Hillarysworld

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info
TOPIC: 2010 U.S.H.R.-WV "Republicans mine coal-country anxieties" (Politico 2/15/10) GOP Candidate Elliot "Spike" Maynard


Diamond

Status: Offline
Posts: 4567
Date:
2010 U.S.H.R.-WV "Republicans mine coal-country anxieties" (Politico 2/15/10) GOP Candidate Elliot "Spike" Maynard
Permalink  
 


homelogo.gif

(Emphasis added)

"

Republicans mine coal-country anxieties

By JONATHAN MARTIN | 2/15/10 4:51 AM EST
Elliott 'Spike' Maynard and a West Va. coal field are seen in a composite image.
Elliott 'Spike' Maynard's message is simple: 'If you vote for Spike Maynard, you're voting for your job and to mine coal. If you're against me, you're voting against your job and against mining coal.' Photo: AP photo composite by POLITICO

Republicans believe there are three words so powerful that they might reshape the political order in an economically beleaguered corner of the country: War on coal.

With Democrats holding total control of the federal government and a cap-and-trade bill still looming, the GOP is fanning widespread coal country fears that the national Democratic Party is hostile to the coal mining industry, if not outright committed to its demise.

Those efforts are putting a group of coal state Democrats at risk as Republicans leverage the tremendous economic anxieties surrounding the future of an industry that is a vital part of their states’ economies.

In West Virginia and Kentucky, longtime Democratic House incumbents with solid records on the issue are taking heavy flak. Across the border in Virginia, a veteran Democrat could face his most serious challenge yet in part because of his support of cap and trade. Two junior lawmakers from Ohio are facing threats for the same reason.

The issue may loom largest in West Virginia, where coal mining is an integral part of the culture and makes up a full quarter of the state’s revenues.

A well-known former state supreme court judge switched his party registration to run against 17-term incumbent Rep. Nick Rahall in the state’s coal-heavy south and wasted little time in raising the issue.

“West Virginians deserve a congressman who will fight to end this war on coal instead of standing by idly as thousands of local jobs are threatened,” said Elliott “Spike” Maynard in launching his campaign last month.

In an interview with POLITICO, Maynard said: “Our part of the world and way of life is threatened by liberal Democrats in Washington.”

He pointed out that some environmentalists want to stop all surface mining, the above-ground technique that happens to account for about 40 percent of the state’s coal jobs.

His message, he said, was simple: “If you vote for Spike Maynard, you’re voting for your job and to mine coal. If you’re against me, you’re voting against your job and against mining coal.”

In the state’s north, a region less Democratic than the United Mine Workers-dominated south, 14-term Rep. Alan Mollohan is facing a primary from a state senator and has a host of Republicans vying to take him on in the general election.

One of those Republicans, former state Del. David McKinley, warns that cap and trade would “cripple the economy of West Virginia.”

Part of the challenge Republicans will have in the two districts is that both Rahall and Mollohan voted against the energy bill on the House floor last year.

But Maynard and McKinley claim that the incumbents opposed it only because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had secured the necessary votes to pass the legislation.

While the votes by Mollohan and Rahall make the messaging tougher for the Republicans, Mollohan’s suggestion last month that he could support the bill if concessions were made to the coal industry softens him up — and, of the two veterans, he seems to be the more vulnerable.

"

=============================

He has good name recognition and just might win. One of the reasons why he lost his run for WV supreme court seems to be that he had close linkages with the coal industry; and that very argument may help him this time around.


-- Edited by Sanders on Monday 15th of February 2010 11:59:54 PM

__________________
Democracy needs defending - SOS Hillary Clinton, Sept 8, 2010
Democracy is more than just elections - SOS Hillary Clinton, Oct 28, 2010

Madam Secretary Blog at ForeignPolicy.com
Project Vote Smart - Stay informed and engaged!
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.

Tweet this page Post to Digg Post to Del.icio.us


Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse
Powered by ActiveBoard