Author: Mountain Party

The West Virginia Mountain Party renews its call for the West Virginia Democratic Party to denounce the illegal, mudslinging mailers sent to Wheeling residents last year and to reprimand any WVDP officers who may have been involved in their production and distribution. The bizarre mailers attacked the Mountain Party, its candidates, and Chair Dylan Parsons.

According to the Wheeling Free Press — which was the first and only media outlet to publish an investigation into the mailers — Anand Patel, former manager of the Wheeling Inn and romantic partner of WV Democratic Party Secretary Jenny Craig, ordered and paid over $14,500 for the illegal mailers. Patel faces 22 misdemeanor charges which could carry up to $10,000 in fines and up to five years in jail.

While Craig has not yet been charged for the mailers allegedly sent out by her partner, the Mountain Party calls on the WV Democratic Party to clarify the extent of Craig’s knowledge of and participation in these illegal election activities. The Mountain Party also demands that Craig, if she had knowledge of the illegal election activities, resign her positions within the Democratic Party. 

In a political climate where right-wing extremists in the Republican Party are attempting to weaken election transparency and integrity, anyone who illegally aids in public distrust of our election processes must be held accountable. The Mountain Party will continue to fight against dark money, corruption, and election interference.

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Lies, distortions, half-truths, and propaganda — all expected from every side during an election year. What is unexpected, however, is just how much more propaganda there has been aimed at third parties, especially the Green Party. 

The Democratic National Committee announced recently that they were spending half a million dollars on YouTube and Instagram advertising attacking Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee for president. The ad shows former president Donald Trump at a rally in Philadelphia, where he states: “And I like her also, Jill Stein, I like her very much. You know why? She takes 100% from them.” The ad then shows text which reads: “A vote for Jill Stein is a vote for Trump. Trump knows it. Now you know it, too.” In their announcement, the Democrats claim that, “In 2016, Stein helped Trump win the election. She won 132,000 votes in the decisive swing states — Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — while Trump’s margin of victory was just 77,000 votes in those same states.” The implication here is that had Jill Stein not been on the ballot then her supporters would have voted for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Trump would have lost those swing states and thus lost the presidency. 

There is one major problem with that implication. The Democrats assume that voters who cast their ballots for Jill Stein would have switched their vote to Hillary Clinton had Stein not been on the ballot. According to CBS News exit polls, however, only 25% of Stein voters would have voted for Clinton had they only been given the option of either Clinton or Trump. 14% said they would have voted for Trump, and 61% would have not voted at all. That means that out of the 132,000 votes cast for Stein in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, only 33,000 would have been cast for Clinton — far short of the over 77,000 votes needed for Clinton to have won the election. So no, Jill Stein did not cause Hillary Clinton’s loss. She did, however, assist in the election of down-ballot Democrats and subsequently prevented the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. According to Kevin Sanchez in a 2021 article:

The Jill Stein-Ajamu Baraka ticket received 6,465 votes in the state of New Hampshire. Down that same ballot, Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan was competing against Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte in an extremely close race for the United States Senate. Hassan’s victory was razor-thin — a mere 1,017 votes. Thanks to Morning Consult public opinion data, we know that Stein supporters preferred down-ballot Democrats over Republicans by a 3-to-1 margin. And thanks to CBS News exit polling, we know that 61% of Stein voters said they would not have voted at all if they had to choose between Trump and Clinton. 

So, if Stein had withdrawn her name and most of her left-leaning voting bloc had stayed home on Election Day, that would have subtracted more than enough votes from Hassan’s tally to cost her her pivotal Senate seat. 

The following year, the “skinny repeal” of Obamacare was defeated 51 to 49, with then-Vice President Mike Pence itching to break a tie. Although we may remember Senator John McCain’s grandiose thumbs-down, if Kelly Ayotte had been sitting in the chair that Hassan currently occupies, it would have meant saying “goodbye” to Obama’s signature legislative achievement.

Not only did Jill Stein not cost the Democrats the 2016 election, but she actually saved one of their seats in the Senate and their signature legislative achievement up to that point. As for the 2024 presidential election, polling actually suggests that Jill Stein hurts Donald Trump more than Kamala Harris, as Harris’ lead over Trump expands with the inclusion of Dr. Stein on the ballot and narrows when Dr. Stein is excluded from the ballot. 

The worry about “spoiler” candidates could of course be completely put to rest if the Democrats passed a key bit of election reform advocated by the Green Party since its inception: ranked choice voting. This is whereby voters have the option to rank all candidates in order of preference. If your first choice doesn’t have a chance to win, your vote is counted towards your second choice, and so forth until a candidate reaches a majority. In this system, candidates are encouraged to work together in order to secure the second-choice votes of their most ideologically similar opponent’s supporters and gain a majority of votes, rather than sling mud in the hopes of gaining a plurality of votes. This makes for a much healthier democracy, which Democrats claim they are protecting by suing to have the Green Party removed from the ballot time and time again. 

