Oopsie

I forgot to end yesterday's post with the words "be kind."

So I hope you were, and I hope you will be.

And if you need some ideas, click this link.

I need to make a few notes about state politics, if you don't mind, just so I keep everything straight and don't forget anything.

Heard last night that current delegate Shirley Love will be running for Congress, which would take votes away from current favorite Richard Ojeda.

Woke up this morning to see that Ojeda's biggest rival has withdrawn from the Congressional race.

This is good in so many ways.

Ojeda has the personality to win over a lot of people in WV … on both sides of the political spectrum. He will piss off a lot of far-left progressives, but there aren't many of those here, so that won't matter.

Love doesn't have a chance. He has no money and he's 84 years old. But his run for Congress precludes him from running for re-election in the House of Delegates, giving newcomer Selina Vickers an opportunity.

So, at least locally, WV politics is looking better than it has in a while.

Haven't walked in three days. Also haven't read any of my current book in three days. I'm supposed to walk outside with a friend this morning, but it's still damned cold. Might have to reschedule that for later today.

Still Whole 30-ing, but it's getting harder, not easier. Sometimes I wish I didn't have taste buds.

That's it! Be kind.

The week that was

So it's been a week now, and I'm still vacillating between mad and sad. Progressive Organized Women PAC (POW-PAC) paperwork has been filed with the WV Secretary of State. The checking account is ready to accept donations. I still need to set up an online account. I'm taking my time. It'll all get done, eventually.

I've spent a lot of time this week resting during the day and not sleeping at night. Or, rather, sleeping for three hours and then waking up with IDEAS. STRATEGIES. PLANS. My brain is on overdrive.

Your comments from my last post are most appreciated. Thank you all.

What happened last Saturday is a microcosm of what's happened to the Democratic Party here in WV. Possibly elsewhere. I've had my eye on North Carolina politics for a while now, as WV has been following in its footsteps. I've blamed it on the Koch Brothers and all that money, but that's not the entire story here in WV.

The heart of West Virginia's Democratic party is not in the statehouse in Kanawha County. It's in Marion County, home of Senator Joe Manchin (DINO-WV). Joe Manchin – the only Democrat to vote for defunding Planned Parenthood. Joe Manchin – who voted against the Iran Deal (make war, not diplomacy!). Joe Manchin – who called me "honey."

Joe Manchin and those who follow him care more about their power in the structure of the party than they do about the strength of the party itself. We've been bleeding Democrats for years. Clearly there are a lot of Democrats who are voting for Republicans, if you take a look at election results for the last 15 years. The flip of the statehouse in 2014 from blue to red was stunning. The only Democrats in power now are our Governor, who cannot run in 2016, and … Joe Manchin.

What does that have to do with the WVFDW election? Very little, actually. Except that the chair of WV's Democratic Party is a past president, her county voted as a bloc against the nominating committee's slate, she brought the greatest number of county delegates … and she's from Marion County.

In a nutshell, having control over the women who belong to WVFDW was somehow more important than moving women's issues and interests forward in WV. The chair of the party is someone I trusted, liked, considered a friend. Oddly, though, I don't lay total blame on her shoulders. A good deal goes to … Joe Manchin.

Whether POW-PAC makes a difference for West Virginia women lies in our ability to get our message out. It will take a lot of work and dedication. We'll surely ruffle some (more) feathers. One thing is certain: It's not about me, nor is it about any of the other strong, progressive women who are working to make it happen.

It's about West Virginia. And it's about West Virginia women.

Surprise! I'm not dead!

A short post this evening, to ease back into semi-regular updates.

My life has been super busy this year, mostly with political interests. West Virginia's legislature meets for 60 days each year, beginning in early January. As a member of the social media committee for my state Federation of Democratic Women, I spent a lot of time tweeting and Facebooking and blogging about bills and resolutions and issues, oh my.

About the time the session was winding down, a freelance job - an annual report for a local non-profit - fired up, and it will be finished up tomorrow.

Which means I'm back to regular, timely, personal blogging  day after tomorrow.

No fooling.

Still shell-shocked. But rising.

Went to a little get-together last night, a post-mortem, if you will, with fellow Democrats from our women's group and our county executive committee. Quite a good crowd, not much gnashing of teeth, a good deal of enthusiasm and many questions about what comes next.

Most of West Virginia's politicians are Democrat-Lite. Our state party platform includes language that supports a woman's right to choose, but many-many-many of our Democratic legislators are pro-life. And now that our statehouse is Republican-controlled, you can bet the anti-abortion bills will be flowing like manna from HEAVEN.

