Finally… thank goodness the Table Games vote is here August 10, 2007
We can all reclaim our TVs and our mailboxes after Saturday - thank goodness the Table Games vote is tomorrow.
That is unless Table Games loses, with so little concern for the amount of money spent, the gamblers may just run their ads for the next two years straight until they have another opportunity to put it on the ballot.
Of course, I had to crack up reading the Gazette story yesterday about the track’s spending.
Now, the gamblers know every poll, every statistic, every possible housekeeping and laundry room position to the sixth decimal place, but when asked the question of exactly how much they are spending on this election, they all of a sudden go stupid. No one knows. Invoices are still coming in… but, the true laugher was Dan Adkins claiming they have spent less than a million dollars. Pahleez.
If you believe that one, then they want your sucker money down at the track.
Let me give you some perspective from a Kanawha County campaign standpoint. My 2004 campaign spent $300,000. An absurd amount, but I digress.
Do you know how many direct mail pieces I sent out - FIVE. For the entire campaign. I received FIVE direct mail pieces in the mail TODAY alone.
I ran 19 days of TV, running one ad on the TV news (and actually, I would alternate 6pm and 11pm news). The gamblers? As best as I can count, they have been running AT LEAST 45 days of TV. AND, they are running 3 and 4 ads per news program at times. AND, they are running multiple one minute ads (versus the 30 second ads I ran). AND, they are having some high end production costs. That’s just TV.
Heck, these guys have spent at least $70,000 alone on T-SHIRTS. They had at least 5,000 shirts alone for their night at the Power game with the Power insignia on the back. Go price two sided, multi color t-shirts. And, in addition to their Power t-shirts, they have at least another few thousand shirts if not more. Price that up and you are over $70,000.
And, the Gazette’s reaction to Adkins obviously, completely, and totally bs’ing them? (that’s crickets chirping and shoulders shrugging)
After getting absolutely scorched here early in the week as a bunch of hypocrites for supposedly being for clean elections (unless and until someone lines their pockets with full-page ad cash), they never even asked the question until yesterday.
They sent one of their best reporters out there, Rusty Marks. And, it sounds like Rusty found a lot of confusion. These people want us to trust them that they are going to spend $250 million and yet they can’t figure out what their campaign is costing them.
The funniest quote was from Cathy Brackbill who said she didn’t know because “invoices are still coming in.”
What a riot.
Do these invoices just magically appear? Does no one approve of the expenditures BEFORE they send them an invoice? Last time I checked, no one is sending me any invoices for my business that weren’t already approved in advance.
I’m sure if they win when they do the construction, they will just simply pay the invoices that the contractors send them. The gamblers crack me up.
But, with the pitiful campaign that has been put on, she might be right.
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Ok, some quotes from today’s paper that either made me laugh or completely were false on their face that I feel need clarified.
One of the more comical quotes was from Kent Carper (who I will say is a good guy and good commish, but who I disagree with on this issue). Kent said that the campaign took a turn for the negative when the Vote No crowd brought in “out-of-county” influences.
Huh?
What in the heck is he talking about? The only person who I can think of involved in the vote no campaign and doesn’t live in the county is Del. Kelli Sobonya, but I don’t really consider her to be a major influence on the campaign. I mean, she makes comments and sends out info, but is this who Kent was referring to?
And, what was even more hysterical was Kent was lamenting these ‘out-of-county’ influences while saying nothing about the $2 million+ being spent by Tri-State Racetrack. The last time I checked the casino owners are out of Florida. I’m not sure if that qualifies as an “out-of-county” influence.
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Another silly comment was from John Cavacini. He asked where all these Vote No people were in 2001 when the state legalized min-casinos.
Huh, again?
What in the heck is he talking about? First, most of the vote no crowd was involved in the battle with the Wise administration over that measure.
And, it looks like the gamblers took their cue from the Bob Wise-tactic of simply making stuff up to get to the eighteenth vote in the Senate. Wise actually didn’t just make stuff up, he lied out his as@ to get that bill passed.
If you remember the State Police did a count of the illegal video machines in the state (again, I can’t say that part of the story without a smile on my face that supposedly we couldn’t enforce the law making these video terminals illegal, yet the State Police were able to go right out and make a count). They found 9,000. By the time Wise needed that 18th vote in the Senate? He made the outrageous claim that there were NOW 30,000 machines in the state.
This is reminicent of the track who went from 350 jobs, to Danny Jones laying down the gauntlet of 500 jobs (where’s YOUR 500 jobs, Danny would say during the legislative session), to NOW being up to 1,000 jobs.
