out and educate the people what kerry is about. my respect grew in watching and learning about kerry. many people dont have the time nor desire to do.

we the dems have to speak out. one thing living in this area and the last four years is the oppressiveness of the area in my right to talk. has been palpable. but we see that we need to be organized and speak out in these areas. one person cannot do it. will take a lot. and we do have the state if we can educate. that is why repug so afraid of educated. cant control the mass

[onecitizen]

13. You all have some good points.........

but let me add these: GUNS are a big issue for WVians. And many men believe Kerry (and the Dems) will take them away. There are a lot of Military folks here that traditionally support military, right or wrong. Then, of course, there is the God issue. Religious beliefs, real or fake, play a roll. My neighbor is a steel worker who has been laid off several times since bush took office. I thought he would really welcome Kerry. Nope. He's a "Born Again" Evangelical who, BTW, likes to hunt. The good Christian man (yes I mean bush) has his vote as well as his wife's vote. Neighbors on the other side are also bush supporters because they too are religious. AND they believe one has to make their own way in this world and not depend on Government for handouts. They say Dems like to take money from people who earned it and give it to people who don't want to work to earn it. I might add that the husband of this duo has a wealthy father who has enough money to have built buildings in his honor at our local Univ. My neighbor has never worked. He likes to take his mobile home out and hunt in his leisure time. And bush is their man. Another neighbor was a business man before he retired. Guess who he is supporting? Across the street from him, I have a a white woman who lives with an African American man who was military. THEY are voting for George because of military connections. Forget the fact that bush believes their life together to be sinful.

I quit trying to influence them long ago. Each and everyone of them have their minds made up and they aren't changing them. Even when presented with the cold, hard facts, they think I'm lying, exaggerating, or crazy. hehehe (I might just be).

The point I'm trying to make here is that social issues mean a lot to these people. To the point, they will vote against their own interests to keep dip shit in office. All I can say is that WVians have not had it bad enough yet. Not bad enough that they will open their eyes to see the truth. I'm afraid when they do reach the proverbial bellyful, it will be way too late for us all.

Oh, AND, there are a lot of dirty tricks going on here. WV has a tradition of dirty tricks but from what I understand, it is out of control here this election. Oh oh. There is the trial lawyer thing too. They all hate lawyers (till they need one).

[depakid]

15. Education is the problem

or the comparative lack thereof. Of course, West Virginia isn't alone in that regard....