How the hell did Jay Rockefeller ever get elected?

[WVdemocrat]

Looking back at Jay Rockefeller's stances on the issues and his voting record (pro-EPA, pro-gun control, overall very liberal) I have to wonder how he was ever elected in West Virginia. He got an F rating from the NRA and was rated a Hardcore Liberal by ontheissues.com.

[Kingpoleon]

He was personally a good person and a maverick willing to work across the aisle. Also remember Rockefeller was running in a usually Democratic state that voted for Dukakis.

[SATW]

He spent millions of dollars to run. I don't think that is solely why he won, but the GOP bench, as I'm sure you know, was not ever strong in WV, so it was easy to squish the competition.

The few republicans with any sway in the state usually kept it close against him, though.

in 1984, John Raese was not yet a joke, and spent a lot of money like Rockefeller. Reagan's national landslide also helped keep it close. 51-47 for Rocky.

in 1980, Arch Moore only lost 54-45 to Rocky.

[Intell]

That wasn't a problem in WV before. He looked in touch with WV interests, and so kept getting re-elected in a traditionally democratic state. He probably would have been re-elected in 14, had he run.

[Indy Texas]

I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he could have lived a far more glamorous life in someplace like NY or CT and probably had a promising career as a "Rockefeller Republican" and instead he chose to go do volunteer work in one of the poorest states in the country and spend the rest of his life in public service. On the other, he seemed, especially in his final years in the Senate, to regard his constituents like some primitive people who he was the benevolent colonial administrator for.

I wonder if there will ever be any more Rockefellers in politics. (The Kennedys seem to always keep filling up their bench.)

[Vega]

I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he could have lived a far more glamorous life in someplace like NY or CT and probably had a promising career as a "Rockefeller Republican" and instead he chose to go do volunteer work in one of the poorest states in the country and spend the rest of his life in public service. On the other, he seemed, especially in his final years in the Senate, to regard his constituents like some primitive people who he was the benevolent colonial administrator for.

I wonder if there will ever be any more Rockefellers in politics. (The Kennedys seem to always keep filling up their bench.)

And is he terribly wrong about that?

[Bismarck]

I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he could have lived a far more glamorous life in someplace like NY or CT and probably had a promising career as a "Rockefeller Republican" and instead he chose to go do volunteer work in one of the poorest states in the country and spend the rest of his life in public service. On the other, he seemed, especially in his final years in the Senate, to regard his constituents like some primitive people who he was the benevolent colonial administrator for.

I wonder if there will ever be any more Rockefellers in politics. (The Kennedys seem to always keep filling up their bench.)

And is he terribly wrong about that?

Why don't you stupid racist rednecks vote for us?

[White Trash]

I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he could have lived a far more glamorous life in someplace like NY or CT and probably had a promising career as a "Rockefeller Republican" and instead he chose to go do volunteer work in one of the poorest states in the country and spend the rest of his life in public service. On the other, he seemed, especially in his final years in the Senate, to regard his constituents like some primitive people who he was the benevolent colonial administrator for.

I wonder if there will ever be any more Rockefellers in politics. (The Kennedys seem to always keep filling up their bench.)

And is he terribly wrong about that?

Yes, yes he is.

[Enduro]

By getting more votes than the other guy.

[RINO Tom]

I don't know why people can't put this together: WV (and the rest of the South) hasn't just gotten more Republican, it's gotten more conservative, too.  I know we like to pretend the old Dems in Dixie were just right wing racists and it took a while for those poor, stupid Southerners to switch to being Republicans (ya know, when the parties literally switched platforms!), but the fact is much of the South used to really appreciate liberal politics, specifically on economic issues.  The real heart of American conservatism originated from the Midwest.

[Mr. Smith]

I don't know why people can't put this together: WV (and the rest of the South) hasn't just gotten more Republican, it's gotten more conservative, too.  I know we like to pretend the old Dems in Dixie were just right wing racists and it took a while for those poor, stupid Southerners to switch to being Republicans (ya know, when the parties literally switched platforms!), but the fact is much of the South used to really appreciate liberal politics, specifically on economic issues.  The real heart of American conservatism originated from the Midwest.

Tell that to the Byrd Machine of Virginia.

[RINO Tom]

I don't know why people can't put this together: WV (and the rest of the South) hasn't just gotten more Republican, it's gotten more conservative, too.  I know we like to pretend the old Dems in Dixie were just right wing racists and it took a while for those poor, stupid Southerners to switch to being Republicans (ya know, when the parties literally switched platforms!), but the fact is much of the South used to really appreciate liberal politics, specifically on economic issues.  The real heart of American conservatism originated from the Midwest.

Tell that to the Byrd Machine of Virginia.

