Jessica Hayes, a Ron Paul supporter and conservative/Libertarian activist from West Virginia released an article today that calls out Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R. WV-2) on her conservative credentials and it's pretty brutal. Capito is running for retiring Senator Jay Rockefeller's (D. WV) seat. First, Hayes hits Capito's hypocrisy on her opposition towards the Affordable Health Care Act:
http://www.journal-news.net/...
For example, while Capito symbolically voted to repeal Obamacare, she quietly voted FOR House Resolution 525.
H.R. 525 expanded an Obamacare grant program by making veterinarians eligible for public health workforce grants and loan repayment.
The bill expanded the number of beneficiaries under Obamacare, thus making it harder to repeal. Obamacare needs to be repealed and defunded, not expanded. - The Journal, 5/30/13
Hayes also hits Capito on her votes for bailouts and pork:
U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito has a pro-government, pro-Washington voting record. In fact, Heritage Action for America gave her a dismal 48 percent conservative score. Just last year, Capito voted for the $1 trillion, budget-busting omnibus spending bill as well as a $2.4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. Capito has a long history of supporting wasteful earmark spending, union wage mandates and taxpayer funding for abortion. - The Journal, 5/30/13
And Hayes also highlights how pro-big brother Capito really is:
"From her vote on CISPA (which violates the 4th Amendment), her utter disregard for the 5th and 6th Amendments (NDAA), and her less than stellar record on the 2nd Amendment," said S. Chris Anders, West Virginia state coordinator for the Campaign for Liberty, "Capito is clearly not a Constitutionalist."
Without even going into her record of voting FOR stem cell research, while saying she is pro-life, it is clear that Capito is not the person to represent West Virginia in the United States Senate. - The Journal, 5/30/13
A pretty brutal but honest analysis. If I were a small government Tea Party type, no way would I want to support Capito. I'd get behind this guy:
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/...
Pat McGeehan, candidate for U.S. Senate from W.Va., announced today that he supports measures to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has waged a war on coal in West Virginia for the past ten years.
“Politicians claim that they will head to Washington and introduce bills to ‘rein in’ the EPA yet, we’ve seen nothing but broken promises. It’s time to say enough is enough.” explained McGeehan.
“As I travel the state, West Virginians keep telling me of their frustrations with politicians not taking a stand to fight for coal. As U.S. Senator, I will fight to dissolve the EPA and permanently protect our coal miners from losing their jobs.”
Pat McGeehan, an Air Force Academy Graduate and former State Delegate, described the EPA as “overreaching” and “unconstitutional.” - Huntington News, 5/8/13
By the way, Capito's been getting hit in the press for her blatant lies about the Affordable Health Care Act:
http://www.wvgazette.com/...
Rep. Capito claims that the average premium in the individual market will increase by 56 percent. True, premiums in the individual market will increase. Why? Because the new law prohibits insurance companies from imposing pre-existing condition limitations. Currently, insurance companies cherry pick their customers, insuring only young healthy individuals, and pricing older people out of the market. That policy ends in eight months when insurance companies can no longer discriminate against individuals based on pre-existing conditions. Does Rep. Capito want to continue allowing the insurance industry to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions? If so, she should be forthright with her constituents.
Another reason for increases in the premiums in the individual market is that starting next January people will have better coverage. For example, currently most individual policies in West Virginia do not cover maternity benefits. All individual policies will be required to cover maternity benefits starting on Jan. 1, 2014, unless Rep. Capito has her way and repeals Obamacare.
She also failed to mention that individuals and families will receive substantial assistance with the cost of their premiums in the individual market. An individual or family who earns too much to qualify for Medicaid will receive premium assistance on a sliding scale up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, about $78,000 for a family of three. And there is additional assistance with the cost of deductibles and co-payments.
Rep. Capito exaggerated the impact of the $716 billion cuts in Medicare in Obamacare without ever mentioning that the Paul Ryan budget that she voted for cut Medicare by an identical $716 billion. The difference is that Obamacare makes system changes and payment reform to achieve these savings. The Republican budget, however, would cut spending by limiting Medicare expenditures, giving future seniors vouchers and shifting inflationary cost to these seniors.
Nor did Rep. Capito mention that Medicare beneficiaries actually have better benefits under Obamacare. The doughnut hole in prescription drug coverage for seniors is ending. Last year, more than 37,000 West Virginia seniors saved $33.6 million in prescription drug costs while they were in the doughnut hole. Does Rep. Capito really want to reimpose the doughnut hole on seniors? - West Virginia Gazette-Mail, 5/11/13
Hopefully conservative groups like the Senate Conservative Fund and the Club For Growth will get behind McGeehan because they hate Capito and a divisive primary would benefit Democrats. Right now, Democrats still don't have a declared candidate for this race but they're hopeful about this guy:
http://tv.msnbc.com/...
Charleston attorney Nick Preservati could soon enter the race for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W. Va.
"At this point, I am considering it, I'm seriously considering it," the Democrat said in a short phone call Wednesday night. "I will make a final decision one way or the other in the next few weeks."
Although Preservati has no formal political experience, The National Journal reported that he has the personal wealth, connections and convictions to make a formidable candidate.
The Journal reported that Preservati comes from a family heavily involved in southern West Virginia's coal mining industry.
"I'm not sure there's much difference between Shelley's position on coal and Nick Preservati's position and Joe Manchin's position," former state Democratic Party chairman Nick Casey told the journal.
Preservati is an attorney with Preservati Law Offices in Charleston. He represented AEP in a variety of different cases, according to the law firm's website.
He also worked for the Goodwin & Goodwin lawfirm before his work with AEP, the site states. That firm is of the same family as Carte Goodwin and U.S. District Attorney Booth Goodwin, popular Democrats in the state. - Charleston Daily Mail, 3/21/13
I for one am still hoping my ideal candidate, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D. WV) will jump in:
http://www.wvablue.com/...
She has been a farm girl. She has been the Mountaineer. She has been a television news reporter. She is a small business owner and our current Secretary of State. She is life-long West Virginian Natalie Tennant and she is the West Virginia Democratic Party's best hope of retaining retiring Senator Rockerfeller's United States Senate seat.
A recent poll shows Tennant as the overwhelming favorite amongst her leading Democratic peers. More importantly, the public wants Tennant to run. I have talked to many West Virginians about this Senate race and they want the chance to vote for Natalie. People like Natalie Tennant and think she would be a great representative for our State on the national stage. There is no other person in state politics that embodies everything positive about West Virginia more than Natalie Tennant. Her appeal is that she is genuinely one of us and because of that people know she will always fight for our state.
Tennant is well liked throughout West Virginia and carries none of this baggage. In addition, she has already won multiple statewide elections. Capito is respected throughout the state but has only proven herself in the Second Congressional District. Capito has faced relatively weak or underfunded opponents and has not always dominated those elections as her campaign machine may want people to believe. Furthermore, Tennant risks very little in running for US Senate. She does not have to vacate her position as Secretary of State. With a viable candidate, funding from around the country will pour into her campaign coffers, giving her the ability to challenge Capito in a robust manner. There has also been word that third party organizations, not something I am fan of regardless of who is operating the SuperPac, will raise a great many issues against Capito with a negative media blitz, triggered only if she has a competitive opponent. - West Virginia Blue, 5/11/13
Hopefully a strong Democrat steps forward soon because I would really like to hold this seat for Team Blue.
