Which way do we go?

By Angie Adams

I’m picturing one of my kids’ favorite old cartoons where the big confused dog looks down at the little tiny dog and says, “Which way do we go, boss?”  I feel like that is what is happening with politics in West Virginia. 

The Republican party (the big dog) should have the upper hand for one huge reason – we share the values and backgrounds of the vast majority of West Virginians, but for some reason when it comes to elections and campaigns we continue to look to the little dog (a Democratic party which is out of touch with West Virginia) to take our cues.  

We Republicans have the ability to live up to our “big dog, pit bull” potential. (Lipstick is optional.) However, we need to stop allowing others to dictate the debate.  We need to stop trying to figure out what people want to hear and start telling them what we really believe.  We need to set our own agenda, even if it is not the most popular politically.  We need to become our own Party.

I believe that as the West Virginia Republican Party, our greatest asset is our own Republican principles.  We need to spend our time, energy, and money reintroducing ourselves to the people of West Virginia. I know it sounds simplistic, but it’s true.  In the eye of the average voter, the Republican name has been demonized – we have allowed it to happen. We can try to expose corruption on the other side time and time again, but what people really want is the sense that their leaders are “like” them. The Democrat Party does a wonderful job of fabricating that illusion.  As Republicans, we can offer the voters of West Virginia something better.  We are the real thing.

We share the same family values as the people of West Virginia. We respect life and the traditional family.  We understand economic concerns.  We share their frustration with layoffs and stacks of unpaid bills, but we know that capitalism, not more welfare, is the answer.  We share the same concerns with education, because we send our children to the same schools.  We truly understand the love of nature, because we are hunters, farmers, and fisherman. 

And we also understand stewardship - that it is possible to use our plentiful resources of coal, oil, natural gas, water, and lumber and still leave West Virginia as beautiful as we found her.  We work the same land.  We drive the same roads.  We pay the same taxes.  We worship here.   We raise families here.  And many of us, including myself, hope to die here.

West Virginians are loyal to and passionate about West Virginia.  It is an attitude.  We love the life these hills hold for us.  We see the crime and sins that plague other parts of America, and we don’t want them to come here.  We secretly enjoy being somewhat sheltered.  I love to travel, and do so frequently, but it is always so refreshing to touch down at Yeager Airport and know that I am Home.  West Virginians don’t want to bring “change” to our state, but we just want to make it better. 

As the Republican Party we need to forget what the other party is doing and begin doing a better job, ourselves, of letting West Virginians know that we are the Party that shares their values, understands their hopes and dreams, will do the hard work necessary to make this state better, stronger, and more prosperous.

The West Virginia Republican Party – We ARE West Virginia.

Angie Adams is chair of the Wirt County Republican Executive Committee.