(Whatever pro-life is. If you're pro-life, aren't you – or shouldn't you be – also anti-death penalty? Anti-war? Wouldn't you support early childhood education and food stamps and all the other social programs that help disadvantaged people LIVE? Unwanted children already born have LIFE. I'm pro-THEM.)

The opposition loves throwing the term pro-abortion around, which is ridiculous. NO ONE is pro-abortion. Those of us on the pro-choice side, however, believe a safe, legal, medical procedure should be available for those who have decided to end a pregnancy. The reason for such a decision is no one's business but the woman or family involved.

I feel that this and so many other good, solid, for-the-people principles will be gone with the wind coal in very short order.

I can't speak for every Democrat in West Virginia. I can only speak for me. I didn't come easily to this party. I wanted to remain an Independent, and I have voted for Republicans. Now that I'm here, though, I'm here to stay and I'll be damned if I'll let anyone hold me, West Virginia or America back without a fight.

I'm wearing an Obama button everywhere I go, with the exception of the prison. (Volunteers and staff are not permitted to display political icons on the grounds.) My Obama bumper stickers are going to remain on my car until Hillary announces. Our candidates lost because we lost control of the conversation, and I blame both the state and national party leaders for that. No national candidate who distanced him or herself from the President won. (At least I don't think so, I haven't drilled down through all 50 states to know for sure.)

At any rate, I'm a Democrat and I'm going to be a LOUD PROUD one. We have NOTHING to apologize for. We have supported the middle class, helped the disadvantaged, secured the future for the elderly, tried to do the best for the most.

I don't see Republicans caring one whit for anyone or anything except their own best interests.

Big, dark, outside money + racism + GOD/GUNS/GAYS + poor advice = this:

West Virginia's  majestic capitol building, Charleston, WV.
Altered, for the time being.

Dueling Democrats

I may have mentioned, a time or 10, that it's become increasingly difficult to be a West Virginia Democrat since President Obama became the party's nominee, and moreso still since his election. Twice. (A neighbor installed a tombstone in front of his house that read RIP USA on the occasion of President Obama's second victory. He took it down after the second inauguration, but his Tea Party flag went up.)

West Virginia Democrats apparently dislike my President so much that they would rather stay home than go to the polls. We were the only state where fewer than half the registered voters showed up to vote in 2012.

And we're poised to repeat that sad statistic this year, in an election that could have long-lasting ramifications for Mountain State citizens.

West Virginia will, for the first time, send a woman to the U.S. Senate this year. We're moving right along with that gender equity thing, aren't we? But it's kind of hard to tell the Democratic candidate from the Republican at this stage.

What do you think of when you hear "West Virginia?" I'd really like to know. Leave a comment, if you like. Neither of you are from here, and it's a question I don't think I've ever asked.

When I lived in Ohio, I thought West Virginia was filled with hillbilly shacks and coal mines. It didn't take long after my move here to learn there's much, much more to this state than Appalachia. Granted, mountain culture and bluegrass music are important identifiers, but we have tremendous potential for outdoor adventure, tourism and agriculture, among others. 

Both Senate candidates are campaigning for coal, which is an important part of our economy. But it's not as important as it once was. And it didn't stop our Democratic Senate candidate from spending her first commercial ad buy flipping a switch to turn the lights off at the White House – the White House! – just to show them whose coal keeps that electricity burning.

I want to apologize to my President for her lack of manners. Democrats don't attack Democrats. Or at least they shouldn't. It's okay in a primary to point out why your ideas are better than your opponents', but once you're the nominee you attack your opponent.

Or, better yet, you stay above the fray and show how you and your policies will make your state a better place to live. There's nothing to be gained by out-Republicaning the Republican. Can't be done. We can do much better. There's no need to pit Democrats against Democrats, but that's what's happening. Those of us who are left of the salad fork are shaking our heads at how our Democratic candidates aren't representing us.

I don't have a problem when you stand up for miners and railroad workers (I'm pretty sure our trains pull more coal cars than semi trailer boxes), but how about promoting unions and safety and alternative energy and job training? Why not show ways to rebuild a crumbling infrastructure, keep kids in school, prevent teen pregnancies, improve our West Virginia way of life?

Our Democratic candidate has a lot to run on. Attacking the President? I don't know, it just seems rude and small to me. Isn't that what the Republicans are doing?

In the end, what I've been hearing is voters will either hold their noses and vote for the Democrat or they're planning to stay home. Again. 

Staying home is a win for Republicans, not just at the Senate level but all the way down the ticket.

Instead of sitting this one out, I propose that you, if you're unhappy with the current state of the campaign, write/email/call/message/tell her in person that you expect better. You expect different. You expect … Democrat.

