Mannix Porterfield
Register-Herald Reporter
October 30, 2008 10:25 pm
—
Mitch Carmichael views it as “badge of honor.”
Yet, some of his fellow Republican lawmakers in the House of Delegates see nothing humorous in the Democratic Party’s final-week election blitz in an effort to remove them from the chamber.
State Chairman Nick Casey has blasted the seven Republican delegates targeted as “extremists” in a mail campaign that is costing, at last count, at least $61,000.
“It sounds like a scorched earth policy,” said Car-michael, a Republican who represents Jackson County.
Casey suggested the state would fare better if the seven were defeated next week. The Republicans boast a mere 26 members in the 100-delegate chamber, giving the Democrats an already insurmountable lead on any given issue.
Besides Carmichael, the 11th-hour mail crusade is attacking Republican lawmakers Tom Azinger of Wood County; Craig Blair, Berkeley; Carol Miller and Kelli Sobonya, both Cabell; Mike Porter, Mer-cer; and Patti Schoen, Putnam.
Casey insisted he wasn’t trying to impose a one-party rule by erasing the GOP, but wanted to eliminate “extremists” views held by the seven targeted Republicans.
“What we find are that many of the Democrats and Republicans work very well across the aisle, and that’s a good thing,” the chairman said.
“There is a kind of fringe of Republicans that I think even the Republicans have trouble working with some of the time. They have become a bit of an obstructionist to the big process. We thought from the big picture, the Legislature as a body, even though it’s already got a Democratic majority, would be even better served if we could mellow out some of the extremist views.”
Casey said the seven Republican delegates the party is gunning for “do things that are probably so far to the edge that they make it hard on some of the other Republicans and moderate Democrats to work together.”
Porter suggested the Democrats pushed a water protection bill with the underlying motive to punish the coal industry’s practice of mountaintop mining.
“I was trying to stick up for the coal industry,” he said, explaining his opposition to the Tier 3 measure led by the Democrats.
“They don’t realize that 71 percent of our electricity comes from coal and 50 percent nationwide. There are no more 6-foot, 7-foot seams of coal, especially down where I live. We’re into 30-inch coal. The only way to get it is mountaintop mining.”
What’s more, he said, the water bill would have unfairly punished farmers.
“If you had a cow or two out in your field, and if a creek runs through it, and they tested that creek and found a little pee in that creek, they could make you sell your cattle,” he said.
Sobonya said the Democrats have controlled the agenda for 76 years, and despite the lopsided split, the Republicans have crossed the aisle to help move the state forward.
“We are supported by many good Democrat people in our districts who vote for us and know that we are standing up for them and their values and issues,” she said.
“For Mr. Casey to try to further divide us is disingenuous to the people of West Virginia, and, quite frankly, they deserve better than what he is doing to with these attacks that distort the truth.”
Republicans are obligated to vote the way their constituents expect them to, rather than tow a party line, she said.
“As Republican legislators, we are not rubber stamps for any party. We were elected to represent the people and I believe we are in sync with the majority of West Virginians and those we serve.”
Carmichael said pro-gress and change only come with diverse views being heard in the Legislature.
“If the Democratic majority wants us to go along and get along with the majority that have put us for 75 years in last place and they just want somebody to go over and make nice and be social about it, that is the wrong way to go for West Virginia.”
Sobonya termed Ca-sey’s mail campaign “cowardly” and said it distorted the voting record of the seven, pointing out some Democrats joined the Republicans in voting against the Tier 3 stream bill, yet only the seven GOP delegates were characterized as “fish killer” in Casey’s campaign literature.
Porter said the mailer likely would hurt him, coming as it is late in the campaign, but added, “Evidently, I must be doing a pretty good job up there if they’re so dedicated to getting me out.”
Carmichael found the mailer puzzling, saying one of the Republicans with a bull’s-eye on his back, Azinger, is “a principled guy but he’s not really a flame-thrower.”
Is Carmichael quick to use the torch?
“I hope so,” he said with a laugh. “I want to be someone that voices opinions on these things. I just can’t imagine not being on that list. I wear that as a badge of honor.”
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