RED = Republican Party Governor
BLUE = Democrat Party Governor
YELLOW = Independent Party Governor
Posted on 08/04/2017 5:57:58 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. — While it is highly unusual for a sitting governor to change political parties while in office — as West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (D) announced he would do during a rally with President Trump on Thursday night — the process of crossing over was familiar to many in the crowd that night.
Kimberly Barrington, a 46-year-old stay-at-home mother of two from Virginia’s rural Wise County, voted for Democrats for years, including former president Barack Obama ahead of his first term — but as she watched him and the Democratic Party drift away from her values and priorities, she decided to vote in 2012 for Republican nominee Mitt Romney and then for Trump in 2016.
Marty Ramsey, a 49-year-old from Kenova who maintains trains, became an independent several years ago after watching Democrats allow the government to become heavily involved in health care, implement Common Core education standards that he thinks are too liberal, reduce access to firearms and narrow the freedoms of Americans. After not voting in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Ramsey voted for Trump last year.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When articulated, which most of the GOP FAIL AT miserably, our message resounds with many.
Who on Earth could belong to the Party of:
Abortion
G-dlessness
Slavery
Segregation
Communism (including any and all ‘lite’ versions)
I’ll never understand it.
False! Jimmy J is a hard core elitist who threw food at a fast food drive through worker, eyewitness account. While throwing the food at the minimum wage worker he ranted, don’t you know who I Am?
He is NOT a win for everyday Americans and conservatives. He is an elitist opportunist and he would hesitate to tell you who he is!
Probably true. Feinstine was a pretty good Mayor-even in SF. Whako in DC.
Did you listen to the rally? I got the feeling this guy is an imperfect man, a billionaire from the coal industry, who wants to bring West Virginia back from the abyss. He said he went to DC to talk to dems about his priorities and got nowhere. I believe him. Remember hillary's attitude to West Virginians "let them program computers". Political elitists and their fellow swampthings will never understand the independent streak in rural Americans.
If this can lead to bipartisan coordination on a bill that brings jobs and opportunities back to impoverished areas, we should be embracing the move. Besides which, can momentum in West Virginia bring Manchin over to not becoming Republican, but perhaps going along with bipartisan cooperation to bring jobs which will help bring West Virginia back?
So, he’s just trying to save his hide for his next election? No surprise there. Let’s see if he actually embraces Conservative values. Probably not, but if he doesn’t, the Republican designation will (hopefully) not help him in the Primary.
My guess is, that is one factor. My other guess is cash money baby.
Ummmm.. the guy was a Republican until 2015. All his instincts are for coal mining and manufacturing jobs. He is not going back to the Democrats.
National Dumbocrats truly do not understand this area. I live in Southwestern Pa and we are a lot like our brothers and sisters in West Virginia. We are part of that Appalachian community. Pittsburgh acquired the nickname many years ago as the Paris of Appalachia. We along with the rest of the rust belt and much of the Midwest share a lot of common values.
Here, Democrats believe in taxing the rich, unions and things like that, but they are socially conservative. They believe in God, Country, Guns etc... The NRA is huge in this part of the country, as well as the Church and pro life movements. These are a lot of the issues that are turning many Democrats in this part of the country towards the Republicans.
Specifically in the Appalachia region, the whole green energy kick and global warming is one more thing turning Democrats towards Republicans. This BS science has real consequences for people here in the coal, natural gas and fracking industries.
Is Manchin next?
RED = Republican Party Governor
BLUE = Democrat Party Governor
YELLOW = Independent Party Governor
What momentum? Justice *WAS* a Republican...then in '15 he became a RAT to run *AGAINST* a Republican....now he's back to being a Republican and guess what...........he's STILL the same old pussbag he always was!!!!
He said he went to DC to talk to dems about his priorities and got nowhere
Just like he got nowhere in Charleston with the Republican controlled legislature and senate!!!
Folks, I tell you it's the UNIPARTY and this helps prove it.
-—Virginia’s rural Wise County-—
Wise county is not in West Virginia. Wise County is in South West Virginia and is a red county. Towns in clude Appalachia,Big Stone Gap, Coeburn, Pound, Norton, Wise, and St. Paul
Extremely poor reporting
“I live in Southwestern Pa and we are a lot like our brothers and sisters in West Virginia.”
Me too, and just yesterday I spoke to ANOTHER old white guy registered Democrat all of his life that sounded like a FReeper and loves Trump. People don’t realize that Trump won PA because Alleghenies County (Pittsburgh) went to Hillary...but not as much as usual. It’s usually 80% D in elections or better and this time it was 60-40. That, plus massive Trump turnout won PA.
Seeing how the Republican party is treating President Trump in Washington, and even here in WV (see Sen. Crapito) I don’t see how a love of Trump translates to a love of Republicans.
Do any of you see the Justice changing his tune to satisfy the GOP WV legislature or senate...or them changing to satisfy him?
Today in this country we have a two party system......TRUMP....v....UNIPARTY!!
“Today in this country we have a two party system......TRUMP....v....UNIPARTY!!”
As much as that is true, when you walk into a voting booth you pick between R or D. There’s no T or U. The primaries will be where the action is on the R side this election.
Yes, they don’t get it. Many Republicans in Washington don’t get it either. If the Pubbies don’t put a stop to this BS with Mueller impaneling a grand jury and looking into Trump’s finances and tax returns etc... there is going to be some serious consequences for the political class.
I dare say there isn’t a billionaire alive who has international ties, etc.. who could withstand the scrutiny of a bunch of lawyers and a grand jury giving them a rectal cavity search. This is a sham kangaroo court to bring grounds for impeachment. You can agree or disagree with whether Trump is fit to be President, but 60 million plus people believe he is and if we are to live in a free country, the political class has to respect the will of the people.
” the political class has to respect the will of the people.”
Only when we vote them in or out do they respect us. The DNC obviously has to be hurt some more for them to get it, and so do RINOs.
Riiiiiight.
Saw how well that worked for us in ‘10, ‘12 and ‘14. The ONLY reason we got President Trump in ‘16 was a colossal mis-step by the GOP. That ain’t happenin’ again.
The solutions to the problems facing this nation lie beyond the voting booth.
Very well said.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