All politics is local, Part 2

I filed the paperwork and paid my ten bucks back in January, but seeing my name on a ballot makes it really real. Yesterday was the last day to register to vote in the May primary, and the May primary is right around the corner, and the local weekly rag published sample ballots in yesterday's edition.

See?

No, we don't have paper ballots any more, and I've
never seen anyone bring their sample ballots to the
polls with them. But I'm sure it happens!

You can see, also, that – like Vivian in Pretty Woman – I'm a sure thing. Vote for two candidates, and you only have two from which to choose.

But still. Pretty fun!

I'm off to the not-so-local state capitol this morning to participate in a rally supporting my Congressman's re-election and denouncing the Ryan budget as bad for West Virginia. Stop by the statehouse if you happen to be in Charleston around 10:15! We'll be on the steps on the Boulevard side.

The things we do for politics.

West Virginia, we have a problem. Abort! Abort!

Okay, I can't stop myself. Feel free to not read if politics bores you. I'm ranting for myself and you won't hurt my feelings.

Saturday, March 8, 2014, West Virginia became the first Democratically controlled state legislature in the country to pass a bill restricting post-20-week abortions. Many southern red states have done the same. Some of those laws have been found to be unconstitutional. We're the first blueish state to do so.

I say "blueish" because we are on our way to becoming a red state, despite having a majority of registered Democratic voters, a Democratic governor, a Democratic majority in our state legislature, and two Democratic US Senators. West Virginia is represented by three seats in Congress, only one of which is held by a Democrat.

I also say blueish because many of those voters, the governor, many Delegates and state Senators and one US Senator are what we call DINOs – Democrats In Name Only. Oh, they like to say they're "moderates" or "center-left," but really? They have a lot of 'splainin' to do.

Let me say right here and right now that I would and will do whatever I can to reduce the number of abortions. For me, that means increasing sex education and expanding access to contraception. None of us who call ourselves pro-choice are at the same time pro-abortion. It's a last resort.

And for women who learn late in their pregnancies that something has gone terribly wrong, it needs to remain a choice.

Only five Senators opposed West Virginia's bill. None of them are up for re-election this year. Which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the rest of them: They're either Republican and right-to-life advocates or Democrats whose seats are up for grabs.

The state party platform specifically states, in a section on women's health, that all health decisions, including reproductive health, are made privately without interference from the government, insurance companies or employers. All the Dems who voted for the bill flipped off the party platform.

The state party leaders need to step up and do whatever it takes to turn the party around.

That is all.

ICYMI

West Virginia has a water problem. A coal-cleaning chemical spill has fouled the Elk River and compromised safe water usage for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians.

I live a couple hours south of Charleston, the heart of the crisis, and am not affected. My most recent water problem was fixed in less than a day. Although I still hold my breath when I turn on a faucet.

Those who live in the nine affected counties served by WV American Water have not been using their water for nine days now.

To be fair, some zones have been given the all-clear. But customers are still noticing an odd odor. In some homes the water coming from the tap is green. Some are complaining about hyperchlorination. Pregnant women, children and the elderly are advised to continue drinking bottled water, begging the question: If it's not okay for them, how is it okay for everyone else?

Lawsuits have been filed, of course, and the company that was supposed to contain the chemical filed for bankruptcy yesterday, in an attempt to wriggle out of responsibility for paying for damages.

The Washington Post has been covering the story in depth all week. (Link goes to today's account of the bankruptcy filing and includes lots of background information.)

I'm astonished. Gobsmacked. Baffled. Sad. Sorry. Angry.

And pretty much helpless.

I saw Senator Manchin (D-WV) interviewed on television last night stating the issue "is not a coal problem, it is a chemical problem."

HUH?

Democratic politicians in West Virginia are so protective of their Friends of Coal [Owners, not Miners] money that they're willing to sell the rest of the state down the polluted Elk River.

As a devoted Democrat, I don't know what to do. Really. I don't. I don't want West Virginia's legislature to be taken over by Republicans. After the last election we swore in the highest number of GOP Delegates in decades. West Virginia in 2014 could be the new North Carolina, which flipped from blue to red in dramatic fashion in 2012.

I don't want Jay Rockefeller's Senate seat (he's retiring) to be filled by the Republican daughter of a former WV governor with a dubious past. I don't want my Congressman (Nick Rahall, WV-3) beaten by a Republican-who-used-to-be-a-Democrat-who-used-to-be-a-Republican.

My philosophy – and it's been a hard lesson to learn, believe me – is that it's better to have a DINO in office than a red-blooded Republican, who won't even listen to Democrats' concerns. At least with a Democrat – even In Name Only – I can get my foot in the door. My Congressman knows me by name. That can happen when you're kinda loud and you live in a small state.

