WV & Byrd

[reddevil]

West Virginia will get a boost by the candidacy of former state GOP chair and CEO of Greer Industries, John Raese, (media, coal, steel, etc.) announces his candidacy for the US Senate against Robert C. Byrd.

For those solid Conservatives out there, Raese is cut from the Reagan cloth.

[mnehring]

Has anyone ever been able to pull up any old pics of Byrd in his hood? It would be a great present to Raese.

[Tarkin]

Unfortunately I don't think it's possible to defeat Sheets. He's one of the Senators for Life (like Fat Ted or Ted "Give me my pork or I'll go home" Stevens) and he's never going to be defeated. We'll have to wait until he's dead (BTW, how old is he? 90? 95?).

[mnehring]

It could happen.. There just needs to be a good marketing strategy to play Byrds words over and over, show picks of the Klansman, and make WV ashamed they ever elected him.

[MikeA]

Since Byrd is making the coal mine tragedies a campaign issue, John Raese needs to make an issue out of what Byrd did after decades in D.C. to make the mines safer. Byrd claims these disasters were "entirely preventable," but that some supposed budget cuts (funny how the Dems. can always come up with budget cuts by Republicans to explain some disaster and then out of the other side of their mouths attack Bush for deficits) prevented West Virginia from enhancing coal safety.

Raese needs to ask during all those years Byrd was shuttling pork barrel cash from D.C. to West Virginia including monuments and buildings named and dedicated to himself, why more of that money was not going to increase mine safety? And why was Byrd not working with Republicans after they won control of the Congress and later the White House to get this spending he falsely claims was cut?

Raese can use that to build a strong argument that West Virginia needs a voice in the Senate with influence in a Republican White House, not Byrd's shrill, partisan voice that along with Sen. Rockefeller's just continues to alienate the GOP and the White House with it's utter rancor and gives West Virginia next to no influence in a Republican majority. This argument worked for John Thune in turning out Tom Daschle. It will work in an increasingly red-trending West Virginia.

[mnehring]

It would be a complete shame if Byrd tries to use that, after all, what has he done for the coal industry? I believe there will be a backlash if he exploits the tragedy. Remember the backlash after Wellstone's funeral and how the dems tried to exploit that?

[Tarkin]

"I will never submit to fight beneath that banner with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds&.

Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore G. Bilbo (D-MS)

"The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia"

Robert C. Byrd. in a letter to KKK Imperial Wizard.

Other quotes from the former Majority Leader:

"There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word."

"They call me 'The Pork King,' they don't know how much I enjoy it."

Of course he also has many other "achievements", like becoming a KKK Kleagle, filibustering the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for 14 hours or defending the KKK during his Senate campaign.

[mnehring]

Good stuff. Does Raese have the balls to use it?

[Tarkin]

I really would love to believe this but consider the fact that in 2000 he carried all 55 of West Virginia's counties and won all but seven of West Virginia's precincts.

[Tarkin]

The most outrageous fact about racist Democrats is that they are elected to leadership positions. Byrd was their floor leader from 1977 to 1989. Also don't forget the legendary Sen. Eastland (the one who said, while being a Senator, that white people have the right "to life, liberty and pursuit of dead niggers"), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, from 1956 to 1978, and President pro-tempore, from 1971 to 1978. Also imagine what would happen if ANY Republican told, say, DiFi or Lieberman: "I don't like you-or your kind.", and that's exactly what Eastland said to Sen. Javits during a committee session. Oh well, but that just shows the state of the DemocRATic party.

[steelcurtain]

Isn't George Johnson also announcing for U.S. Senate today?

[slyfoxvirden]

He ran for the Senate in 1984 against Rockefeller. I recall his famous bumper sticker was "Make Him Spend It All" as a reference to Rockefeller's wealth. It was close.

[Clintonfatigued]

ping

[AuH2ORepublican]

There's already a top-notch GOP candidate running against Robert Byrd: http://www.hiramlewis.com/
Hiram Lewis came extremely close to winning the Attorney General race in 2004, and has the issue positions and military background to be competitive against Byrd.

[reddevil]

Hiram got a lot of votes, but was due to the anti-McGraw campaign waged in the state supreme court.

I have heard Hiram raised over $650,000 but has less than $50,000 on hand...

I think Raese has the blessing of the NRSC and will get a lot of coverage from the WV media (helps to own a few stations). John can infuse some personal $$ into the campaign and raise many more to take on the senior senator.

[GregB]

i saw a video of Byrd,is he alive or someone pushing him from behind?