How did Al Gore lose West Virginia

[Da2017]

Bill Clinton won it twice. Dukasis won the State even though he was not a great fit. What did Al Gore do to lose it?

[uti2]

Lewinsky cost Gore the South overall. Bush's post-lewinsky religious pandering allowed him to break clinton's southern firewall.

[libertpaulian]

Lewinsky cost Gore the South overall. Bush's post-lewinsky religious pandering allowed him to break clinton's southern firewall.

Plus, Gore's tree-hugger tendencies started to display themselves a bit more during the campaign. 

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

Gore's environmentalist views didn't appeal to West Virginian coal miners.

[Hydera]

As mentioned, Gore's environmentalism upset a lot in the state because the state is symbolic of the coal industry. Also gun laws and the lewinsky scandal were a rally cry for social conservatives and made many social conservative democrats that voted for Bill Clinton in 1996 to switch over to the GOP.

[Adam Griffin]

Demographic turnover. A lot of the remaining die-hard Democrats (think union miners and New Deal voters) died between 1990-2005.

That left a large number of the oldest people who might vote Democratic depending on the race due to the state's lean, history and culture, but wouldn't necessarily lean in that direction by default. They made it possible for the kinds of swings we saw in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (strong swing to GOP, strong swing to GOP and Democratic rebound cancelling out demographics, respectively), after which they too mostly died out and the state was left with the modern electorate that scorns Democrats nationally by large margins.

[uti2]

Demographic turnover. A lot of the remaining die-hard Democrats (think union miners and New Deal voters) died between 1990-2005.

That left a large number of the oldest people who might vote Democratic depending on the race due to the state's lean, history and culture, but wouldn't necessarily lean in that direction by default. They made it possible for the kinds of swings we saw in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (strong swing to GOP, strong swing to GOP and Democratic rebound cancelling out demographics, respectively), after which they too mostly died out and the state was left with the modern electorate that scorns Democrats nationally by large margins.

That's not really true, there were many who were ready to vote for Hillary in '08 (and did so in the primary). Check out the AK polling and Southern state polling in general. There were still quite a number of elected southern democrats. Obama destroyed the blue dogs and wrecked that whole contingent of the party.

[The Govanah Jake]

Gores environmentalism firstly wasn't a big hit with the coal miners of WV. Secondly, Moral Values were up and center in that campaign and Gore being portrayed as immoral by socons and his association with bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal didn't help. Bush portrayed himself as the Moral Canidate in that race and this boosted social conservitive turnout out. Gun control was another big one and in a state that loves its guns like WV, gore was again seen as in the wrong. Of course there were other factors but I think these are the main talking points. And I must stress to you that 2000 was a different year from the Clinton 1990s and A Clinton fatigue had insured that the south wouldn't go as easily to a democrat that cycle.

[Hydera]

Demographic turnover. A lot of the remaining die-hard Democrats (think union miners and New Deal voters) died between 1990-2005.

That left a large number of the oldest people who might vote Democratic depending on the race due to the state's lean, history and culture, but wouldn't necessarily lean in that direction by default. They made it possible for the kinds of swings we saw in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (strong swing to GOP, strong swing to GOP and Democratic rebound cancelling out demographics, respectively), after which they too mostly died out and the state was left with the modern electorate that scorns Democrats nationally by large margins.

That's not really true, there were many who were ready to vote for Hillary in '08 (and did so in the primary). Check out the AK polling and Southern state polling in general. There were still quite a number of elected southern democrats. Obama destroyed the blue dogs and wrecked that whole contingent of the party.

Over time those socially conservative democrats would of flipped even if Obama wasn't the candidate considering the Socially Liberal portion of the party became increasingly bigger and bigger.  Which made the social conservatives leave for the GOP.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Because obviously, the way NOVA is changing compared to OH which is akin to West Virginia should tell you what's happening.  Al Gore and John Kerry won Pennsylvania and Mark Warner at the same time became Governor in 2001. NOVA and West Virginia and SE Ohio are going opposite ways.

[NOVA Green]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

[Lechasseur]

Demographic turnover. A lot of the remaining die-hard Democrats (think union miners and New Deal voters) died between 1990-2005.

That left a large number of the oldest people who might vote Democratic depending on the race due to the state's lean, history and culture, but wouldn't necessarily lean in that direction by default. They made it possible for the kinds of swings we saw in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (strong swing to GOP, strong swing to GOP and Democratic rebound cancelling out demographics, respectively), after which they too mostly died out and the state was left with the modern electorate that scorns Democrats nationally by large margins.

That's not really true, there were many who were ready to vote for Hillary in '08 (and did so in the primary). Check out the AK polling and Southern state polling in general. There were still quite a number of elected southern democrats. Obama destroyed the blue dogs and wrecked that whole contingent of the party.

Agreed

As mentioned, Gore's environmentalism upset a lot in the state because the state is symbolic of the coal industry. Also gun laws and the lewinsky scandal were a rally cry for social conservatives and made many social conservative democrats that voted for Bill Clinton in 1996 to switch over to the GOP.

This

[SATW]

Gore's environmentalism did not play well in WV
George W. Bush actually campaigned in WV, something many GOP nominees in the past did not do.


http://www.gettyimages.com/event/president-george-w-bush-campaigns-in-west-virginia-51183383

[Bidenworth2020]

I think all the crap people give Gore for losing WV is BS. In the last approval poll from WV, Clinton was at 46%.

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

I think all the crap people give Gore for losing WV is BS. In the last approval poll from WV, Clinton was at 46%.