Unfortunately, listening to my concerns and voting in a manner which represents me – a small donor compared to Big Coal – are two very different things.

2014 is going to be a long, hard political year.

Oops! Skipped a day!

I hope NaBloPoMo doesn't put me in timeout.

The Saturday meeting (3rd District, WV Federation of Democratic Women) went very well. We were disappointed that our Congressman and Governor declined our invitation to attend and speak, but those who did present information more than made up for their absence.

The political climate here in West Virginia has gone from true-blue to purple. And it's a kind of reddish-purple, since the Governor and our freshman Senator are widely regarded as Democrats in Name Only (DINOs). Our true-blue Senator, Jay Rockefeller, is retiring after this term. The announced Republican candidate for his seat has won her Congressional district for several years. No Democrat has come out swinging against her yet. Here's the frontrunner … but she hasn't announced.

Two of WV's three Congressional representatives are Republican. My Congressman, the only Democrat, is facing a tough, tough challenge in 2014. Tough. He's been sliding to the right of center this past year, trying to hold onto a base that has been anti-Obama (and, thus, anti-Democrat) since January 20, 2009.

The state legislature is in disarray, with the Democratic majority sliced to the thinnest of margins in the past election. My county's three Delegates are now all Republicans. Southern WV (where I live) didn't really want to secede from the Confederacy during the Civil War, and they're making sure we know it now, 150 years later.

All of this is to say that the meeting helped those of us who attended understand clearly that we have everything to lose if we don't get out the Democratic vote in 2014. I know it seems a little early to be so concerned, but believe me – it's not.

In other news … I took an eight-mile walk yesterday morning followed by a two-and-a-half mile walk in the afternoon. I hadn't planned on the afternoon walk, but a friend's horse escaped his paddock Saturday evening and didn't come back. My options were:

1. Mow lawn
2. Clean house
3. Be part of the search party

We walk horses here in the
Middle of Nowhere.

A no-brainer, to be sure. I'd much rather be outdoors horse-hunting (he was found a couple miles from home, but couldn't get back on his own) than outdoors on the riding mower or indoors pushing the vacuum cleaner. Heh. Neither of those chores will be done today, either, since my husband has requested my company for a day of driver's license renewal and shopping. Again – a no-brainer.

Finally, it's Monday, and that means I stepped on the scale … and saw the same number I saw last Monday. I'm a little disappointed, because I was down a couple pounds mid-week. If the past few months' history holds true, I should have a nice drop next Monday.

This is the third time this year I've stayed the same weight from the previous week. I think I've had three small gains since April 7 (when I began the paleo plan). Generally, though, the trend has been down-down-down, and I'm within spitting distance of a 50-pound total loss.

That's HUGE. In more ways than one.

It never stops

I bet when you read the subject of today's post you just assumed I'd cast on for a bag or mittens or clogs or a sweater or even – gasp! – another hat!

We interrupt this blog post to show off the Cabled Helmet Hat,
which is just about the cutest thing evah! It fits me perfectly, but
it's very, very warm. I doubt if I would wear it more than a couple
times a year. What to do, what to do ... I think it will be auctioned
off next year, along with the Cabled Beret, to raise money for the
Blue Team – that would be West Virginia Democrats.

Well, I haven't. Cast on a new project, that is. I'm still thinking about what I'd like to work on next.

No, what never stops, apparently, is West Virginia politics. Shelley Moore Capito, our 2nd District Congresswoman and a Republican who was just elected to her seventh term in the House of Representatives, is announcing this morning her run for the Senate in 2014. She'll be going up against our senior senator, five-term Democrat Jay Rockefeller.

He's a prince of a Senator, and West Virginia can't afford to lose him.

And so, the campaign begins. Again. HOWEVER … it's not just a campaign for the Senate seat, because she will be vacating her seat in Congress. We have a great opportunity to take the 2nd District from the GOP and turn it blue again.

We need a good candidate, of course, and my beef with the State Democratic Party is they haven't been grooming candidates. It's been rumored for a couple of years that this Congressional seat would open up because Ms. Capito had her eyes on a bigger prize, but I think this announcement has taken a few Democrats here by surprise.

And there's not much time to get ready. Not only do we not know who the Republicans have in mind, we have a somewhat moderate Democrat machine here in West Virginia, leaving those of us who sit to the left of the salad fork either holding our noses to vote blue, or staying home for the mid-terms.

We just can't do that this time. Democrats need to define what it is to be a Democrat and we need to sell that to all those Democrat voters who voted for Romney and we need to do it NOW.

I think it's going to take more than party favors to win this one.