Not sure what your point is.  I said "much of the South," and it's pretty clear that VA (along with TX, FL and OK) had a much quicker embrace of conservatism than much of the South in the latter half of the 20th Century.  I also never said that there weren't any conservative Southern Democrats, simply that the South has gotten much more conservative in even the last 20 years, which I'm not sure how you can refute.

So again, not sure what your point is...

[RFayette]

I don't know why people can't put this together: WV (and the rest of the South) hasn't just gotten more Republican, it's gotten more conservative, too.  I know we like to pretend the old Dems in Dixie were just right wing racists and it took a while for those poor, stupid Southerners to switch to being Republicans (ya know, when the parties literally switched platforms!), but the fact is much of the South used to really appreciate liberal politics, specifically on economic issues.  The real heart of American conservatism originated from the Midwest.

Tell that to the Byrd Machine of Virginia.

Not sure what your point is.  I said "much of the South," and it's pretty clear that VA (along with TX, FL and OK) had a much quicker embrace of conservatism than much of the South in the latter half of the 20th Century.  I also never said that there weren't any conservative Southern Democrats, simply that the South has gotten much more conservative in even the last 20 years, which I'm not sure how you can refute.

So again, not sure what your point is...

You'd also have to include South Carolina to that list of states quick to embrace conservatism, at a minimum.

[RINO Tom]

I don't know why people can't put this together: WV (and the rest of the South) hasn't just gotten more Republican, it's gotten more conservative, too.  I know we like to pretend the old Dems in Dixie were just right wing racists and it took a while for those poor, stupid Southerners to switch to being Republicans (ya know, when the parties literally switched platforms!), but the fact is much of the South used to really appreciate liberal politics, specifically on economic issues.  The real heart of American conservatism originated from the Midwest.

Tell that to the Byrd Machine of Virginia.

Not sure what your point is.  I said "much of the South," and it's pretty clear that VA (along with TX, FL and OK) had a much quicker embrace of conservatism than much of the South in the latter half of the 20th Century.  I also never said that there weren't any conservative Southern Democrats, simply that the South has gotten much more conservative in even the last 20 years, which I'm not sure how you can refute.

So again, not sure what your point is...

You'd also have to include South Carolina to that list of states quick to embrace conservatism, at a minimum.

True, just named a few.  SC is definitely one.

[smoltchanov]

I always separated southern states in 2 groups: one, more mobile, with heavy inmigration, more quickly developing economy, and so on - like Texas and Florida (add to this  (because of "special circumstances") Virginia and South Carolina with their very conservative leading politicians, like members of Harry Byrd "machine" in former and Thurmond and Watson in later, and still - better development then in most southern states) embraced conservatism earlier and more easily. For the time being it was a "Democratic conservatism", but soon people in this camp began to feel more comfortably with much more conservative in general Republican party and realignment -began. Another - Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee (except eastern part), even Oklahoma (with Georgia and North Carolina located somewhere "in between" for a long time, but now - located somewhere between "southern" politics and "national" one) were deeply parochial and socially conservative, but mostly populist economicaly, and held their Democratic allegiance longer (especially on state and local level, where there was a lot of "suitable" politicians). West Virginia (mix of the South and MidWest with a little bit of NorthEast) was in the second camp - with relatively srtong unions, fond memories of Franklin Roosevelt and so on. Until recently. So, Jay Rockefeller was close to ideal candidate for 1970th -  1980th, quite acceptablre - even for 2000th, and so on. But - not now....

[Nyvin]

West Virginia was only heavily Democratic due to the enormous Labor Union presence in the state (especially coal unions).   

Once the Democratic Party moved away from Unions as their foundation and became anti-coal....West Virginia had no real connection to the Democrats anymore.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Rockefeller was always a backbencher yes man who never inspired the respect or commanded the purse strings that Byrd did. He managed to make a 30 year career in the Senate by basically schmoozing the elites in the state. After 30 years of going with the flow, Rockefeller in his final year started bucking the trend. All the while, Byrd, who had been Senate Majority Leader and President Pro-Tempore, had been a fairly regular rebel who bucked the trend on issues like the Gulf War.

 

I have mixed feelings about him. On one hand, he could have lived a far more glamorous life in someplace like NY or CT and probably had a promising career as a "Rockefeller Republican" and instead he chose to go do volunteer work in one of the poorest states in the country and spend the rest of his life in public service. On the other, he seemed, especially in his final years in the Senate, to regard his constituents like some primitive people who he was the benevolent colonial administrator for.

I wonder if there will ever be any more Rockefellers in politics. (The Kennedys seem to always keep filling up their bench.)

And is he terribly wrong about that?

Enjoy President Trump.