Was there an actual debate?

Was there an actual debate?

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.

Last night we watched as the four candidates for United States Senate “debated.” It might have been called a “debate”, but according to WSAZ’s Jessica Ralston (@JessicaRalston), the Gazette’s Kathryn Gregory (@kitgregory), the Daily Mail’s Ry Rivard (@ryrivard) what happened on TV last night was anything but. Where were the hardball questions? No one raised their voices, no one debated. So I’m calling for a Twitter debate between the candidates. No, we all know it most likely won’t be them doing the tweeting, but since their campaigns cannot pick a mutually beneficial date to debate in Charleston, this seems like the most logical solution. Thoughts?

Changing the subject a little, the most surprising candidate last night was the Constitution Party’s Jeff Becker. Whoever prepared him for that debate should have given him a xanex. Someone tweeted asking if he even spoke English. Another tweep said he would be the Daily Show’s dream. Needless to say, he won’t be our next United States Senator.

Winners and losers from last night’s debate:

Winning moments:

-John Raese (@RaeseforSenate) had two quotes I rather enjoyed, the first one being “We win, you lose.” The second one being “It’s called demand.”

-Joe Manchin’s charisma, calmness, appearance, and perfect sound bites. The quote that ended the debate, was nothing short of cheesy perfection: "I believe in you, and I'm asking you to believe in me."

-Manchin taking on the “rubber stamp” tag and owning it.

Big fat fails of the so-called debate:

-Raese wearing his Rolex and black suit. It’s not a funeral.

-Becker’s inability to speak coherently (I appreciate nervousness but there are pills for that).

-Johnson waisting half of his closing “minute” to speak fussing about how he didn’t get to respond to previous questions.

And moments I was lost:

-Becker talking about physics

-Johnson asking “Are you sick enough yet?”

-Raese’s statements on global warming

-Johnson dwelling on penmanship

-No one asking about subpoenas

I think West Virginians need to see a the candidates speak for two hours and it needs to be an actual debate. You can call what happened last night a debate, but for many of us it wasn’t.

@Capito4Congress: Both House and Senate?

Thursday: Nothing. Friday: Nothing. Saturday: Nothing. Sunday: Still nothing. The West Virginia Legislature (@WVlegislature) has not produced a bill the Senate (@wvsenate) and House (@wvhouse) an agree on. As of Saturday evening, Governor Manchin (@JoeManchinWV) and House Minority Leader Tim Armstead (no twitter account) couldn’t come to an agreement. And as of today, everyone is blaming everyone else for yet another special session where nothing really got accomplished (although the Senate did pass several education bills that weren’t slated to be dealt with until next week). I can’t help but wonder how much this very special session for a very special election is costing West Virginia tax payers.

What a big headache for Governor Manchin. According to several sources, he will call for a proclamation for a special election, as long as he has the Attorney General’s blessing. Now the question is whether or not Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (Capito4Congress) will run for Byrd’s seat.

The Senate Minority introduced the amendment to the Senate’s bill so Capito could run for Byrd’s seat and for her House seat. The Senate passed the amendment and the bill, although Senate President Tomblin (@Senator_Tomblin) wasn’t happy. Apparently Senator Randy White (@wvsenator) gave the final vote needed for the amendment to pass. Senator Mike Oliverio (@Mike_Oliverio) was seen trying to persuade White otherwise, and disapprovingly shaking his head when White wouldn’t change his mind/vote. Just a side note, White was defeated in the Primary this past May, (www.defeatrandy.com).

Back to Capito, I think she’d be silly not to run for both seats. What’s there to lose? Her decision is expected tomorrow after Manchin calls for a special election. Wonder what she'll wear for her press conference...

Carte Goodwin Makes Politics Look Hot

With Governor Joe Manchin’s recent appointment of Carte Goodwin to fill Senator Byrd’s United States Senate seat, I can’t help but wonder how much the media will play up the new U.S. Senator. He’s handsome, well-connected, and the first of his kind; he’s the youngest U.S. Senator. Carte Goodwin is already the new face of West Virginia, but the more I think about it, Governor Manchin’s appointee is more than that. Could Carte Goodwin be the new face of American politicians?

During an election, voters tend to cast their ballot for the candidate they feel best represents them. And, no offense, but what does someone twice my age know about what I want and what issues are important to me? What policy needs do I share with my grandparents? If given the option, I would vote for someone I can relate to who understands the needs of my generation over someone who’s been in office for years and years. Historically, voters tend to choose a more attractive candidate, regardless of their politics. Remember Kennedy and Nixon’s debate during the boob tube revolution in politics? Kennedy was so much nicer to look at.

Handsome enough to be a boy-band pop-star and more attractive by far than Scott Brown, Goodwin will surely make the front page of newspapers and be on the cover of magazines. With Senator Rockefeller and Governor Manchin behind him, he’ll be sure to work well alongside current U.S. senators, but he also attractively appeals to Gen X and Gen Y. In other words, Carte Goodwin makes politics look hot.

Monday Matters of State: Memories and Mentions

Early this morning West Virginia lost our beloved Senator Robert C. Byrd. He is truly an irreplaceable man of the coalfields, who touched the hearts of many during his years as an elected official. I do not think any words can ever capture the total essence of Senator Byrd.

And while no words seem to fill the void we West Virginians are feeling, there are several words for what is to become of his Senate seat. According to West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, there will not be a special election held this coming November. Instead, there will be an election in 2012 to fill this seat. Wait, 2012? Yes, it’s true. Tennant ruled today that her office’s interpretation of the WV Code meant that any candidate would have to go through a Primary Election.

So what are the latest rumors and whispers? First off, the WV GOP could contest the Tennant’s ruling and go to court to get a special election scheduled for November 2010. That’s the thinking of several key political strategists and consultants at least. Whether or not that happens will be determined in the days ahead, but here are some possibilities:

Manchin could resign and WV Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin would become Governor, then he would in turn appoint Manchin to fill Byrd’s seat. This, however, would not be a favorable option for Tennant because she has her sights set on the Governor’s seat in 2012. If Tomblin was acting Governor for two years then runs for the seat, Tennant does not stand nearly the chance she would if the special election was held in 2012. Tomblin has been positioning himself for Governor for awhile now, and I’ve heard from several sources the Governor will endorse him for this position. Speaker Rick Thompson also has his eye on becoming the next Governor of West Virginia, so Tomblin becoming acting Governor would decrease Thompson’s odds at getting elected as well.

Regardless of when the election for Byrd’s seat will be held, the big looming question is who Manchin will appoint as a placeholder? I feel this depends on when the special election is held. The Democrats know they cannot afford to lost this seat to the GOP, who would love for Rep. Capito to run for this office. Some names being repeated from both West Virginia Democrats and Republicans include; Carte Goodwin, Anne Barth, First Lady Gayle Manchin, Larry Puccio, Nick Casey, and Alan Mollohan (although I hear that’s definitely doubtful).

Manchin has made no mistake about saying that he will not appoint himself and he will not appoint someone for a few days out of respect for the Byrd family. His first priority is to honor our beloved Senator Robert Byrd.

For more information on Senator Robert Byrd: his passing, http://tinyurl.com/2dccgba ; his legacy, http://tinyurl.com/244pk9c ; testimonials, http://tinyurl.com/2cyct2z