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I've been following the primary elections very closely and Alex Mooney was constantly referred to as a carpetbagger though the part of West Virginia he's from is part of Appalachia and he holds deep Appalachian values. He's always lived close to the West Virginia border anyway and we all know that Appalachia spreads beyond state lines. And a carpetbagger would be a liberal who wants to impose their values on the state which wouldn't describe Mooney since he is a conservative and a Christian.
Yet there were many ads criticizing him and telling people not to vote for him simply because he wasn't born and raised in West Virginia. At least today those attacks by Charlotte Lane and Ken Reed failed and he won the primary but I fear the same attacks will be used against him by the Democrat opponents. This is probably one of the few states where someone not being born here is such a big deal cause I've never seen these kinds of ads in any other state. Is there truly such a bias against non-natives in this state? Does this also translate to when people try to apply for jobs in West Virginia too? I did hear that the only reason Earl Ray Tomblin won governor in 2012 despite the unanimous statewide outrage against Obama and the national Democrats is because his opponent was not from West Virginia and people in the southern counties voted for Tomblin simply because he was from their region the way most blacks voted for Obama for racial reasons.
I am new to West Virginia and have felt very welcomed here and I feel I am a good fit culturally. But when it comes to being hired for a job or elected is there really such a bias against non-natives? Why is someone not being born here made such a big deal about in WV elections?
There is virtually no difference between the values of Western Maryland and those of neighboring West Virginia or mountain Pennsylvania. A person could make a seamless transition from any of those areas to any other without difficulty. They all hold core Appalachian values. The state lines are arbitrary.
There is virtually no difference between the values of Western Maryland and those of neighboring West Virginia or mountain Pennsylvania. A person could make a seamless transition from any of those areas to any other without difficulty. They all hold core Appalachian values. The state lines are arbitrary.
That may be true but Alex Mooney is still a carpetbagger.
Any rural area has a bias against people who move in, you have to prove yourself. The fact that everyone, in both MD and WVA knows Mooney moved because he ran out of political options in MD just reinforces that strain where it concerns him.
That may be true but Alex Mooney is still a carpetbagger.
Any rural area has a bias against people who move in, you have to prove yourself. The fact that everyone, in both MD and WVA knows Mooney moved because he ran out of political options in MD just reinforces that strain where it concerns him.
I suspect that your comment about rural people is true. I still hear people refer to Jay Rockefeller as a carpetbagger even though he moved to WV in 1964 and has done nothing but work tirelessly for the poor people ever since. Sometimes, I think that being in a place for only one or two generations may not be enough to be considered a native.
On the surface of it, in 1964, anybody named Rockefeller coming into the South, could very well been seen as a carpetbagger was seen in the south after the Civil War. It was Rich people who came in from the North with piles of money in their carpetbags to take advantage of the poor people in their target areas. However, Rockefeller wasn't like that, but people in isolated communities have LONG memories.
Earl Ray Tomlin is from Logan County. People in Southern West Virginia liked the idea of having a Governor from Southern West Virginia. They never paid any attention to what he stood for or what votes he had cast while he was in the state Senate, or what agenda he promoted while he was Senate President. He was just a Southern WV boy, like them, so they voted for him.
You've got to spend a lifetime to understand this attitude. I think this same thing exists deep in the Ozarks as well as the Smokey Mountain area. I understand it, and that has made it easy to understand the way of life in Maine, where there is a poor, isolated population in small scattered communities who like life the way it is and are suspicious of people "from away," as they call them. They also call outsiders "flatlanders," which is a derogatory term for somebody "from away." They also talk funny, but instead of admitting it, they think I talk funny. Hmmm.
These small communities also develop their own speech idioms and unique food variations. For example, there is a fairly small geographic area where slaw is a common topping for hot dogs.
Last edited by mensaguy; 05-14-2014 at 07:08 AM..
Reason: remembered more stuff.
I live right next to two borders so I can comment on this. I think a lot of people like to use WV but their thoughts are that they're too good to live in the state and they're above living in the state. I know a lot of people that come to WV from Ohio and Pennsylvania for jobs or contract work yet they don't want to live here. Eastern Ohio has a complete crap economy and so many people from there have to go to WV for jobs yet Ohio is ooohhhh ssoooo much better...yeah right. So in a way WV is good enough for their check in the mail but they don't actually like the area and/or they see themselves as superior. I'm sure this can all convert over to the political arena and that could be what the case is here.
I suspect that your comment about rural people is true. I still hear people refer to Jay Rockefeller as a carpetbagger even though he moved to WV in 1964 and has done nothing but work tirelessly for the poor people ever since. Sometimes, I think that being in a place for only one or two generations may not be enough to be considered a native.
On the surface of it, in 1964, anybody named Rockefeller coming into the South, could very well been seen as a carpetbagger was seen in the south after the Civil War. It was Rich people who came in from the North with piles of money in their carpetbags to take advantage of the poor people in their target areas. However, Rockefeller wasn't like that, but people in isolated communities have LONG memories.
Earl Ray Tomlin is from Logan County. People in Southern West Virginia liked the idea of having a Governor from Southern West Virginia. They never paid any attention to what he stood for or what votes he had cast while he was in the state Senate, or what agenda he promoted while he was Senate President. He was just a Southern WV boy, like them, so they voted for him.
You've got to spend a lifetime to understand this attitude. I think this same thing exists deep in the Ozarks as well as the Smokey Mountain area. I understand it, and that has made it easy to understand the way of life in Maine, where there is a poor, isolated population in small scattered communities who like life the way it is and are suspicious of people "from away," as they call them. They also call outsiders "flatlanders," which is a derogatory term for somebody "from away." They also talk funny, but instead of admitting it, they think I talk funny. Hmmm.
