A Blue State’s Road to Red (West Virginia)

This is one of the better analyses of the political climate in WV and though it was published some months ago I had the chance to read it only recently. Comments most welcome.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2013/10/26/a-blue-states-road-to-red/
A Blue State’s Road to Red
A frustrated and angry West Virginia has been cutting ties with its reliably Democratic roots

(excerpt)
Ordinary West Virginians used to look to Washington with something close to reverence. It was a partner in good times, a lifeline in bad ones, a powerful ally against the big corporations that came for its coal and timber. By some measures, West Virginia relies more on federal money than any other state.

But increasingly, it also has become an extreme example of the hostility that shows up in every national poll when people are asked how they feel about the federal government. Many here now speak of Washington as an enemy that threatens their economy and their way of life, that traps them into dependency.

“Washington’s 100 percent against us,” said M.E. Walker, a retired road builder who lives in Pence Springs in Summers County. “They don’t like our jobs. They don’t like our attitudes.”

What’s happening in West Virginia runs against the tide nationally, and even more, against the pull of its own history.... MORE