I’m supposed to make the subject of West Virginia politics as entertaining and interesting as possible.
One way to do that is to convince readers that Democrats stand some chance of wrestling at least one house of legislative control from the Republican supermajority in November. But there’s no point lying to astute readers such as ours.
Face it: I could list each of the contested legislative races and insist they’re tight. In many cases, I’d look like a fool. (As if one could look more foolish than I did after the Alex Mooney-David McKinley GOP Congressional primary debacle).
The state Democrat party is not going to take control of either house of the legislature in November.
The fact is that the GOP has a supermajority in both houses. Likely they’ll have as many — or more — seats come January 2023.
The reasons are obvious. They’ve played to their base, at least rhetorically. Listen to a group of Republican legislators and you’d think they stood for right wing values on every issue. Check the record: they don’t.
No group of wild-eyed liberals could have been more supportive of power-crazed Governor Jim Justice than these Republicans. They were afraid to even ask for a special session let alone stand up to his dictatorial rule.
I wondered aloud during regular sessions how these so-called liberty-loving Republicans would handle re-election advertising.
Simple. They just ignored their own voting records and ballyhooed what conservative stalwarts they are. Justice could sell a few more pounds of this bullsh– on the open market.
It’s 100% pure. Meanwhile, the vast majority of statehouse Republicans would hold his hand through the process.
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I speculated for two years that Republican legislators would run 2022 ads sounding like rock-ribbed conservatives while allowing Governor Justice to ride roughshod over the entire state and its citizens.
I honestly think this crossbred liberalism will cost the GOP a few legislative seats. But not enough to threaten the supermajorities.
I hate to be repetitive but any group of legislators who would sit back and let the primary election be held on a date contrary to the constitution has few libertarian principles. That was simply wrong, no matter who did it.
And, we all know, blatant disregard for the constitution didn’t end there.
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I’m not unaware that I criticize Republican legislators for not toeing the conservative line when I don’t either. But I’m not an elected GOP legislator. I don’t hold myself out to be 100% pure. I don’t solicit liberty-loving votes.
All of this leads me to how appalled I am at the most recent rounds of mass shootings in the U.S.
Although I don’t pretend to have answers for all the related questions, I am shocked that normally sane and reasonable friends and associates find it possible to criticize anti-gun proponents in light of the deaths of youngsters all across the country.
How can deeply-religious folks defend murder and simply ignore the sin being committed?
I’ve written it repeatedly over the years: how many children must senselessly perish for it to justify ten guns for every citizen — including children?
I’ve stopped stating my opinion on it as much as I once did because it accomplishes little if anything. I’ve never had the first person tell me they’d changed their attitude on guns based on my comments. Certainly, I’ve not switched either.
The Second Amendment guarantees guns for a “well regulated militia.” That’s NOT every nut case who wants a gun in hand.
My definition of a “well regulated militia” involves the military and law enforcement. THAT’S who is authorized to have guns.
My opinion. My bewilderment that anyone could think killing kids is justified by allowing EVERYONE to tote a firearm.
I know. I know. You don’t agree.
Not one innocent life is worth the cost of simply arming everyone in the nation. That’s the choice and thousands of you choose guns over children.
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Former Democrat (now Republican) Mark Hunt and incumbent Democrat Senator Richard Lindsay will have an interesting showdown for the new District 8 State Senate seat.
Although the geography of the district has changed (and no reflection on Hunt), I find it disheartening that Republican voters turned their backs on hard-working GOP Senator Joshua Higginbotham. That the defeat is likely attributable to Higginbotham’s honest, courageous stand on one personal issue is a sad commentary.
Higginbotham is a bigger man than those who criticized him.
Ron Gregory is a political commentator and reporter for LOOTPRESS. Contact him at 304-533-5185; ronjgregory@gmail.com; or PO Box 20297, Charleston, WV 25362. Confidentiality is guaranteed.
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