Wait, not only 1,000 jobs, but 1,000 good-paying jobs - EVERY single one of them, and so many so that all of the children who left the state could return as housekepeers and pit bosses (every mother dreams of their sons one day becoming… The President of the United States? No. A doctor? No. A lawyer? No. Nope the be-all end-all of motherhood, the son who becomes a Pit Boss.)
But, the more hysterical part of Cavi calling out the Vote No crowd about “where they were” is that it was actually the tracks who allowed the mini-casino bill to pass.
The tracks, led by Cavacini himself, had the tracks take a hand-off approach. Trust me, people on the anti-mini casino side wanted the tracks to come in and help defeat the mini-casinos. The tracks position? It wasn’t their fight, they felt. Of course, they soon found out that the mini-casinos would take a bite out of the tracks and I’m sure later kicked themselves for not pulling in their influence and convincing the people in the Senate they control to vote against it.
But, they didn’t. And because they didn’t, mini-casinos passed by a single vote.
So for them to now come out and scold the Vote No people (all that I know who were opposed to the mini-casinos), takes some cajones.
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And lastly, someone asked me to comment on the current anti-Table Games TV commercial. I didn’t like it. I don’t know who put it together, but I don’t think it’s well done and I don’t think it’s the right message. Bombarding people with statistics doesn’t win elections.
As for the new Danny Jones commercial, people haven’t liked it, but I guess I compare it to the one where Danny seems like he is pissed off for 60 seconds, so it’s a great commercial compared to that one.
I guess the problem I have with Danny’s newest commercial is that it still seems a little scolding in nature. And, I’ve never really understood this “where’s your 1,000 jobs” mentality and comment. It’s not the people of this county’s job to come up with a plan for 1,000 jobs. And, if this is the best plan our current leaders can come up with, well, then I think we need new current leaders.
Can you imagine a leader in the state of Virginia (I was in Manassas two weeks ago and they have FIVE projects larger than Tri-State going on right now WITHOUT having to rely on an addiction to raise money) getting on there and challenging the people of Virginia to come up with their plan for 1,000 jobs?
Look, here is my basic issue with table games. My problem is two-fold.
First, in 1984, as I have read back over that campaign, the people of this state were snookered. In fact, the very concern over casinos was pooh-poohed by the intelligensia of the time as ‘fundamentalist paranoia.’
Well, what the ‘aginers’ predicted at the time came true. They predicted that the 1984 vote would lead to full blown casinos in our state and needless to say they were right. And, had the people known at that time, there was NO WAY that would have passed.
Secondly, and more honestly, is this truly the best we can do? I mean, with all the collective mind power in this state, the BEST we can do is a casino?
Senator Mike Oliverio gave a fantastic speech against it on the Senate Floor. And his entire point was ‘is this the best we as West Virginia leaders can come up with’?
But, more importantly, it strikes me as odd that government would hope to addict and then tax people who gamble in our state. And, look, yes I know, there is already gambling in the state. Well, you know what, that was the same line they used in 1984. And, unless we say no at some point, that will be the same excuse to continue to expand gambling in 2024 and 2044 and 2064. Sooner or later, someone has to say no more.
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19 Responses to “Finally… thank goodness the Table Games vote is here”
There are a lot of people in this county and this state that have been trying to tell them how we could have many thousands more jobs. If Danny were really a Republican he wouldn’t have to ask.
I’d like to say ditto to Jawn’s post.
Also, the Senator nailed it to the wall when he said, “And, if this is the best plan our current leaders can come up with, well, then I think we need new current leaders.”
Every Kan. Co. voter should read Senator Sprouse’s post today before they go to the polls tomorrow.
Lets be perfectly clear who the Vote No people are that you refer to. Are they an organized group, a paid political group, who are you referring to in your comments?
The grass roots group that has manned the sign waving , organized several of the successful rally’s and personally purchased the Vote No signs are a group of non-partisan people that have been mobilized by their passion to defeat this unwanted referendum.
Hey Vic,
Let’s please clarify which group is running the television commercial. I am part of the Vote NO grassroots group who has been placing yard signs, organizing some of the rallies, sign waving,etc., We are running a :60 radio commercial today that is unlike the television commercial you are describing. We look forward to your clarification on this and thanks for all you do.
As a member of the Vote No Grassroots group, I am surprised to learn that our name has been connected to a TV commercial (and a bad one at that).
We are a low budget and at times no budget group, the “rag tags” of the gambling campaign, as Vic has described us.
We have sign waved, rallied, phoned, and purchased Vote No signs. We are a genuine grassroots group, dedicated to the defeat of the gambling referendum.
The only commercial to come out of our group is a radio ad that ran for the first time on Friday, August 10.
Hope Vic will clarify who ran the TV ad that was criticized in today’s column.
