Raese |

What Happened to Conservatives in West Virginia on 11/2?

November 4, 2010 By Jeremy Dys

Ok, now the most difficult, technical post to report on following Tuesday’s elections. These are my 2-cents, but I’d like to hear what you think. What do you think of the 2010 elections in WV? Leave us a note in the comments.

I think it is safe to say that West Virginia may be the trailing edge of whatever “tsunami” hit the rest of the country on Tuesday. Only 1 of 3 Congressional seats flipped. The Senate seat remained within the same party with a new senator whose commitment to social values is spotty. The state legislature saw some gains in the house, but some losses in the senate. So, what are we to make of it all?

First, it is clear that the liberal coalition did a much better job of voter turnout than the conservative coalition did. Of course that boils down primarily to the influence of the unions. (Note: anyone who said that the Citizens United case would drown this race in corporate money must not have meant WV. Unions clearly outspent any company. And defeated Democrats, evidently, outspent – by $35 MILLION – in their loss to their challengers. Not that I mind, necessarily, just an interesting point.)

The blame for this probably lies at the feet of the republican party more than anywhere else, though I don’t mean to criticize them or praise the democratic party either. It’s just that one had a better coalition than the other. But it seems pretty clear that the GOP assumed their base would turn out so they didn’t really bother focusing on voter turnout. As a result,WV3 went back to the incumbent.

Reviewing the numbers, it makes sense. It wasn’t the so-called, “soft-democrats” who failed to turn out, it was conservative republicans. In some southern WV counties, Raese and Maynard received more democratic votes than they did GOP votes! If you compare 2004 (when a major GOP push was underway to turnout their base) numbers to 2010, you see that – even though the margin of victory was significantly lower in 2010, more than 12,000 conservative voters turned out in 2004. Make that happen in 2010 and Rahall is likely defeated.

And, note that this wasn’t an issue of voter education. More voter’s guides or legislative scorecards or TV commercials, radio ads, viral videos, or anything would not have made a major difference. Projects that motivated voters to the polls were what would have made the difference.

[Read more...]

About Jeremy Dys

Jeremy Dys is the FPCWV's President and General Counsel. In addition to his duties of providing strategic vision and leadership to the FPCWV, Dys is the chief lobbyist and spokesman. Dys is regularly featured in local, state, and national print, radio, and television outlets. He lives close to Charleston with his wife and growing family.

Filed Under: Life, Marriage, Religious Freedom Tagged With: 2010 election, abortion, dnc, Fleischauer, GOP, Life, manchin, Marriage, Maynard, mckinley, Oliverio, Raese, Rahall, Religious Freedom, same-sex marriage

I Know Who Will Win the WV Senate Race Between Manchin and Raese!

November 1, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 11/01/2010

Martinsburg, WV – I’m sure you started reading this out of curiosity over whether or not I really know who will win the race. The answer is coming. But first, let me share a few of the headlines making news across the nation regarding this tight, closely watched race.

The first thing I noticed was that Fox had released poll results showing Raese with 48 – 46 percent lead over Manchin. Fox says that must be a little nerve-wracking for political analysts and liberals in Washington that Raese has been able to stay so close and even ahead of Manchin despite some of the negative attack ads that have been released. No doubt many in D.C. are watching this contest and anxiously awaiting the results. It would be a groundbreaking moment for West Virginia to send a conservative, Republican senator to represent us. The funny thing, he more closely resembles West Virginian’s and the values we believe in than anyone else.

On the other hand, Rasmussen has recently released a poll that shows Manchin taking a small lead, 49-46 percent, over Raese. This is the first time Rasmussen has shown any lead for Manchin since back in September. But the results are within the poll’s margin of error. Rasmussen says the results show a rise in conservative voter support for Manchin. That doesn’t quite add up considering Manchin’s position on conservative issues. He supported Obamacare (including the expansion of abortion in it), and only back tracked when his poll numbers tanked. He has not supported marriage as one man and one woman or done anything to protect marriage in West Virginia – so why would he do anything to support it nation-wide while in D.C.?

