I arrived at Martinsburg High School about 6:15 p.m. tonight for the 7 p.m. debate between Democratic candidate Mike Callaghan and the incumbent Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito.
I knew a group of people were going to meet early. But it was drizzling and I didn't expect a lot of people there.
I was shocked, absolutely, wonderfully shocked to see 40 ot 50 people out front enthusiastically waving Mike Callaghan signs, peace signs, "Bring Our Troops Home" signs, even a giant sign of President George W. Bush kissing Capito at a fund raiser for her in Charleston. (BTW, no where on her web site is there a photo of her with her dear leader, Bush. I guess she's rather ashamed of being seen with him.)
I was even more shocked by...
There were NO signs for Republican U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito in front of the high school and NO volunteers for her outside.
I've been to many sign wavings over the years. I was absolutely stunned by...
...the response of the people driving by. I've been to a heck of a lot of sign wavings. I've seen good responses. But people driving by Martinsburg High School were going nuts blowing their horns, giving us thumbs ups and waves.
Berkeley County went predominantly for Bush in 2004. This is a Republican stronghold in the exurbs of Washington, D.C., in a state dominated by Democrats. In 2003 if you protested the Iraq war, you felt like you were taking a big risk. In 2004, it was not unusual to get hostile responses from people driving by. (DCDemocrat has some great stories about this, btw.) We haven't done many waves yet this campaign for Callaghan. But tonight's response was overwhelming.
Here is something else that was odd. There was not a single Shelley Moore Capito sign in front of the high school. Not one.
And there was not a single person out front of the school showing support for her. Not a single one.
So I talked to several of my friends from the old days of the Kerry-Edwards campaign and I met fellow West Virginia kossack SLJ, who is really cool.
The debate began at 7 p.m. I went over to pick up my 5-year-old daughter from a music class a couple of blocks away and returned.
Martinsburg Journal editor Maria Lorensen moderated. She introduced the candidates. Wild applause for Callaghan. A smattering of polite applause (at best) for Capito. In the overly harsh tone of a community theater actress playing a tyranical principal from a 1930s school for unwanted children, Lorensen told people to hold their applause and to not say anything during the debate.
Lorensen also apologized to the audience for the newspaper running the incorrect time for the debate. The newspaper had reported the debate between the two as 6:15 p.m., when that was when the war protest began. So people who read about the debate in the newspaper got a good look at our protest and Callaghan support. Hahaha. A newspaper error that worked in our favor.
The format was the three media people asking questions, rotating between the two candidates who answered the questions first.
Callaghan, who spent nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor, does very well at thinking on his feet. Capito, the daughter of a West Virginia governor who did time in a federal prison for corruption, bless her heart, did not do as well. In fact, I noticed a pattern rather quickly.
When Callaghan answered first, Capito nearly always said about the same thing Callaghan said, in one case saying, "Mike's right."
The talk show host from WEPM -- can't remember his name, the one on with Sen. John Unger -- asked a "broad question" about what should be done about Iraq.
Callaghan replied: "Forgive me for a broad response, but this country should have listened to Robert C. Byrd when he stood on the Senate floor and said we shouldn't be over there. Bring them home."
The crowd, at least the Democrats and probably some Republicans since I've known at least one to join us in canvassing for him, applauded loudly and drew a stern rebuke from the "moderator."
"Staying the course is not a plan. This is the president's war. He took us there. He should get us out."
Callaghan said the U.S. should be contracting the number of bases not expanding them and should withdraw the troops as soon as practible. "When you talk about that war we are not taking care of our veterans," he said.
Capito called the war a "heartfelt issue." She said "We cannot send our troops without our prayers." Considering she and the other Rubber Stamp Republicans have failed to equip them with the proper body armor and put them in harm's way for no good reason, the troops should get more than prayers, in my opinion.
"We need to win," Capito said, but never defined what winning means. (I wish they had been allowed a chance to respond to each other's answers. I like that format much better, but I doubt if Capito would have debated then.) "If we leave early before the terror cells are broken they'll be stronger. These people want to murder us." Then as the moderator called her for time, Capito quickly threw in "I've never said the course." which invalidated everything she just said which amounted to "stay the course" even if she didn't use those exact words.
The two were asked about Callaghan's criticism of Capito leaving the transportation committee to go on the rules committee.
Callaghan got to answer this first and said that on the transportation committee, Capito had the ability to make sure needed road projects in West Virginia were funded while on the rules committee all she did was help the Republican Party push their agenda. He had a great line but I can't find it in my notes, which I took on Capito's campaign literature.
Then when Capito responded, she touted the $25,000 van she obtained for a Berkeley County senior center and a couple of other small projects and how on the rules committee she could do more because she's able to "touch" every piece of legislation. But later she touted a $35 million road project she was able to help do with Senators Byrd and Rockefeller when she was on the transportation committee which pretty much proved Callaghan's point. (On the other hand, she wouldn't have been the recipient of so many dollars from Tom Delay's illegal campaign chest and convicted felon and lobbyist Jack Abramoff's contributions if she wasn't on the rules committee, so her being on it gave her benefit if not the state.)
Other responses
Callaghan: I'm running for Congress for a simple reasons. We have no plan for a runaway war, a Congress where corruption is out of control and (I can't read my writing here). I was a federal prosecutor for nearly a decade. I'll take a backseat to no Republican when it comes to protecting this country.
He said he was for raising the minimum wage to $7.25 and pointed out the number of raises Congress has given itself since Capito's been in office.
Capito pointed out her work on the Raleigh Street extension -- is she running for Martinsburg City Council or Congress? -- and how the Eastern Panhandle is the "shining star" of growth and development. (Unless you live here of course and then the traffic is awful because the roads and schools aren't keeping up with the mass of new homes being built due to the lack of planning and zoning. And what's the rest of the District? Chopped liver?)
On North Korea
Capito: She talked about sitting under her desk in the 1950s during school drills during the Cold War. "Diplomacy is the answer we've been pursuing...through the, 6, uh talks." (Six nation talks is the phrase I think you're looking for Ms. Capito.) "Unfortunately the person over there has starved his own people to build nuclear weapons."
Callaghan: "I simply find it bad policy to be looking for WMDs that didn't exist in Iraq while North Korea built WMDs.... How are we going to solve this problem when we've angered the world and our allies? We're going to have to ride it out until we get another administration."
There was more but I'm tired and I left early because my 5-year-old was wonderfully patient, but you don't want to push these things. She might have earned a rebuke from the moderator by hooting at Capito's answers.
So I ask you once again to give or volunteer if you're able to Mike Callaghan. Here's his web site and here is his Act Blue page and here's his mailing address
Callaghan For Congress
P.O. Box 3002
Charleston, WV 25330
This race is on the verge of getting national play from the Democratic Party. This race is a race that shouldn't be close, but Capito's gone negative. She's worried. She never did release her polls and she's breaking the rule of secure incumbents in mentioning the challenger's name and going after him hard. This race needs national exposure. We've got a pickup opportunity here folks. I left before it ended, but as I walked out, I noticed the few people with Capito stickers looking rather crestfallen.
Also anyone who wants to join West Virginia Kossacks, shoot me an email (*in my profile).