WV governor to announce switch to R

[sofamonkey]

"Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia, a Democrat who was elected last year even as President Trump carried the state by 42 points, is expected to announce Thursday night at a rally with Mr. Trump that he is changing parties, according to three sources familiar with the plans."

Best comment I read so far: "First documented case of a rat actually boarding a sinking ship."


mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/us/politics/west-virginia-governor-to-switch-from-democrat-to-republican-trump.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&referer=http://m.facebook.com

[cville]

Oh, ew

[MrsAxilla]

The like was for the comment, not the rat.

[pixy0stix]

That comment is spot on.

[jeaniebueller]

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

[isabel]

The fuck?

I am baffled every single day.

[OscarQ]

I don't understand. But I liked for the comment.

What is the upside to turning R? Or what's the kick back may be the better question.

[sofamonkey]

I don't know. I also didn't look to see when he's up for reelection, but I hope he's torn apart.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 15:30:13 GMT -5 sofamonkey said:

I don't know. I also didn't look to see when he's up for reelection, but I hope he's torn apart.

Justice was just elected as a D in 2016. I'm so mad. He was pretty much a lifelong R who flipped to D for the election, but this is ridiculous.

[smock]

So how many democratic governors does that leave? The Dems are getting killed at the state level.

ETA: 15. There are only 15 Democratic governors in the country.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

This pisses me off too. I don't understand Berners. Who watches the tea party hold the country hostage for years, do tons of damage, and help lead to Trump and thinks, "I want that for my party too!"

[laurenpetro]

great. 3 more and they can call a constitutional convention.

[sofamonkey]

Aug 3, 2017 15:25:12 GMT -5 OscarQ said:

I don't understand. But I liked for the comment.

What is the upside to turning R? Or what's the kick back may be the better question.

It appears he was always somewhere in the middle? He didn't endorse HRC in the election, and he's a coal mine owner. So, I don't know. The article said people voted for him inspire of him being a D, and that he's really likeable.

I will be honest, I have a hard time understanding the logic and choices in that area. I know we've talked about it before, but I still am befuddled.

[robyn]

Aug 3, 2017 15:47:17 GMT -5 mrhanky said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

This pisses me off too. I don't understand Berners. Who watches the tea party hold the country hostage for years, do tons of damage, and help lead to Trump and thinks, "I want that for my party too!"

The Berners are literally incapable of seeing it this way though, because to see it this way would mean you're able to see past yourself, something Berners are incapable of. If you're not for free college and free healthcare and free legal pot and whatever else Bernie is spouting off that day, you're evil and the devil and in with corporate America and deserve to be primaried to death. They are literally the definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face, at the detriment of the Democratic party sadly.

[seeyalater52]

The WV health advocates we work with had an interesting take on this: they think he may be more useful to them advocacy-wise as a Republican. He was never much of a Democrat (used to be a Republican before he ran for governor) and is a wildcard regardless, but they think influenceable and will have more clout with Capito as a Republican now, if he chooses to use it.

Not that that's why he did it. He did it because he's not a Democrat historically or by any stretch of the definition. And because he's not that bright. But Republicans dominate in WV right now so he's probably betting on that trend holding.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 15:52:04 GMT -5 robyn said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:47:17 GMT -5 mrhanky said:

This pisses me off too. I don't understand Berners. Who watches the tea party hold the country hostage for years, do tons of damage, and help lead to Trump and thinks, "I want that for my party too!"

The Berners are literally incapable of seeing it this way though, because to see it this way would mean you're able to see past yourself, something Berners are incapable of. If you're not for free college and free healthcare and free legal pot and whatever else Bernie is spouting off that day, you're evil and the devil and in with corporate America and deserve to be primaried to death. They are literally the definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face, at the detriment of the Democratic party sadly.

Here's the thing. I can get behind (most of) those things! But, I have seen a plan from exactly no one, especially King Bernie, to implement or even take steps towards any of those things. They want the easy answer as much as Trump voters do and these are complicated problems. No wonder so many of them switched from Bernie to Trump.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2017 15:47:17 GMT -5 mrhanky said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

This pisses me off too. I don't understand Berners. Who watches the tea party hold the country hostage for years, do tons of damage, and help lead to Trump and thinks, "I want that for my party too!"

Yes, this is making me nuts! We most likely can't rr a better Democrat than Manchin in this seat. We are lucky that he held strong with the Dems in this health care debacle. There is a lot to be said for the way he handled himself. I want to throw him a fucking party in gratitude not embark on the fool's errand of primarying him from the left.

Also if we do that what will probably happen is that he'll try to change his party affiliation. Let's not tempt him. (For the record I don't think he would do that.)

And I am some who is VERY interested in democrats insisting on a democratic platform for their candidates, so I'm not usually one that is interested in coddling moderate democrats. I'd also like to not lose all the time! It's West Virginia, people in true blue states don't have a freaking clue what it is like to do political work in places like these. There has got to be a balance between critical litmus tests and realistic pragmatism.