Maybe conservative voters have been fooled by Manchin’s attempts to distance himself from President Obama and his policies. Make no mistake, Manchin will be a rubber-stamp for Obama and liberal agenda that we as American’s and West Virginian’s are fighting hard to oppose. Manchin will not support repealing Obamacare, he will support Can-n-Trade, he will support repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” he will not support life and the unborn the way we desire, he will support all the things we oppose.

And last but not least, the investigation into the Manchin administration has gotten larger and implicated more people throughout the state. Will Manchin even be able to represent us? Will the investigation take him down along with others in his administration? It has to be considered.

So who will win this election? It’s simple, whoever you vote for.

West Virginian’s have a historic opportunity to send someone to Washington that will represent us in the way we desire. Someone that believes in defending the unborn and has a 100% pro-life record, someone that believes marriage is for one man and one woman and will defend that belief, and someone that will stop the senseless spending that has taken place in Washington with the Obama administration. John Raese is a successful businessman that knows how to create and sustain jobs. He will take that success to Washington on behalf of all West Virginian’s. Since he owns a mine in the state we can be sure he will do nothing to hinder the coal industry in the state – such as Manchin’s cap-n-trade like bill signed into law in 2009.

For me the choice seems obvious, let’s hope the rest of the state sees it as clearly as I do.

About Nathan Cherry

Nathan Cherry is the chief editor and blogger for the Engage Family Minute blog, the official blog of the FPCWV. He serves also as the Regional Development Coordinator as a liaison to the pastor's of West Virginia. He is a pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-religious freedom conservative. He is also a husband, father, pastor, author, musician, and follower of Jesus Christ.

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: manchin, Raese, WV Sentate Race 2010

URGENT!: You Will Not Believe Who Endorsed John Raese!

October 20, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 10/20/2010

Martinsburg, WV – The Senate race between John Raese and Joe Manchin is really heating up, much more than anyone ever expected. While some assumed the winner would be the well liked Joe Manchin, they did not account for the fact that he would be a rubber stamp for President Obama and his policies. This could be a fatal error considering that barely 30% of West Virginian’s approve of President Obama; and why would we want to send someone to Washington that will merely do what the President wants?

Now, a bombshell has been dropped.

The Charleston Daily Mail recently wrote

“The liberal wing of the Democratic Party want to keep churning out more of the same – perhaps another bailout, another entitlement program, a 2,000-page energy bill, a big tax increase on Jan. 1…From the bailouts of GM and Chrysler to the $787 billion stimulus, Democrats have arrogantly rejected public opinion to pursue one failed policy after another…In the middle of the worst recession in decades, Democrats used their majority to enact a trillion-dollar new entitlement program – Obamacare…Raese would oppose more of this foolishness and push to get the nation back on the right track…That’s what needs to happen. Americans need to get the lead out of the economy and get growing again…John Raese would help make sure it does.”

That’s right; The Charleston Daily Mail has endorsed John Raese for Senate.

Such a blow to the Manchin campaign has Manchin reeling in an already close race. After he took a narrow lead following an ad attacking Raese, the latest Rasmussen poll shows Raese once again leading Manchin by a 50% to 43% margin. This makes the race one of the few “toss-up” races left as Raese gains his largest lead to date.

But why is this once sleepy race so close? The answer seems obvious to most people. The people of West Virginia want a candidate that will listen to them, and oppose the socialist agenda of President Obama and the liberals in Washington. Unfortunately, Manchin has not made it clear that he would do that.