From Vic…
Hey, everyone, I apologize about the above reference, I actually don’t know who is running the TV commercial (it doesn’t list - and is not required to list who is actually paying for it).
So, let me clarify, WHOEVER is running the TV Commercial (someone not affliated with grassroots movement of Vote NO)did not do a very good job on the commercial!
Sorry about that!
Vic
And to be completely honest, some of the people representing the vote no side are less than eloquent. They’re not doing their side any favors by going on Hoppy’s show or some of the other radio & tv programs and appearing inarticulate.
Their direct mail efforts have been pretty weak too.
I know they don’t have the money that the gambling people do, but doesn’t somebody on the No side have any graphics skills?
Those with graphics skills that are articulate sit at home and criticize.
People representing the vote no side are less than eloquent; however they are passionate and active.
Ray must’ve missed the full page red and black ad in the Charleston Papers by I Believe in WV. One of the NO people laid it out.
You also must’ve missed the Vote NO yard signs and larger outdoor Vote NO signs, we laid those out ourselves, I think we did a pretty good job and we paid for them ourselves.
There are folks on the NO side with an abundance of different skills, but most of all, we have the courage to take a stand against what our State Legislature is trying to do to the citizens of WV through gambling.
Worst of all, the other 51 counties WILL NOT GET TO VOTE on this issue although the legislators for ALL 55 counties DID GET TO VOTE on this issue.
I saw the red and black ad. That’s exactly the kind of good design I was talking about.
That is the design and theme that should have been used from day one, not a week before the election.
I’ve seen plenty of those yellow and black signs and they SUCKED. When they were backlit by the sun, you couldn’t read a word on them. Too many words, too small of a typeface.
Don’t get me wrong, I hope this doesn’t pass but the Yes guys win the design contest.
Vic, why can’t they still build that big center they are talking about building to bring folks into our Great State Of West Virginia with out having gambling involved. OR do you think it is all connected to GAMBLING and not to bring folks in because such a great building that folk will enjoys without gambling. They (the folks that want to vote yes) says it is for Kanawha County, Jobs, Money for Seniors, Etc. Why don’t they call it like it is, it is for the gamblers and will break up families, cause hardships, I could go on but you know where I’m going. I think folks are being misled on this issue and something should be done about it.
two days after the table games vote in Jefferson Co. Penn National announced the sale of the property. So we know that the track was sold before the table games vote. If the owner of Tristate track sold that place after the vote (Aug. 11) would the new owner have to live up to the promises made by the current owner, such as, jobs, amount of pay for new jobs, space for new attractions and events, new hotel? I am proud of the people in Kanawha Co. for standing up to gambling expansion. Gambling got out of hand in S. Carolina in the 90’s and they elected legislators who got rid of the video poker machines. We can do it here. The ten year licenses for street corner shacks run out in 2001 and we need to start electing legislators who will help us get rid of this cancer.
shack licenses run out in 2011.
shack licenses run out in 2011.
What aggravates me about the Table games(and I am against them)is that many people(probably even people in Kanawha County who are against them and working for that cause)who are against them and didn’t want it passed in the legislature voted for the ones who are in there and passed it and will probably vote for them again. I know several people in my church, who are good Christians, but keep voting for the Dems(not that Dems are not Christian), who pass bills that go against their beleifs.
GOD BLESS
BUDDY
Buddy,
Welcome to the great freak show that is West Virginia politics. 70 + years of damage yet they continually get reelected. I am quite sure Charles Manson could get elected here if he ran as a democrat.
To Ray: After reading your criticism, I am curious if you designed or paid for any Vote No signs?
A full page ad costs mega $$$$. Did you offer to run an ad a month ago? Did you offer to run an ad a week ago?
Did you contribute anything in time, talent or funds to Vote No? If you did, thank you. If you didnt, shame on you.
The grassroots people of Vote NO did an amazing job with limited resources.
I hope you will pray for the continued dedication of those who are standing up for what is right for Kanawha County and West Virginia.
It appears the unofficial final results are in…
22,544 For
22,511 Against
JUST 33 VOTES!!! AMAZING!!!
Hopefully, there will be a recount, and some more absentee ballots to be counted…
BTW - I think that Sen. Mike Oliverio should switch to the Republican Party and run for statewide office in 2008!
Rumor: they spent $5,000,000 on the yes campaign! I know & trust vera, but the rest who will be there next Friday? Anyone who puts down the no people, should be ashamed of thier self! They worked for free & didn’t have a lot of the poor peoples lost money like the dog track! By the way I heard we no people shouldn’t of drank alcohol befor we went to Voters registration, I talked to & shook hands with these people & didn’t notice alcohol, but than I wasn’t that close!