Radio America Online News Bureau

West Virginia

GOP Senate Jockeying, Choosing Feelings Over Merit, Davos Elitists Assemble

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Listen to “GOP Senate Jockeying, Choosing Feelings Over Merit, Davos Elitists Assemble” on Spreaker.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome new developments in two key Senate races. First, they are intrigued by popular GOP West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice seriously considering a challenge to Sen. Joe Manchin in 2024. They also discuss Indiana Rep. Jim Banks announcing he will seek the open U.S. Senate seat in Indiana, which is already held by Republicans. They also fume as multiple school districts in Northern Virginia fail to tell National Merit Finalists of their awards out of fear of making those who didn’t receive the honor feel badly. But they do cheer Gov. Glenn Youngkin for blasting the administrators in three separate districts for their decisions. Finally, they shudder as the supposed elites gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to decide what sacrifices we’re supposed to make in order to advance their global agenda.

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Rudy’s Bumbling Agents, Iowa’s Confusing Caucuses, West Virginia’s Wild Proposal

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Listen to “Rudy’s Bumbling Agents, Iowa’s Confusing Caucuses, West Virginia’s Wild Proposal” on Spreaker.

Nothing but crazy martinis today and the last one is a lot of fun!  Join Jim and Greg today as they try to understand how bumbling figures like Lev Parnas ended up as Rudy Giuliani’s key operatives in Ukraine.  They also shake their heads as Iowa Democrats plan to release three separate results from the caucuses next month, possibly giving multiple candidates the chance to claim victory. And they examine West Virginia’s offer for second amendment friendly counties in Virginia to switch states, leading Jim and Greg to wonder how the map would look if counties could jump to other states they find more ideologically similar.

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Big Wins for McConnell, New Mexico Madness, Annul Trump’s Presidency?

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Listen to “Big Wins for McConnell, New Mexico Madness, Annul Trump’s Presidency?” on Spreaker.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see seven more judicial nominees have been confirmed in the U.S. Senate this week and eight more will happen next week.  They also assume “Cocaine Mitch” is pleased to see the West Virginia Supreme Court block failed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Blankenship from appearing on the November ballot as a different party’s nominee.  They’re also pulling their hair out as child abuse charges are dropped against the suspects from the alleged Islamic extremist school shooter training camp because prosecutors failed to hold a preliminary hearing quickly enough.  And they get a kick out of Clinton-era Labor Secretary Robert Reich arguing that President Trump should not only be impeached if evidence of Russian collusion is found but that the Supreme Court should invalidate every action taken during his time in office.

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Corruption Crackdown, 9th Circus on Guns, Vote Dem to Fix GOP?

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Listen to “Corruption Crackdown, 9th Circus on Guns, Vote Dem to Fix GOP?” on Spreaker.
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the West Virginia legislature for impeaching four of the state’s five state supreme court justices for gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.  They also roll their eyes as the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a California law requiring any guns subsequently purchased in the state must include features that don’t actually exist.  And they unload on “conservatives” from Michael Gerson to Steve Schmidt, who contend that conservatives need to vote for Democrats because supposedly the only way to save the Republican Party is to burn it to the ground.

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Holding House Looks Tough, Blankenship Returns, Dems Line up for 2020

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Listen to “Holding House Looks Tough, Blankenship Returns, Dems Line up for 2020” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America recoil as political prognosticator Larry Sabato predicts Democrats will win the House in the midterm elections and shows that 33 of 36 toss-up seats are held by Republicans.  They also shudder as Don Blankenship files papers to run as a third party candidate in the West Virginia Senate race.  And they get ready for a very crowded 2020 Democratic presidential primary as former Attorney General Eric Holder and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan seriously explore White House bids.

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Americans Freed, U.S. Exits Iran Deal, GOP Voters Get It Right

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Jim and Greg are both on vacation this week.  They will be back June 25th.  There will new episodes with guest hosts Thursday and Friday of this week.  Today, please enjoy an encore presentation of the Three Martini Lunch.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are in very good spirits as they savor three wonderful martinis for conservatives.  First, they celebrate the news that three American hostages are on their way home from North Korea in advance of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit.  They also applaud President Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, which was riddled with inspection loopholes and was never properly submitted to Congress.  And they cheer the victory of conservative Patrick Morrisey in the West Virginia U.S. Senate primary, the lopsided defeat for “Cocaine Mitch” accuser Don Blankenship, and strong turnout for Republicans in three primary states.

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Crippling Iran Sanctions, Gun Control vs. Facts, Blankenship Won’t Go Away

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for inflicting punishing sanctions on Iran, making it clear the Trump administration does not think the Iranian regime can be partners on anything. They also sigh as the gun control movement tries to advance its agenda again after the Santa Fe High School shooting, even though their proposed legislation would have done nothing to prevent this horrific shooting. Jim also asks why so few are interested in finding out why teenage boys are now lashing out and killing people when they are bullied or rejected by girls. And they discuss Don Blankenship’s pathetic attempt to keep running for U.S. Senate in West Virginia despite getting thrashed in the GOP primary and a West Virginia law that prevents losers in primaries from running again in the general election.