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: manchin, Raese, Rasmussen Poll, WV Senate Race 2010

You Have to Read This Before Voting for Manchin or Raese

October 15, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 10/15/2010

Martinsburg, WV – Unless you’ve been on vacation or otherwise out of touch for the last two weeks you have no doubt been riveted by the senate race between Joe Manchina and John Raese. It’s a race that many political analysts gave no thought to; believing Joe Manchin had it won hands down. They, along with many people across the nation were surprised to see the race so tight; not to mention the possibility that John Raese could actually win.

In fact, Manchin has become so nervous about the race that he brought in former President Bill Clinton to campaign for him. The rally, reported by ABC News quotes Clinton as saying, “‘He did every single thing you want Washington to do,’ Clinton said of Manchin during an event in Morgantown, W.Va. If it weren’t for the nation’s economic struggles, Clinton said, Manchin would ‘be ahead by 30 points, and you know it.’”

It’s a nice thought from Clinton, but I don’t think it’s all about the economy. We’ve reported before that a super-majority of West Virginian’s are pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. Joe Manchin has done little-to-nothing to defend life or marriage in West Virginia. So it could be that many citizens are simply tired of sending senators to Washington that will ignore their pro-life pro-traditional marriage beliefs and continue to support a liberal social agenda.

Maybe you saw this ad on TV or the internet. Here Manchin is shown with a gun touting his NRA endorsement and saying he will fight for repeal of the “bad” parts of Obamacare and fight Cap-n-Trade.

It’s interesting to note that Manchin has publicly said on a number of occasions that he supports Obamacare and would have voted for it. Now, he seems to be changing his tune and saying he would repeal the “bad” parts of it. The problem is that he has not specified which parts are bad and need repealed. And since he has refused any public debates or forums to answer questions how can we find out what he means?

In regards to Manchin saying he is against Cap-n-Trade don’t forget what we previously told you:

“Manchin also is on record against cap and trade, but has signed a bill than requires that 25% of West Virginia’s energy be from ‘renewal sources’ in fifteen years. Read no coal, no natural gas. He is also for a carbon tax. That might not be cap and trade by his definition but it is a disaster for West Virginia coal miners and the state economy…”

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: Clinton, manchin, Raese, WV Senate race

BREAKING: John Raese Pulls Farther Ahead in WV Senate Race

October 6, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry,

Joe Manchin talks with President Obama. (AP Photo)

Martinsburg, WV – Just released today are the results of a recent poll by Rasmussen regarding the special election for the vacant West Virginia senate seat between Joe Manchin and John Raese. The last poll by Rasmussen showed Raese ahead 48%-46%. However, a new poll conducted Oct 5 shows Raese’s lead over Manchin growing, with Raese receiving 50% support and Manchin 44%.

Political analysts and pollsters across the nation initially deemed this race safely Democrat, with Joe Manchin cruising to victory. In recent polls, however, a shift has taken place and, after first changing the outcome of the race to a “toss-up,” Rasmussen is now saying this race “leans GOP.”

While some have said this seems to be a proxy race between John Raese and President Obama; pitting the conservative Raese against the ultra-liberal President and those that would rubber stamp his radically liberal pro-abortion, pro-same-sex marriage agenda. Others believe it is about values.

When asked about what he believes the key to this senate race to be, Family Policy Council of West Virginia President Jeremy Dys said, “It’s marriage.” He went on to say;

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: manchin, Raese, WV Senate, WV Senate Race 2010

Manchin Campaign Refuses to Answer Questions or Hold Public Forum Debate

October 4, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 10/04/2010

Martinsburg, WV – If I were fighting for my life in what has turned out to be a very close Senate race between John Raese and Joe Manchin, I would want as much exposure as possible. I would want to meet as many people and share my views with as many people as possible. And yet, Gov. Joe Manchin is refusing any public debates between himself and John Raese.

At a time when many West Virginian’s want answers from their elected officials, and find their requests falling on deaf ears, Manchin seems to have already joined the ranks of Washington Democrats that ignore their constituents. And with pending charges against the soon to be former governor it seem odd that he is refusing to answer any questions or make his views on important social issues clear.

