A 19th-Century G.O.P. Bastion (West Virginia) Holds Firm

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/politics/campaign/04repubs.html

A 19th-Century G.O.P. Bastion (West Virginia) Holds Firm
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: August 4, 2004


ERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - It has been a rough year for the Bush administration by some measures, with criticism from the Sept. 11 commission, prison scandals in Iraq and a flat economy at home. But here in the remote hills of northeastern West Virginia, most people have a hard time imagining a candidate better than the incumbent, who they say shares their values in a way no Democrat ever could.

Charlie Crouse, who works in an auto parts shop, said he felt that President Bush had "lost character and lied about Iraq," adding that he was embarrassed by the vicious oratory of presidential politics this year. In many respects, he said, he would "just as soon stay home" on Election Day.

But Mr. Crouse said he was American, patriotic, and religious, too, so he would vote on Nov. 2 - for Mr. Bush.

"This is a Republican county," Mr. Crouse joked as he watched his granddaughter being crowned "Prettiest Baby'' recently at the Berkeley Springs Volunteer Fire Department's Annual Fair. "They couldn't care if you had Khrushchev on the ballot, if he was a Republican we'd check it off."

It is this bedrock of support that is keeping President Bush even in the polls with his challenger John Kerry, and that may propel him into a second term. In this swath of devout Republican counties that stretch from central Pennsylvania into West Virginia, more than 70 percent of voters chose Mr. Bush in the 2000 election. Morgan County, where Berkeley Springs is located, has voted Republican since the Civil War.<snip>

[WI_DEM]

1. well that part of WVA may be, but

up to 2000, West Virginia was reliably Democratic in most presidential elections. Going for Jimmy Carter in 1980 and even Mike Duakakis in 1988. Prior to 2000 it had only gone Republican in landslide years 1972 against McGovern and 1984 against Mondale, but even Mondale did better than his national average there.

[adamrsilva]

2. WV is going Kerry right now

http://www.electoral-vote.com

[jmknapp]

3. 1960 WV

JFK won WV in 1960.

This JFK can do it too.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

4. So long as we win WV it doesn't matter if we win "Toby Keith Kounty".

[LimpingLib]

5. The China trade deal Gore , Kerrys , and Edwards supported late in 2000 ..

... was all the West Virginia voters could stand.

I personnaly dont reccomend anybody take their pet to WV as a bunch of red necks will shoot it the second your beloved pet steps 1 foot into their yard (happened to a friend of mine and honestly I warned her before how people are there), and generally the people there are nothing short of pigs BUT it is a very pro worker state.

I though we might have a chance at winning the state till I saw Edwards speach at the convention.Write it off and come back another election.Its ours in the waiting.

[ArnoldLayne]

8. You must

think we're all like the people in the fictitious movie Wrong Turn which took place in WV well were not, honestly everybody trust me, come here once for just a little visit.:crazy: :crazy::crazy: :crazy: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[ArnoldLayne]

6. Ohio County

where I live in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and to the north of me Brooke and Hancock Counties are just the opposite with the majority being Democrats. :dem: :kick:

[Tarheelhombre]

7. Does anyone know how the area closest to DC votes?

It seems a lot of people from the DC area are moving out to WV, which may impact the political climate out there.