Broken Record

Thumbs down

To the West Virginia Republican Party for the confusion caused by the party’s Super Tuesday convention in Charleston. The objective—of having West Virginia have a say on Super Tuesday as opposed to waiting until the May primary—could be considered a success as three of the four GOP candidates visited Charleston. However, the event was not explained well enough to the Republican voters in the state, many who showed up at their voting precincts because they believed they were voting in the primary.

Actually, it was a poor job on the media's part for not reporting our local activities as we worked and prepared for the convention. I might add that our local newspaper didn't even bother to send a reporter, they picked the story up off the wire. Last time I checked the Republican Party doesn't have a newspaper or television station.

Jim knows as well as I that this will do more to interest folks in our Grand Ole Party and he is trying to make a good thing into something bad. Over 30 local High School students participated.
Anyway, this is the same editor that gave us this story less than a week ago Presidential race reaches Final Four, so consider the source. Either he can't count or he has an agenda.

Mitt Quits

I would like to congratulate Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign staff for their hard fought and sincere effort to become the next President of the United States. I look forward to working with any and all Mitt's folks!

Locals find GOP convention exciting

Lockhart said she has received many phone calls from people who were not happy with the convention’s outcome. ‘‘There were many people who were very passionate,’’ she said. ‘‘I am going to make sure I take the time to call each one. I want them to know that as the chair, I care. I want to know what they are thinking and to tell them that every vote counts at election time.’’

Lockhart said she is still planning on supporting Romney until there isn’t a reason to support him anymore. However, she plans to support the party into the primary, the national convention and beyond.

‘‘I think it was a wake-up call for many people around the state,’’ Smith said. ‘‘We are here. We are your friends, neighbors and co-workers. We are constantly working on things, not just the presidential election. Party chairmen can return to home counties and garner growing support for Republican causes, he said."

entire story

I would like to add to my comments in this interview that many of the people who are upset with our results may have confused a convention with a coronation where everyone meets to anoint a preselected winner. If you didn't come to the convention with a plan for the second round of voting then you were unprepared and at a distinct disadvantage. As I told a local radio host: We have a winner, the folks have spoken and it's time to move on. Nice to say it rather than hear it. Let's see how well folks practice what they preach!

Let me also send out my sincere Thank You to the 23 Wood County Delegates (a majority) that voted for the winner, Mike Huckabee. I appreciate your passion and support for Mike despite the contempt that was shown for us. I know it's customary and proper to receive a congratulatory call from those who lost but don't hold your breath fellow Hucksters, our battle moves forward.

Inside the GOP Convention

New York Times

Mr. Huckabee’s supporters said they saw the feud between his two chief rivals as their chance to capitalize.

“We’ve got as good a chance as anybody, given how nasty everybody’s been,” said Greg Smith, a delegate who voted for Mr. Huckabee.

Welcome to Politics

Quote of the day?

There will be tons of competition for this distinction as the day (and night, and early next morning) proceeds, but here's the early front-runner.

It comes from Bob Fish, a heretofore obscure Republican Party official in West Virginia, and was given to ABC News. Fish was asked to respond to the aggrieved charges of unfair play coming from the Mitt Romney camp after he lost Super Tuesday's first battle, the fight for the Mountain State's 18 GOP delegates.

The Romney backers were upset, understandably, that Mike Huckabee's come-from-behind win resulted from an alliance -- tacit or not -- between Huckabee supporters and those who initially had voted for John McCain.

Said Fish of the bellyaching: "Welcome to politics."

You can read the rest of the ABC story here.

-- Don Frederick

I might add that the help and personal integrity of the Dr. Ron Paul supporters was what got the deal rolling. I wish every Republican could have been in on the conversation when Mitt Romney's staff started screaming and calling folks lairs and other things, as they offered FIVE (5) Romney National Convention Delegates to the Ron Paul crowd for their vote....even I was taken aback. The despair, nastiness and strong arm tactics did more to help Huck than anything we could have every done on our own. Again, thank you to all the Ron Paul folks who stayed and helped.

Amid deal-making claims, W.Va. GOP pleased with convention

Greg Smith said Paul supporters accepted the offer after rejecting a promise of five national delegates from Mitt Romney's camp.

We Have a Winner

County Huckabee / McCain / Romney

Barbour 4 / 0 / 12

Berkeley 16 / 2 / 23

Boone 10 / 0 / 2

Braxton 9 / 0 / 1

Brooke 2 / 0 / 11

Cabell 31 / 0 / 8

Calhoun 5 / 0 / 0

Clay 11 / 0 / 8

Doddridge 1 / 0 / 5

Fayette 9 / 0 / 9

Gilmer 6 / 0 / 0

Grant 3 / 0 / 5

Greenbrier 15 / 0 / 15

Hampshire 14 / 0 / 5

Hancock 10 / 3 / 9

Hardy 9 / 0 / 6

Harrison 19 / 0 / 16

Jackson 12 / 0 / 15

Jefferson 17 / 1 / 9

Kanawha 28 / 0 / 45

Lewis 13 / 0 / 8

Lincoln 5 / 0 / 5

Logan 9 / 0 / 7

Marion 3 / 0 / 19

Marshall 16 / 0 / 6

Mason 6 / 0 / 3

McDowell 0 / 0 / 1

Mercer 15 / 1 / 11

Mineral 17 / 0 / 11

Mingo 1 / 0 / 0

Monongalia 14 / 0 / 18

Monroe 2 / 0 / 2

Morgan 12 / 0 / 2

Nicholas 14 / 0 / 9

Ohio 5 / 1 / 22

Pendleton 5 / 0 / 10

Pleasants 13 / 0 / 7

Pocahontas 4 / 0 / 5

Preston 16 / 0 / 10

Putnam 11 / 2 / 17

Raleigh 25 / 0 / 12

Randolph 10 / 0 / 10

Ritchie 9 / 0 / 11

Roane 8 / 0 / 13

Summers 15 / 0 / 3

Taylor 4 / 0 / 11

Tucker 10 / 0 / 5

Tyler 5 / 1 / 11

Upshur 5 / 0 / 21

Wayne 21 / 0 / 5

Webster 3 / 0 / 2

Wetzel 1 / 0 / 6

Wirt 8 / 0 / 7

Wood 23 / 1 / 22

Wyoming 8 / 0 / 5

TOTAL 567 / 12 / 521

In the first round, Romney received 464 votes; Huckabee, 375; McCain, 176; and Paul, 118. A total of 1,133 delegates voted.
In the second round we had 1100 voters: Romney gained 57, Huckabee 192 and McCain retained 12. 33 Delegates left or chose not to vote.