A story from the West Virginia Metro News captures the sentiments of people across the country that is ready for real change in Washington:

“The West Virginia Broadcasters Association extended an invitation to both candidates to appear in a debate that would be broadcast on many West Virginia commercial radio and television stations in mid October. Raese’s campaign agreed but the Governor said no and cited a scheduling conflict. When additional dates were offered the truth came out from Manchin’s campaign – there would be no debate.
“In a very unusual election year it is more important than ever for voters to listen and watch candidates. To see the way they react to tough questions and to each other. We will not get that in 2010.
[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: debate, manchin, Raese, WV Senate race

Manchin Campaign Silent on Important Social Issues

September 28, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 09/29/2010

WV Gov. Joe Manchin

Martinsburg, WV – Oops! We made a mistake. We incorrectly posted the telephone number for Gov. Joe Manchin’s campaign headquarters and then asked you to call him. Sorry about that. The good news is that we now have the correct telephone number. And I can prove it.

Earlier I called the number and spoke with a real life campaign worker for Gov. Manchin. So I can confidently pass this number on to you: 304-205-5889. And I would like to once again ask you to call Gov. Manchin and ask him where he stands on the issues that are important to you.

In particular I would like you to ask him three questions:

Do you support the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” the military policy that bans open homosexual conduct?
Do you support government funding of abortion in any way?
Do you support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman?

These three questions are crucial in the shaping of our American culture and the freedoms we as citizens are proud to call liberties and rights. So the answer to these three questions is of utmost importance in determining who we send to Washington to represent us as West Virginians.

I have already spoken with the Raese campaign and found that John Raese holds to more conservative, traditional views on these important social issues; much like the views of many West Virginian’s.

In case you missed my last article detailing the views of Mr. Raese let me recap them for you. When asked these same questions Mr. Raese answered that he does not support the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” for several reasons, including the morale and cohesion of the troops. He also said he does not support government funding of abortion in any way. Finally, he said that he does support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman.

[Read more...]

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: manchin, Raese, WV Senate race

BREAKING: WV Senate Candidate Reacts to DADT, Abortion Vote

September 22, 2010 By Nathan Cherry

By Nathan A. Cherry, 09/22/2010

Gov. Joe Manchin and John Raese running for senate

Martinsburg WV – Yesterday we asked you to call Gov. Joe Manchin and senate candidate John Raese to ask where they stand on key social issues. After the failed vote in Congress to advance a liberal social agenda through the Defense Authorization Bill; in which the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy banning open homosexual behavior in the military would have repealed and a measure to use your tax money to fund abortion on military bases worldwide would have been accepted, we thought it wise to find out where our two candidates stand on these crucial issues. (Particularly after Sens. Rockefeller and Goodwin voted to support this bill).

So we made phone calls to the Manchin and Raese campaigns to try and get some answers on these important issues.

I spoke just moments ago with a representative at the Raese campaign and asked him to tell me where Mr. Raese stood. Below are the questions I asked and the answers from Mr. Raese’s campaign spokesman

1. Does Mr. Raese support repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy?

Answer: “No. Those decision need to be made by the military and not by Congress.” I was also told that with the reports of how allowing open homosexuality in the military could hurt morale amongst troops, Mr. Raese thinks it unwise to repeal DADT.

2. Does Mr. Raese support government funding of abortion on military bases?

Answer: “Mr. Raese does not support government funding of abortion of any kind.”

3. Does Mr. Raese support a Constitutional Marriage Amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman?

Answer: “Yes. He does support a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman.”

The FPCWV thanks Mr. Raese for his stance in defense of the family, life, and the traditional values that have helped to shape and preserve this country. His answers, we believe, reflect the beliefs of the majority of West Virginians.