So? he won it by almost 15% in '96, so there's no excuse for Gore losing it by nearly 7% just 4 years later.

[NoTrump]

Demographic turnover. A lot of the remaining die-hard Democrats (think union miners and New Deal voters) died between 1990-2005.

That left a large number of the oldest people who might vote Democratic depending on the race due to the state's lean, history and culture, but wouldn't necessarily lean in that direction by default. They made it possible for the kinds of swings we saw in 2000, 2004 & 2008 (strong swing to GOP, strong swing to GOP and Democratic rebound cancelling out demographics, respectively), after which they too mostly died out and the state was left with the modern electorate that scorns Democrats nationally by large margins.

That's not really true, there were many who were ready to vote for Hillary in '08 (and did so in the primary). Check out the AK polling and Southern state polling in general. There were still quite a number of elected southern democrats. Obama destroyed the blue dogs and wrecked that whole contingent of the party.

AK polling or AR polling? After all, AK stands for Alaska.

[NoTrump]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Ancestral Democrats + he was a good 'ol boy + Dole didn't really contest the state.

[bagelman]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

[Hydera]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

Lots of registered dems who voted for him the way they couldn't after the dems adopted environmentalist policies and pro-gun control. Plus Bill Clinton got 327,812 which is slightly down from Dukakis's 341,016. Safe to say given that voter stats that a bulk of those Perot voters in West Virginia were Bush 1988 voters and came back in 2000.

[darklordoftech]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

Lots of registered dems who voted for him the way they couldn't after the dems adopted environmentalist policies and pro-gun control. Plus Bill Clinton got 327,812 which is slightly down from Dukakis's 341,016. Safe to say given that voter stats that a bulk of those Perot voters in West Virginia were Bush 1988 voters and came back in 2000.

Clinton signed a ton of gun control legislation in 1994, so why didn't that hurt him in 1996?

[America's Sweetheart ❤/𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖞 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

Lots of registered dems who voted for him the way they couldn't after the dems adopted environmentalist policies and pro-gun control. Plus Bill Clinton got 327,812 which is slightly down from Dukakis's 341,016. Safe to say given that voter stats that a bulk of those Perot voters in West Virginia were Bush 1988 voters and came back in 2000.

Clinton got less votes than Dukakis in West Virginia because national turnout was abysmal.

[RINO Tom]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

Clinton won WV by 14.75% and the country by 8.52% ... let's not act like WV was swept along in the wave, he was likely winning it no matter what.  I am no fan of "universal swing" BS, but this would be the map RIGHT before WV tipped Republican if you swing the margins (I know this is especially silly given Perot's presence in the race, but still):

[Hydera]

Sigh--- yet another thread about WV, which has been an Atlas obsession since at least the '08 Dem Primaries.

Let's start once again with the symbolic influence of Coal Miners that helped provide the raw materials the fueled the Industrial Revolution in the US, that provided power to the Steel Mills and Auto Factories, as well as residential consumers that used to take buckets of Coal to provide fuel in their brownstone flats in working-class neighborhoods of NYC and elsewhere in the US.

Fast forward a bit in time, and although the Coal Miners chose not to cause Industrial Unrest during WW II, in exchange for "future rewards", they were left with Taft-Hartley after Truman became President when Roosevelt died in office at the end of the War.

The strikes of '48 under a Democratic President from Coal Miners that had been promised their dues were met with National Guard and Militia Members to suppress what was widely viewed as a deal with the former Administration.

Ok--- the '50s and '60s hit and Coal Miners are able to finally win decent wages under collective bargaining agreements.

We start to roll into the '70s, and once again a Democratic Administration tries to put the screws to the United Mine Workers (This time in the form of the Carter Administration) at the peak of the energy crisis.

Hit the Fast forward button, and now we are in 1989 at the time of the legendary Pittston Strike, which started in Western Virginia, but spread shut down all of the Union Coal Mines in the Eastern United States.

The issue was "double breasting", the practice that Coal Mining Companies were using to shut down Union Mines, and open up Non-Union Mines elsewhere within the region.

The UMWA won a brief victory, but the bosses are up to their old tricks, and come 1993, after the Bush Recession, they directly assault on the UMWA (Full disclosure I was doing solidarity work as a young man in Ohio at that time).

So--- the mining companies crushed the United Mine Workers at that time.

Who was the President of the United States?

Where was Bill Clinton in 1994???

So the Miners have been abandoned under the "New Democratic" Party, which actually was even worse (Believe it or not) of the "Old Democratic Party....

We can hit the Fast Forward button to 2000 and 2008, but Al Gore's massive defeat has much more to do with Bill Clinton's policies during the strike of '93 and the aftermath than it has to do with God, Gays, and Guns, like a few other have posted as an explanation for WV Pres Election results.

Why did Clinton win West Virginia so convincingly in 1996, though?

Lack of competition and his big nationwide win

Lots of registered dems who voted for him the way they couldn't after the dems adopted environmentalist policies and pro-gun control. Plus Bill Clinton got 327,812 which is slightly down from Dukakis's 341,016. Safe to say given that voter stats that a bulk of those Perot voters in West Virginia were Bush 1988 voters and came back in 2000.

Clinton signed a ton of gun control legislation in 1994, so why didn't that hurt him in 1996?

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/WVPxp.html

55% of voters in West Virginia that voted were registered democrats and West Virginia before 2000 was a lean democrat swing state. In contrast to the rest of the South that trended away from the democrats and there was a backlash leading to a slight swing against Clinton in 1996 that made him lose Georgia.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/GAPxp.html

[Schiff for Senate]

Seven words: Gore was an environmentalist in coal country.