WV: Justice rejoining GOP

[Holmes]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Ok? Should I apologize? I was born and raised in a rural community and far prefer that to where I live now. But if a place is sh**t, then I'm not going to lie about it.

[Holmes]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Ok? Should I apologize? I was born and raised in a rural community and far prefer that to where I live now. But if a place is sh**t, then I'm not going to lie about it.

[Holmes]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Ok? Should I apologize? I was born and raised in a rural community and far prefer that to where I live now. But if a place is sh**t, then I'm not going to lie about it.

[Holmes]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Ok? Should I apologize? I was born and raised in a rural community and far prefer that to where I live now. But if a place is sh**t, then I'm not going to lie about it.

[Canis]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Ok? Should I apologize? I was born and raised in a rural community and far prefer that to where I live now. But if a place is sh**t, then I'm not going to lie about it.

You posted this four times

[Co-Chair Bagel23]

Do yall think that Joe Manchin also defects to the GOP, or stays loyal? Him being different and resisting all temptations for like ever leads me to believe he stays loyal, but I could be wrong. I like him so much though, that I would still support him even if he went to the GOP.

[smoltchanov]

Do yall think that Joe Manchin also defects to the GOP, or stays loyal? Him being different and resisting all temptations for like ever leads me to believe he stays loyal, but I could be wrong. I like him so much though, that I would still support him even if he went to the GOP.

IMHO, most likely he stays. Because the first thing to do if he switched would be to vote for Obamacare repeal... And he had shown no inclinations to do that..

[RINO Tom]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Because Dems should cater to the racist fantasies of the voters.  That will definitely go over well with people.

Those are the only two possibilities, after all: go full blown racist or write off tens of millions of Americans because of where they live!  I'm not convinced the people of WV are any more racist than the Whites living in 90% Clinton areas in Philly or Boston or NYC at ALL.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Because Dems should cater to the racist fantasies of the voters.  That will definitely go over well with people.

Oozing intelligence.

The only thing Jerry oozes is sweat.

[PragmaticPopulist]

Richard Ojeda isn't too thrilled. He's created a petition for a recall. I'm a bit surprised. I thought WV Democrats like Ojeda wouldn't care much, considering he supported Trump.

[BuckeyeNut]

Richard Ojeda isn't too thrilled. He's created a petition for a recall. I'm a bit surprised. I thought WV Democrats like Ojeda wouldn't care much, considering he supported Trump.

Ojeda supported Trump? That's disappointing.

A recall's a good idea, though. Forcing someone to leave if they change party is a bit extreme, but a recall's an appropriate response.

[Heisenberg]

Richard Ojeda isn't too thrilled. He's created a petition for a recall. I'm a bit surprised. I thought WV Democrats like Ojeda wouldn't care much, considering he supported Trump.

Ojeda supported Trump? That's disappointing.

A recall's a good idea, though. Forcing someone to leave if they change party is a bit extreme, but a recall's an appropriate response.

I looked him up, and he said hat he supported Trump over Clinton because of cal (he lives in the heart of coal county), and his opposition to mass low-skill, low wage immigration. He didn't sound too enthusiastic from what I heard, but he is proud to be a Democrat and hopes 2018 is really good for Democrats nationally. But now there's also another Democrat in the race, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams (D), who now appears to be the top choice of the DCCC.

[RINO Tom]

Richard Ojeda isn't too thrilled. He's created a petition for a recall. I'm a bit surprised. I thought WV Democrats like Ojeda wouldn't care much, considering he supported Trump.

"All politics are local" has become less true in the 21st Century, but it's not totally false.  Many WV Democrats might hate the DNC, but they could change their registration to Republican at any time; they, by and large, strongly prefer their state Democratic Party to their state Republican one, and I don't think Jim Justice - given his history - is a good barometer for how WV Democrats feel.

[Mr. Smith]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

I don't recall New Mexico or Colorado having any kind of coast.

[Virginiá]

"All politics are local" has become less true in the 21st Century, but it's not totally false.  Many WV Democrats might hate the DNC, but they could change their registration to Republican at any time; they, by and large, strongly prefer their state Democratic Party to their state Republican one, and I don't think Jim Justice - given his history - is a good barometer for how WV Democrats feel.

How much do most people actually care what their registration says? That is something I feel like they would only even remember if they were reminded of it in some way.

I'd say West Virginia Democrats are mostly done, besides maybe some lingering success with a statewide office here and there. WV didn't take as long as other states to transition from Democrat to Republican control at the state level, and if Obama hadn't come along, for all we know it could have stayed Democratic for some time longer. He really seemed to trigger a mass defection of whites across the South/Appalachia from Democrats at every level.

[Alabama_Indy10]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

I don't recall New Mexico or Colorado having any kind of coast.

Did you happen to recall seeing the word "practically" in his statement?

[Dr. Arch]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

I don't recall New Mexico or Colorado having any kind of coast.

Did you happen to recall seeing the word "practically" in his statement?

I'm not sure to what extent he's using it. There's also MN and NV, which also don't have coasts. It's almost as if his point is worthless.

[Xing]

Bye, Felicia!

[BuckeyeNut]

Richard Ojeda isn't too thrilled. He's created a petition for a recall. I'm a bit surprised. I thought WV Democrats like Ojeda wouldn't care much, considering he supported Trump.

Ojeda supported Trump? That's disappointing.

A recall's a good idea, though. Forcing someone to leave if they change party is a bit extreme, but a recall's an appropriate response.

I looked him up, and he said hat he supported Trump over Clinton because of cal (he lives in the heart of coal county), and his opposition to mass low-skill, low wage immigration. He didn't sound too enthusiastic from what I heard, but he is proud to be a Democrat and hopes 2018 is really good for Democrats nationally. But now there's also another Democrat in the race, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams (D), who now appears to be the top choice of the DCCC.

