Rockefeller challenger going it alone(FReeper)Jay Wolfe fighting for seat without support from Party

The Charleston Daily Mail ^ | 10-15-02 | Mike Connolly

[EternalVigilance]

Mike Connolly Daily Mail Staff

Tuesday October 15, 2002; 11:00 AM

Not even the Republican Senatorial Committee thinks Jay Wolfe can unseat incumbent Democrat Jay Rockefeller in the West Virginia Senate race.

The committee can give Wolfe, 47, up to $202,000 to help his campaign. So far, they haven't given him a dime and the election is only three weeks away.

But Wolfe isn't complaining too much. He knows he is a long shot to beat Rockefeller.

"I guess I understand it," Wolfe said about the committee. "When I got into it, I didn't ask them if I should. I really didn't expect them to help me much."

So the Wolf Summit resident will try to beat an incumbent three-term senator from one of the wealthiest families in America with $100,000 and almost no name recognition.

But Wolfe is confident. He's challenged some tough politicians before and even won once.

With no money from the state Republican committee, Wolfe beat 14-year Legislature veteran Gino Colombo in 1986 to win a seat in the state Senate.

Two years later he ran against Sen. Robert Byrd for a seat in the U.S. Senate and lost by a considerable margin.

"Most people don't even remember that I ran," Wolfe said, but he also reminded the Daily Mail's editorial board Monday that he got 35 percent of the vote against Byrd -- which is better than most people can do against West Virginia's senior senator.

This year, even as his own party dismisses him as running a lost cause, Wolfe is confident he can win. Wolfe says that Rockefeller's assumed easy victory is the exact reason he will pull off an upset. He is concentrating his efforts on getting state Republicans out to vote.

He hopes that Democrats, certain of a Rockefeller victory, will stay home Nov. 5.

"The conventional wisdom says Rockefeller will win," he said. "I don't think he is nearly as well loved as Robert Byrd is. I think he is vulnerable."

A key plank in Wolfe's plan is pointing out how different he is than Rockefeller. He calls Rockefeller "a typical tax-and-spend liberal." Wolfe, a Baptist deacon at Clarksburg Baptist Church, is a fiscal and social conservative.

"Government needs to do as much as possible to get out of people's lives," Wolfe said.

He is staunchly pro-life, opposes the "radical homosexual agenda" and wants to take funding away from museums and theater groups that produce "pornography."

"I believe there is a war in this country right now over morals," Wolfe said.

When it comes to taxes, Wolfe has a plan to radically revamp the federal tax system.

If Wolfe were elected, he would work to abolish all federal income taxes including Social Security and Medicare deductions. To replace the tax base, he would create a national retail sales tax somewhere between 20 percent and 30 percent. Wolfe claims his plan would be revenue neutral and would stimulate the American economy.

"It would help our industrial base," Wolfe said. "We could become again the industrial giant that we used to be."

Wolfe also supports President Bush's plan for a war in Iraq, has the backing of the NRA when it comes to gun control and wants to cut taxes.

He is very clear about what he wants to do. Now all he has to do is pull off a seemingly impossible upset. But recent history seems to favor a Republican underdog in West Virginia.

"Nobody gave Bush a chance to win in this state in 2000 either," Wolfe said with a smile.

Writer Mike Connolly can be reached at 348-4806

[EternalVigilance]

Have you seen some of the stuff financed by the National Endowment for the Arts??---financed with your tax dollars?? It's ridiculous.

That's what he's talking about.

And if you don't think there's a culture war going on in this country, you have your head in the sand...it may not be being fought with guns and bullets, but it is nonetheless very real.

[sneakypete]

I guess he was Hillary, before Hillary was Hillary!---in other words, he shopped around for a state where he could buy a seat. ;-)

I think it goes a little deeper than that. His family probably owns more land in W Va that anybody else because of their long time mining interests. It was his family that were the ones hiring the machine gun carrying goons to shoot up the striking miners in the 30's.

[EODGUY]

It was not unusual to receive 3 pieces of mail per day from the NRC. After writing to them no less than 10 times (really), I finally have been removed from their mailing list.

The topic of your post is one of the reasons I have extricated myself from that organization. I also refuse to contribute to an organization that not only refuses to support quality candidates, but continues to support rinos like Specter, Chaffee, Snowe etc.

I now contribute directly to the campaigns of candidates. Thank you for providing Jay's address.

[Taxman]

Yes!

I am particularly impressed when a candidate for national office endorses the NRST, whether it be the Fair Tax or the Tauzin NRST.

BTW, have you pinged the West Virginia FReeper list?

Seems to me WV FReepers should be working night and day to rid the Senate of Jay Rockefeller.

[EternalVigilance]

That's true.

What's really ironic is that Rockefeller, and the Rockefeller Foundation, were central to the creation and the propagation of the global warming myth. They are in bed with the radical environmentalists who, if they had their way, would totally bring an end to gas drilling, coal mining, and timber produciton in this resource-rich state.

[sneakypete]

Have you seen some of the stuff financed by the National Endowment for the Arts??---financed with your tax dollars?? It's ridiculous.

I'll tell you what's ridicilous,financing ANY art with taxpayers money. If it ain't self-supporting,it ain't good art.

[EternalVigilance]

You're very welcome. I have encouraged that exact practice for some time now myself.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Wow. What a great article...and attitude. Go, Jay!

[EternalVigilance]

I'll tell you what's ridicilous,financing ANY art with taxpayers money. If it ain't self-supporting,it ain't good art.

I couldn't agree more.

[Taxman]

You have FReepMail

[EternalVigilance]

Jay is a very impressive individual...rock steady, and definitely with a great attitude no matter the circumstances.

I'm proud to call him my friend---I think we should all be proud that we have a FReeper like him running for high office.

[austingirl]

I'm another one who thinks the RNC should help out Jay Wolfe - I like his positions and wish you luck in WV. I remember being so happy in November of 2000 when y'all went for Bush.

[Tall_Texan]

At least if you pull off the miracle upset, you'll be able to walk into that first Republican conference and tell them "I don't owe you anything. You folks didn't lift a finger to get me elected so if you want my cooperation, you'll have to earn it like anyone else."

[Incorrigible]

Birds of a feather there Jomini!

[Taxman]

FReeper Fundraiser for Jay?

I'll start with $25.00.

[EternalVigilance]

Great point.

I've made the exact same comment more than once in the past few weeks.

The only ones Jay will be indebted to are the people of West Virginia, and the individual conservatives across the country who have chipped in from their generally very limited budgets.

[Tunehead54]

You can go right here to help reclaim the senate!

Help needed now!

---

I popped for $50 - $25 for each senator I don't have in Floriduh!

[Tall_Texan]

I remember being so happy in November of 2000 when y'all went for Bush.

I seem to recall those Electoral Votes being absolutely critical for Dubya's victory.

[WVNan]

When do we start our phone calls? I'm a volunteer for that. I'm retired and don't have much to give, but I did tell Jay I would put $20 toward an ad in our P.P. Register. I want it to go for the ad in our local rag though. Jay hasn't gotten enough coverage here. I think the grass roots help is a bit scarce.

[LaineyDee]

Thanks for the ping. I'll certainly donate to Jay's campaign. Sounds like a great investment!