[cookiemdough]

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

Is that a real loss for Dems? He is not very dependable to support d initiatives despite his constituents benefitting from them.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 15:55:32 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

The WV health advocates we work with had an interesting take on this: they think he may be more useful to them advocacy-wise as a Republican. He was never much of a Democrat (used to be a Republican before he ran for governor) and is a wildcard regardless, but they think influenceable and will have more clout with Capito as a Republican now, if he chooses to use it.

Not that that's why he did it. He did it because he's not a Democrat historically or by any stretch of the definition. And because he's not that bright. But Republicans dominate in WV right now so he's probably betting on that trend holding.

I especially like the "not that bright" point. Because it's true. He's pals with Trump because they're both mediocre white men who have had tremendous success due to their parents and therefore have never had to face their mediocrity.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2017 15:48:24 GMT -5 laurenpetro said:

great. 3 more and they can call a constitutional convention.

Out of everything happening in this country right now this is the thing that keeps me up at night.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 16:00:29 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

Is that a real loss for Dems? He is not very dependable to support d initiatives despite his constituents benefitting from them.

Yes it is a real loss. He held strong during healthcare and if his seat was held by an R, we would have lost. Someone who voted with Ds half the time is infinitely preferable to someone who never voted with the Dems.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2017 16:00:29 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

Is that a real loss for Dems? He is not very dependable to support d initiatives despite his constituents benefitting from them.

With governors and with Senators, any loss in numbers is a true loss with the margins the way they are. The reality is we need them even if they're not very good. All we have to count on is that the D after their name keeps them on one side of a very tenuous line most of the time. And that has to be good enough because if their party affiliation changes we lose the small bit of leverage we had with them and things start to unravel.

With state legislatures looking the way they do (far and away dominated by republicans across the board) we need dem govs as gatekeepers to keep things from getting really messed up (see Pennsylvania as your example right now.) This becomes even more important when you see the federal government trying to light federal control of pretty much every policy area on fire. If states can't hold strong against that onslaught and make good choices when control is placed in their hands we'll be left with a very very long legacy of bad policy dominoes from this administration. The effects will be felt for decades instead of 4-8 years.

[turnipthebeet]

Wouldn't this upset almost everyone in the state? Dems will obviously be pissed that he turned, and R's will say, "Well, but he's really a dem who is just opportunistic". He seems messy, and this seems like a bad idea.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2017 16:20:05 GMT -5 turnipthebeet said:

Wouldn't this upset almost everyone in the state? Dems will obviously be pissed that he turned, and R's will say, "Well, but he's really a dem who is just opportunistic". He seems messy, and this seems like a bad idea.

Voters in WV don't seem to be that interested in either party affiliation or in party/straight ticket voting. They voted for Justice the guy - he's a richy rich cult of personality pick and I doubt any appreciable number of people will care that he switched his official designation. Democrats can't be all that mad, everyone knew he was a Republican from the get-go.

[Monica Geller]

Aug 3, 2017 16:01:09 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:48:24 GMT -5 laurenpetro said:

great. 3 more and they can call a constitutional convention.

Out of everything happening in this country right now this is the thing that keeps me up at night.

Agreed. This terrifies me to my very core.

[smock]

Aug 3, 2017 16:00:29 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

Is that a real loss for Dems? He is not very dependable to support d initiatives despite his constituents benefitting from them.

If Manchin's seat were held by a republican, the skinny repeal would have passed in the Senate. So, yes, it would be a real loss.

[curbsideprophet]

Why did he even run as a Dem?

[jeaniebueller]

Aug 3, 2017 16:00:29 GMT -5 cookiemdough said:

Aug 3, 2017 15:18:48 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Shit. I hope that this won't effect Joe Manchin getting re-elected. He seems to be the last standing D in WV. (oh, BTW, the Berners are trying to primary him).

Is that a real loss for Dems? He is not very dependable to support d initiatives despite his constituents benefitting from them.

He voted no on the ACA repeal and votes with Dems on many issues so I think he is about as liberal as a WV dem can get.

[seeyalater52]

Aug 3, 2017 16:47:20 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Why did he even run as a Dem?

The Democratic Party recruited him. Which now in retrospect seems like a dumb move with him changing sides but in the context of what I said above about he slim margins I actually think arguably makes sense.

[mrhanky]

Aug 3, 2017 16:20:05 GMT -5 turnipthebeet said:

Wouldn't this upset almost everyone in the state? Dems will obviously be pissed that he turned, and R's will say, "Well, but he's really a dem who is just opportunistic". He seems messy, and this seems like a bad idea.

I just got back from protesting the Trump rally and I'll tell you that Justice's announcement got cheers from the crowd. The protestors I spoke too were unhappy, but kind of expected it as he's been Republican most of his life. Mediocre white billionaires who inherited their wealth need to stick together 🤷‍♀️