Unfortunately, I left a message with Gov. Manchin’s campaign and have not yet heard from them on these critical issues. We hope that Gov. Manchin’s answers would be the same as Mr. Raese’s, but at this time we don’t know. Hopefully Gov. Manchin will make his position on these issues clear very soon. If and when he does, we will relay that information to you immediately.

We continue to ask you to contact Mr. Manchin’s office and ask him the following questions:

Ask Gov. Joe Manchin - 304-208-5889:

Do you support open homosexual conduct in the military?
Would he support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as one man and one woman?
He does not mention anything about being pro-life on his website; ask him how he plans to protect the preborn?

About Nathan Cherry

Filed Under: Life, Marriage Tagged With: abortion funding, DADT, Defense Authorization Bill, manchin, Raese

The Engaging Essentials

September 22, 2010 By Jeremy Dys

Charleston City Council Removes Adultery Laws – In an effort to modernize their code, the Charleston City Council removed regulations that would outlaw adultery and fornication. Mayor Danny Jones laughed, “How did they ever put something like this on the books?” Perhaps the laws were in need of an update and overhaul, but the story goes on to explain that the City Council is now concerned about laws preventing the sale and resale of pornography and/or immoral books. Mayor Jones, such laws were put into place to encourage good behavior and punish bad behavior. Will you likewise chuckle when obscenity laws are tossed out the window as “old-fashioned”?

U.S. Senate Race is Neck and Neck – A left-leaning pollster, Public Policy Polling, has released it’s latest poll concerning the race to fill Sen. Byrd’s vacated seat. PPP reports that John Raese has a 3 point edge over Gov. Manchin. Meanwhile, Rasmussen reports that Gov. Manchin has a 7 point lead over Raese. Hoppy Kercheval sorts much of it out in his daily commentary, but what is clear is this: this race is far from a guaranteed outcome.

Abortion and the UN – Here’s a good piece from a congressman with a warning to the UN as they meet this week to make sure the US does not export abortion.

Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, and George Washington – Jordan Lorence from ADF whimsically connects the dots between these cultural icons.

Rockefeller and Goodwin on DADT – MetroNews carries the statements from WV’s senators who voted in favor of opening the military to homosexual conduct and exporting abortion to our military bases.

About Jeremy Dys

Filed Under: Engaging Essentials, Life, Marriage Tagged With: abortion, ADF, charleston, DADT, Goodwin, Hoppy Kercheval, Jordan Lorence, lady gaga, manchin, metronews, Raese, Rockefeller, UN

GOOD NEWS: DADT Repeal, Abortion Funding Vote FAILS

September 21, 2010 By Jeremy Dys

Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Manchin (Credit: associated press)

GOP Nominee, John Raese (Credit: Raese for Senate Campaign)

We have just learned that the U.S. Senate defeated a measure that would have mixed a socially liberal agenda with military readiness. By a vote of 56 – 43, the U.S. Senate rejected the Defense Authorization Bill that would have repealed, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and provided funding for abortions on military bases worldwide.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Sens. Rockefeller and Goodwin voted to allow open homosexual conduct in the military and the use of your tax dollars for abortion on demand on military bases.

While neither of them are on the ballot this November, there is a U.S. Senate seat to fill. However, we do not know where the candidates for U.S. Senate stand on these issues!

Would you call Joe Manchin and John Raese and find out for us?

Ask Gov. Joe Manchin - 304-208-5889:

Do you support open homosexual conduct in the military?
Would he support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as one man and one woman?
He does not mention anything about being pro-life on his website; ask him how he plans to protect the preborn?

Ask John Raese - 304-594-0281:

Do you support repealing the so-called, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military?
Does his pro-life stance mean he would oppose funding abortion on demand in the military?
He has no statement that we can find on whether or not he supports (or opposes) an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as one man and one woman?

Make sure you politely remind these candidates that your vote will be determined by their demonstrated stand for life, marriage, and religious freedom!

Please call right now! Then, let us know what they said by emailing us at info@familypolicywv.com.