Let’s assume that Donald Trump is right for once and  100% of Jill Stein’s votes would otherwise go to Kamala Harris if Stein were absent. Should the Democratic Party spend their energy and resources having the Green Party removed from ballots and airing attack ads, or should they spend their time trying to appeal to Green voters who feel alienated by the Biden/Harris administration’s support for the genocide of Palestinians, record oil drilling, and draconian immigration policies? Jill Stein is the favorite candidate among American Muslim voters, polling at 42.3%, compared to Harris’ 41%. Despite this fact, and despite needing to win the swing state of Michigan (which has one of the largest Muslim and Arab American populations in the United States), Harris has indicated that she will not change course from Biden’s support for Palestinian genocide. If Harris loses Michigan, and subsequently the White House, it won’t be the fault of anti-genocide voters casting their ballots for the anti-genocide candidate; it will be the fault of Harris for not being the anti-genocide candidate herself. 

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The WV Mountain Party — also known as the WV Workers’ Party — proudly stands in solidarity with the Habilitation Specialists at Northwood Health Systems’ Wetzel County facility as they take a courageous step towards forming an independent union. We are especially proud that our party’s own Chair, Dylan Parsons, is also a leader in this effort, serving as one of the union’s organizers.

Dylan emphasized, “We’re fighting for a seat at the table and a voice in the decisions that impact our lives. While we appreciate upper management’s willingness to listen to our concerns, we believe it’s essential to have a formal say in our wages, benefits, and working conditions.”

As habilitation specialists, these dedicated professionals support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in learning vital independent living skills. They rely partially on state funding from the IDD waiver program for their wages. In response to the workforce crisis in the IDD program, Governor Justice recently announced a 15% increase in IDD waiver rates starting October 1. However, Mountain Party candidate for governor Chase Linko-Looper noted, “While this increase is a step in the right direction, it’s merely a temporary solution. As governor, I would prioritize full funding for the IDD waiver program, livable wages, and meaningful support for these critical services.”

Our party’s platform is committed to disability rights, including full funding for residential and community-based services, clearing the IDD Waiver wait list, and ensuring living wages for all workers in the disability care field. We also advocate for the repeal of ‘right-to-work’ laws, recognizing unions based on cards signed, and protecting every West Virginia worker’s right to form a union, organize, bargain, strike, elect supervisors, and take peaceful job actions.

We wholeheartedly support the workers’ demands for higher wages, better benefits, and improved working hours. We also recognize the inherent social and economic value of caregiving work and other forms of labor that are often undervalued and undercompensated.

We commend the workers and our Chair for their courage and determination and pledge to continue fighting for economic justice and workers’ rights in West Virginia. We urge Northwood Health Systems to engage in good faith negotiations and ensure fair wages and benefits for their workers.

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Demands Democrat Response & Immediate AG-SoS Investigation

By: Mountain Party State Executive Committee
May 11, 2024

The West Virginia Mountain Party (WVMP) calls on the West Virginia Democratic Party (WVDP) and the Glenn Elliott for Senate campaign to denounce the illegal, mudslinging mailers recently sent to Wheeling residents. According to the Wheeling Free Press, the mailers allegedly involve the efforts of Anand Patel and possible Democrat associates. One mailer attacks the WVMP, several of its candidates, and Vice Chair Dylan Parsons as “extremists.” Additionally city councilors Rosemary Ketchum and Brian Butcher are targeted in a bizarre attempt to slander them along with West Virginia Can’t Wait. Ketchum is a Wheeling mayoral candidate and has no direct connection to the WVMP or Mr. Parsons. None of the mailers contain the legally required disclosure indicating the person(s), committee, or entity who paid for and authorized the production of the mailers.

In a video, seemingly produced by the same group responsible for the illegal mailers, the WVMP is labeled as “extremist” in a curious bid to slander both Ketchum and Zach Shrewsbury, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. Shrewsbury is attacked for “directly challenging the [supposed] common-sense leadership of Mayor Glenn Elliott.” In the same video, the WVMP is comically accused of “voter manipulation” for publishing its 2023 legislative report cards and assigning Democrat delegate Shawn Fluharty a “D-” grade. 

The WVMP has always opposed dark money. The WVMP supports strengthening campaign finance laws for increased transparency.

The content of these illegal advertisements, based on reported evidence, suggests possible involvement by WVDP leadership. The WVMP calls on the WVDP and the Elliott for Senate campaign to officially denounce these illegal campaign activities and reprimand its members or staffers involved. The West Virginia Secretary of State, the Ohio County Prosecutor and the West Virginia Attorney General must investigate the origin of this activity and hold all those accountable in order to uphold election integrity.

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The Mountain Party is disturbed by the proposed cuts at WVU and calls for:

1. Fully funding all state colleges and universities, and provide free higher education to all;
2. Implementing a policy of open admissions for high school graduates;
3. Including student and faculty democratic decision-making in curriculum, administration, and conflict resolution within each school;
4. Increasing the number of permanent, tenure track faculty at state higher educational institutions;
5. Support for student and faculty unionization efforts;
6. The resignation of WVU president E. Gordon Gee and all complicit members of the current WVU Board of Governors.

The Mountain Party stands in solidarity with all students, staff, and faculty and invites anyone fighting for their future at WVU to reach out to the Party for assistance in organizing.

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