Fair enough, I suppose. Gotta do what you gotta do to get re-elected. So long as he mostly votes like a Democrat/doesn't support Republicans in leadership votes.

[BuckeyeNut]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

I don't recall New Mexico or Colorado having any kind of coast.

Did you happen to recall seeing the word "practically" in his statement?

I'm not sure to what extent he's using it. There's also MN and NV, which also don't have coasts. It's almost as if his point is worthless.

The fact you live in Wisconsin and think my point is worthless is ridiculous. Where do you live, some ivory tower in Madison?

A more fair statement would be there's a reason Democrats didn't carry hardly any states outside the East Coast and ~the West~. Clinton carried Illinois and Minnesota, and she almost lost the latter, a state that has been the only state Democrats carried in massive Republican waves.

[Dr. Arch]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

I don't recall New Mexico or Colorado having any kind of coast.

Did you happen to recall seeing the word "practically" in his statement?

I'm not sure to what extent he's using it. There's also MN and NV, which also don't have coasts. It's almost as if his point is worthless.

The fact you live in Wisconsin and think my point is worthless is ridiculous. Where do you live, some ivory tower in Madison?

A more fair statement would be there's a reason Democrats didn't carry hardly any states outside the East Coast and ~the West~. Clinton carried Illinois and Minnesota, and she almost lost the latter, a state that has been the only state Democrats carried in massive Republican waves.

There you go. That's a more fair description of the issue.

Regarding the first part of your comment, I live in Dane County, but absolutely not in some ivory tower. I come from very humble beginnings, and I've been clawing my way up since, not quite close to there yet.

[Adam Griffin]

If they only care about party, why is there not a Gov. Bill Cole (R) in WV? In a state Trump won by 42%, Justice as a D won by 7%.. so your 99% of people voting on party alone doesn't hold water.

Anybody can read the tea leaves and see where the wins are blowing. Justice felt (accurately) that it'd be easier for him to get elected in 2016 with a D branded on his head. As arguably the best candidate on balance Dems could have fielded, he won by single-digits. He's betting that a different letter will be better for re-election in 2020. This isn't difficult stuff.

Especially when you consider his nonsensical "oh the Dems walked away from a bill where absolutely 0 of their votes were needed and I've been the one feuding with the GOP over it in the first place" crap, he's absolutely, positively full of s[inks]t.

[Alabama_Indy10]

If they only care about party, why is there not a Gov. Bill Cole (R) in WV? In a state Trump won by 42%, Justice as a D won by 7%.. so your 99% of people voting on party alone doesn't hold water.

Anybody can read the tea leaves and see where the wins are blowing. Justice felt (accurately) that it'd be easier for him to get elected in 2016 with a D branded on his head. As arguably the best candidate on balance Dems could have fielded, he won by single-digits. He's betting that a different letter will be better for re-election in 2020. This isn't difficult stuff.

Especially when you consider his nonsensical "oh the Dems walked away from a bill where absolutely 0 of their votes were needed and I've been the one feuding with the GOP over it in the first place" crap, he's absolutely, positively full of s[inks]t.

Maybe they just thought he was the better candidate.

[Fuzzy Bear]

How the Hell does he plan to win a Republican Primary against say... Morrisey, Jenkins (if either of them don't beat Manchin this cycle), Mooney or McKinley? His constant party switching would be seen in a primary as a detriment, not an asset (just like Charlie Crist).

Well, he is the incumbent now. On top of that, he is very wealthy and as far as I know, at least semi-popular, right? I'd think he would have the nomination locked up in 2020 if he wants it.

It's different when a GOVERNOR switches parties.  The Governor of a state is, at least unofficially, considered the leader of his party.  The WV GOP had a stable of folks in leadership in a state where it was all going there way.  Are they REALLY going to get behind a guy who left them to take a quicker route to the Governor's mansion.

The description of Justice as a "Blue Dog" is flat-out inaccurate.  Blue Dogs are lifelong Democrats who take somewhat conservative positions on issues.  Justice was a Republican interloper who put one over on the WV Dems.  He did want to avoid a primary, and he apparently had a bastion of GOP support, else he wouldn't have gotten elected.  But he wasn't a Democrat at heart, and he found the first excuse he could to switch back to the GOP.  Justice is more like Ed Zorinsky, a Republican Mayor of Omaha who became a Democrat to run for Nebraska's open Senate seat in 1976 after the GOP indicated they would support another Republican (Rep. John McCollister) for the Senate seat.  Unlike Justice, Zorinsky remained a conservative Democrat (albeit something of a DINO) until he died in office in 1987.  Zorinsky had some degree of loyalty.  Justice has none.  I can't see who in their right mind would back this guy for anything in the future after he pulled this in the way he did,

[JerryArkansas]

He's my favorite Democratic Governor, so he's welcomed back to the fold by me - plus it helps that my entire family until my generation is basically from WV.

Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Thankfully they got out.

Democrats like you are why Illinois was practically the only state not on a coast carried by Clinton.

Because Dems should cater to the racist fantasies of the voters.  That will definitely go over well with people.

Those are the only two possibilities, after all: go full blown racist or write off tens of millions of Americans because of where they live!  I'm not convinced the people of WV are any more racist than the Whites living in 90% Clinton areas in Philly or Boston or NYC at ALL.

Agreed. See a certain Philly poster that posts here.
Whites in rural areas may be more ignorant of the issues facing minorities, but that does not  make them racist.

When they think minorities get handouts for just being a minority, yeah it does.