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Americans Freed, U.S. Exits Iran Deal, GOP Voters Get It Right

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are in very good spirits as they savor three wonderful martinis for conservatives.  First, they celebrate the news that three American hostages are on their way home from North Korea in advance of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit.  They also applaud President Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, which was riddled with inspection loopholes and was never properly submitted to Congress.  And they cheer the victory of conservative Patrick Morrisey in the West Virginia U.S. Senate primary, the lopsided defeat for “Cocaine Mitch” accuser Don Blankenship, and strong turnout for Republicans in three primary states.

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Trump’s Recissions, Schneiderman’s Downfall, Perils of GOP Primaries

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome President Trump’s efforts to cut $15 billion in federal spending and prod Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pursue the plan.  They also need a shower after recounting the horrific allegations of physical abuse lodged against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman by four ex-girlfriends, one of whom says she was urged by friends not to go public with the assaults because it would be bad for Democrats.  And they bite their fingernails as they wait to see if West Virginia Republicans nominate a sensible candidate for U.S. Senate or follow in the footsteps of many other states that blew recent chances to win Senate seats by choosing troubling and unelectable nominees.

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Senate Primary Showdown in West Virginia

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Three states hold U.S. Senate primaries Tuesday, all of them are in states won handily by President Trump in 2016 but are represented by Democrats in the Senate, and the biggest drama is playing out in West Virginia, with Trump begging GOP voters there not to nominate the candidate that both conservatives and moderates believe has no chance of winning in November.

Conservatives are trying to rally the base to get West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey into the general election, but polls show him locked in a tight primary with Rep. Evan Jenkins and former Massey Energy chairman Don Blankenship.

The winner faces Sen. Joe Manchin in November.

Blankenship, who spent time in prison after being convicted in connection with the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, had been fading in the polls.  But he is getting a great deal of free media attention for referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as “Cocaine Mitch” and accusing McConnell of helping “China people” through his in-laws.  McConnell is married to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, whose father is a prominent businessman in the Far East.

The Senate Conservatives Fund is backing Morrisey in the race.  The group’s president, former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, says all the attention on Blankenship’s comments means this race is completely up in the air.

“The spike in talk about Blankenship has really confused things substantially,” said Cuccinelli.

He also says the Democrats see a chance to lock up this seat and are meddling intensely in the primary.

“(Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer has funded a PAC that has been taking shots at Morrisey first and foremost, and some at Jenkins, because they want Blankenship as the Republican nominee,” said Cuccinelli.

Stung by the lost opportunity in the special Senate race in Alabama in December, President Trump is urging West Virginia voters to stay away from Blankenship.

“To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State…No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!” Trump tweeted.

Cuccinelli welcome the first part of the tweet but not the closing line.

“He said vote either for Morrisey or Jenkins.  It’s not like he’s endorsing the conservative in the race.  In fact, the president has never endorsed a conservative when there were others in a race,” said Cuccinelli.

So what’s wrong with Jenkins?  Cuccinelli says the congressman’s very recent past presents a very big problem, since Jenkins switched from being a Democrat to a Republican just a few years ago.

“Jenkins has just what you’d expect from a 20-year Democrat in terms of his public record.  It creates all sorts of problems for him, nothing less than supporting Hillary in 2008 and voting for Obama in ’08 and ’12,” said Cuccinelli, noting both Clinton and Obama were drubbed in West Virginia due to their anti-coal policies.

In contrast, Cuccinelli points out Morrisey sued the Obama administration over efforts to target the coal industry.  He also fought back against the Obama administration’s transgender initiatives.

In addition, Morrisey is joining with five other states to force the Trump administration to end the DACA program, as Trump had ordered to happen by early March.  He is part of a 20-state effort to have the remainder of the Affordable Care Act declared unconstitutional as a result of the recent tax bill removing the individual mandate penalty and thus allegedly ending the ability of the government to consider the individual mandate a tax,

Cuccinelli says the conservative grassroots in West Virginia are squarely behind Morrisey.

“West Virginians for Life is behind Morrisey.  The West Virginia gun groups are for Morrisey.  There’s virtually no West Virginia grassroots group supporting either Jenkins or Blankenship.  They are all supporting Patrick Morrisey,” he said.

Cuccinelli says Morrisey is also the one best suited to defeat Manchin.

“Manchin is a family name.  He goes back a long way.  He’s not just a first-term senator.  He is part of a long and strong political family in West Virginia.  This is no easy task but he is beatable and Morrisey is the best guy to beat him.

“It’s why the Senate Conservatives Fund endorsed him, that in addition to his conservative track record,” said Cuccinelli.

He is confident the conservative base is with Morrisey.  Now it’s just a matter of getting them to the polls.

“He’s got a track record of beating Democrats, but he isn’t going to get a chance to beat Manchin if he doesn’t get enough votes from conservatives tomorrow in West Virginia,” said Cuccinelli.

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