West Virginia Primary Polls for the GOP show a coal mining legend - Don Blankenship - who is now leading the pack in terms of support on the ground for Senator - but President Trump has made clear that Blankenship “can't win” a General Election.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">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!</p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/993443781281271808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Blankenship has a unique history, of which many allege he's personally responsible for the deaths of 29 coal miners in the state of West Virginia, after the “worst coal mining disaster” in modern-American history.
This, among other personal issues surrounding his past, makes Blankenship a risky candidate to run in the General Election against any Democrat, and would likely cause him to lose.
<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Blankenship">Don Blankenship </a>is the Chairman of Massey Energy, who was in charge of the site of the disaster.
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster was a horrific tragedy, where twenty-nine of the total thirty-one coal miners at the site was fatally injured after a coal dust explosion occurred at the Raleigh County, West Virginia facility.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) released its final report on the<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Big_Branch_Mine_disaster"> Upper Big Branch Mine disaster </a>on December 6, 2011, concluding that flagrant safety violations contributed to the explosion. It issued 369 citations at that time, assessing $10.8 million in penalties.
Those 369 citations also faulted both the MHSA and<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massey_Energy"> Massey Energy </a>as being responsible, with over $10.8 million in fines levied against the company and a lawsuit that was later settled for a stunning $209 million in criminal liabilities.
Prosecutors also brought charges against Blankenship, stating that he was involved in a “Conspiracy to violate mine safety and health standards,” of which he stood trial and was later convicted of the Federal offense, serving one-year in a Federal prison and being forced to repay a $250,000 fine.
Some have defended Blankenship through the ordeal, while others directly blame his ignorance of safety hazards as per responsibility for the enormous loss of life, with many claiming that Massey Energy had paid off investigators for years to avoid having to implement changes to their operations.
As per the settlement agreement, the majority of those claims and concerns were squashed in court, at least officially, although victims and family members of the disaster have never forgiven the company for their deceased loved ones.
Several other courtroom cases have plagued Blankenship’s past, including one by a former employee, Deborah May, who filed a lawsuit claiming that stress from personal abuse forced her to quit her job in November of 2005.
The lawsuit claimed that such comparatively minor mistakes as a wrong breakfast order from McDonald's, misplaced ice cream in the freezer, and an improperly hung jacket in the closet caused difficulties with Blankenship.
In June of 2008, West Virginia's top court ruled that May was entitled to unemployment benefits because "the unrefuted evidence" showed that Blankenship "physically grabbed" the maid, threw food after she brought back the wrong fast-food order, and tore a tie rack and coat hanger out of a closet after she forgot to leave the hanger out for his coat. "
This shocking conduct" showed May was in effect fired because she felt compelled to quit, the justices said in the case.
It's this history, as well as numerous allegations and theories swirling around corruption at the company that has many in doubt of Don Blankenship’s ability to win a General Election in 2018.
President Trump needs the seat of West Virginia to further the “Make America Great Again” agenda, and reminds voters of what happened in Alabama, <i>where despite the popularity of Roy Moore amongst die-hard Christian traditionalists</i>, he was unable to win the Special Election against Doug Jones based upon the enormous amount of baggage and illicit claims about his past.
Roy Moore is a perfect example of how if a candidate, no matter how honest or truthful his perspective may be, can be defeated upon questions about their past versus evidence.
In the case of Don Blankenship, there is evidence. He's not only served time in Federal prison for his crimes but in the court of public opinion has more than one allegation attached to his name.
That burden would make the race about corruption and personal attacks, and avoid fighting for the issues that matter to West Virginia voters.
While some would suggest that a person should fight back against claims made against them in the propaganda news media, which is partially correct, Blankenship’s baggage is too much for anyone to carry.
Candidates with such history further drag down the party in which President Trump has tried to build, and we must learn from the past, as in Alabama, where having a clean candidate could have possibly won the Special Election.
President Trump realizes that the “America First” policies he's promoting cannot be fully bloomed unless the GOP retains control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate, if not both.
Opposition to Blankenship includes Attorney General Morrisey and Representative Jenkins; both of whom wouldn't endure the personal attacks Blankenship will suffer from in the General Election.
It's ultimately for the people of West Virginia to vote and decide, but knowing what Blankenship would face in November based on his past should help to make the choice clear.
Internal campaign polls reported by<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/05/blankenship-polls-west-virginia-senate-primary-570752"> Politico</a>, however, have Blankenship at 31 percent, Jenkins at 28 percent, and Morrissey at 27 percent, which has the West Virginia Republican Party concerned, as they have zero desire to fight on behalf of Blankenship’s past in what would become a muddy-waters election cycle if he were to become the nominee.
As President Trump said, “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!”
It's best to listen to the President on this issue, and if he says he's unwilling to back Blankenship, it's for a good reason.
Much like what happened with Roy Moore, many Conservatives simply won't show up to vote with a convicted criminal like Don Blankenship on the ballot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestVirginia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestVirginia</a> needs to listen to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WVSen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WVSen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestVirginiaSenate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestVirginiaSenate</a> CANNOT be won by Don Blankenship - doesn't matter what his stances are, Blankenship CANNOT win a General Election.<br>If you want to make West Virginia Great Again & Stay Red? VOTE ANYONE ELSE TOMORROW. <a href="https://t.co/UJWRhPr56x">https://t.co/UJWRhPr56x</a></p>— Courtney T. ♠️♦️♣️♥️ (@IWillRedPillU) <a href="https://twitter.com/IWillRedPillU/status/993574865503481856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Do the right thing, West Virginia, and choose a primary candidate who can defeat Democrats in November.
Go vote tomorrow, on Tuesday, for someone who will be able to help “Make America Great Again,” and it's not going to be Blankenship, because he'll lose the General Election to a liberal.
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