Fucking hell, our state legislature

[KabeRinnaul]

For the first time in almost 90 years, the Republican party has control of both WV's House and Senate. In a matter of weeks, here's what they've done:

1. West Virginia, formerly a bastion of pro-Union sentiment (we literally fought a minor war for it), has become a Right To Work state.
2. The House has passed Voter ID laws.
3. The House has passed a "Religious Freedom" bill that helps protect businesses and individuals from having their "religious rights" (like denying service to gay couples) from being overridden by state actions (like anti-discrimination laws).
4. And we now allow Concealed Carry for anyone over the age of 21, without fees, permits, background checks, or training.

And call me crazy, but I have a feeling that, in the current political climate, it's going to get even worse.

[HYHYBT]

Why did your state flip?

[Kheldarson]

The Republicans played the "we'll protect the coal industry" and "'bama's stealin' your guns!" cards last election cycle. It's scary how vehement the hate for Obama is around here, and the Republican party capitalized on it.

[Gravekeeper]

"Let us stick it up your ass so you can stick it to the black guy".

Its kind of unsettling how often it works.

[D_Yeti_Esquire]

I'll take a crack at this as a liberal that nevertheless understands what generally happens:

1) West Virginia, formerly a bastion of pro-Union sentiment (we literally fought a minor war for it), has become a Right To Work state. - Democrats have been attacking coal for a while. Unions are great when there's work but when Union contracts cause diminishing work hours and job loss, supporters bail. It's not that Dems can't reach these people, rather their actual policies in this case have dried that well a bit. People with a powerful need to eat don't care about carbon footprint. Maslow's first level needs to get met before the second becomes an issue. There are more industries than coal, but that's probably your swing constituency.

When I worked at the MTA you'd be shocked how many Union voters are actually Republican.

The House has passed Voter ID laws. - More a factor of Republican influence in general.


The House has passed a "Religious Freedom" bill that helps protect businesses and individuals from having their "religious rights" (like denying service to gay couples) from being overridden by state actions (like anti-discrimination laws). - Just like Republicans at times forget that some of their support comes from pro-choice or gay Republicans, at times Democrats forget and allow their secular voices to get downright predatory in terms of religion. Republicans always, ALWAYS try to use this.


And we now allow Concealed Carry for anyone over the age of 21, without fees, permits, background checks, or training. - Honestly these laws are just stupid, but it's an urban/rural disconnect.

Re: Obama, see the reaction towards Bill Clinton after he tried to push through Universal health care. It was largely the same bile, although how it manifested was different. Instead Clinton was just a walking, raping, murdering psychopath. Which I suppose is better? I dunno. The ad hominem tends to be strong with that side.

Re: things getting worse, I'm actually going to open a separate thread because I'm about to digress probably too much. Long story short, I think until something corrects political control from both wings, this is what we're going to see.

[protege]

1) West Virginia, formerly a bastion of pro-Union sentiment (we literally fought a minor war for it), has become a Right To Work state. - Democrats have been attacking coal for a while. Unions are great when there's work but when Union contracts cause diminishing work hours and job loss, supporters bail. It's not that Dems can't reach these people, rather their actual policies in this case have dried that well a bit. People with a powerful need to eat don't care about carbon footprint. Maslow's first level needs to get met before the second becomes an issue. There are more industries than coal, but that's probably your swing constituency.

That's exactly what did it. West Virginia's economy is largely based on coal. Two of their largest employers are energy companies...who own mines and other related industries. So many people depend on mining, that it was only natural for voters to "jump ship" when the Ds started going after the industry. To them, it's not about cleaner air. No, it's about putting food on the table. If the coal industry in WV fails, an estimated 30,000 people would lose their jobs. Think of all the towns (many of which are already declining) that only exist because of the mines--that would disappear if that happened. I grew up during Pittsburgh's steel implosion, and I remember what it was like. We got lucky in that we were able to reinvent our city. But, remember that WV is also very isolated due to the terrain. The people losing their jobs would likely be stuck.

[KabeRinnaul]

I'm adding a #5 now.

They've passed legislation blocking new science education standards, because the new standards teach that humanity contributes to global warming through the use of fossil fuels, and that might cast the coal industry in a negative light.

[Gravekeeper]

They've passed legislation blocking new science education standards[/URL], because the new standards teach that humanity contributes to global warming through the use of fossil fuels, and that might cast the coal industry in a negative light.

It still kind of amazes me that this sort of thing is even permitted in the US under the banner of "States rights". Like, shouldn't there be a line drawn there somewhere when States Rights begin running a afoul of reality itself?

[Kheldarson]

It still kind of amazes me that this sort of thing is even permitted in the US under the banner of "States rights". Like, shouldn't there be a line drawn there somewhere when States Rights begin running a afoul of reality itself?

I'm starting to wonder if reality has any position in politics at this point.