These small communities also develop their own speech idioms and unique food variations. For example, there is a fairly small geographic area where slaw is a common topping for hot dogs.
I'm glad you brought this up. First of all, if you look at the voting record of Senator R. you will find that he seldom voted the conscience of his constituents. He comes from a big money background, and he voted big money all the way around. There is a perfect example of billions of dollars being able to literally buy a state. All the best to him, but we are all much better served that he is moving on.
His persistent presence here also negates your theory about "carpetbaggers". If Jay could come in here from his incredibly rich New York and Yale backgrounds and literally take over our state, why would it be difficult for somebody who has an identical cultural background from a nearby area who moves here for political expediency to take hold? You see, Appalachians have what is known as a "reference group" society. That apprehension of outsiders you talk about exists, but it exists at the local level... not at the level of those outside particular communities. Somebody in Elkins would have exactly the same apprehension about the man's opponent as he/she would about him. It would only matter in terms of the particular little city in which he moved. Everyone else would see them as similarly Appalachian. Ask State Representative Tim Miley of Bridgeport. He's from Maryland.
I think "distrustful of" might be more correct than "biased against".
The distrust of those from "Away" is deeply rooted in history.
In order to raise money, the newly formed national government heavily taxes the only cash crop on the Appalachian Frontier (corn, in the form of whiskey), and sends troops across the mountains to collect them.
The government of Virginia ignores its constituents west of the Allegheny Front, resulting in the formation of the State of West Virginia in 1863.
East Coast coal, lumber, and rail barons extracted much wealth from WV in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaving mountainsides bare until replanted by the CCC in the 1930s.
And politicians will play the carpetbagger card any time they can, whether deserved or not.
I'm glad you brought this up. First of all, if you look at the voting record of Senator R. you will find that he seldom voted the conscience of his constituents. He comes from a big money background, and he voted big money all the way around. There is a perfect example of billions of dollars being able to literally buy a state. All the best to him, but we are all much better served that he is moving on.
His persistent presence here also negates your theory about "carpetbaggers". If Jay could come in here from his incredibly rich New York and Yale backgrounds and literally take over our state, why would it be difficult for somebody who has an identical cultural background from a nearby area who moves here for political expediency to take hold? You see, Appalachians have what is known as a "reference group" society. That apprehension of outsiders you talk about exists, but it exists at the local level... not at the level of those outside particular communities. Somebody in Elkins would have exactly the same apprehension about the man's opponent as he/she would about him. It would only matter in terms of the particular little city in which he moved. Everyone else would see them as similarly Appalachian. Ask State Representative Tim Miley of Bridgeport. He's from Maryland.
Actually calling Tim Miley a carpetbagger would be more justified. While Mooney is from Western Maryland (some tourist literature refers to it as "Mountain Maryland", a conservative area whose economy is being held back by the state's reluctance to allow coal mining and natural gas drilling, Miley is actually from a very liberal DC suburb, Prince George's County and he has truly brought his views to WV, as we seen recently with his refusal to attempt override Tomblin's veto on the abortion law.
At the same time I've noticed that in some fields like health care a lot of people up there are not from the state like we got Mr. Gupta at the Kanawha health department whose only lived here for 5 years he's cool though he's handled the water crisis and everything as good as anyone could have. As for people living and working in different states a lot of people actually live in West Virginia and commute to jobs in Hagerstown and Cumberland, MD because of Maryland's much higher taxes. I believe Kentucky has lower taxes than here so its actually noticeable how in the Williamson area, Williamson on the WV side has a lot more residents but the main commercial development is across the river in Kentucky. And in the Huntington area the Ohio side is more rural so land is probably cheaper than in Huntington or Barboursville or Kenova, I don't know of many people who are "embarrassed" to live in West Virginia with the exception of a few (not all) in the Eastern Panhandle who say they live "near DC". But then many people in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of DC also insist on being from DC.
On a personal note though I've found West Virginia to be very welcoming and a good fit and I've had no difficulty making friends here. I wonder if its only at the high level when this kind of "mistrust" occurs. Its just surprisingly that someone's geographical background can be attacked this openly on TV and radio ads.
Actually calling Tim Miley a carpetbagger would be more justified. While Mooney is from Western Maryland (some tourist literature refers to it as "Mountain Maryland", a conservative area whose economy is being held back by the state's reluctance to allow coal mining and natural gas drilling, Miley is actually from a very liberal DC suburb, Prince George's County and he has truly brought his views to WV, as we seen recently with his refusal to attempt override Tomblin's veto on the abortion law.
At the same time I've noticed that in some fields like health care a lot of people up there are not from the state like we got Mr. Gupta at the Kanawha health department whose only lived here for 5 years he's cool though he's handled the water crisis and everything as good as anyone could have. As for people living and working in different states a lot of people actually live in West Virginia and commute to jobs in Hagerstown and Cumberland, MD because of Maryland's much higher taxes. I believe Kentucky has lower taxes than here so its actually noticeable how in the Williamson area, Williamson on the WV side has a lot more residents but the main commercial development is across the river in Kentucky. And in the Huntington area the Ohio side is more rural so land is probably cheaper than in Huntington or Barboursville or Kenova, I don't know of many people who are "embarrassed" to live in West Virginia with the exception of a few (not all) in the Eastern Panhandle who say they live "near DC". But then many people in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of DC also insist on being from DC.
On a personal note though I've found West Virginia to be very welcoming and a good fit and I've had no difficulty making friends here. I wonder if its only at the high level when this kind of "mistrust" occurs. Its just surprisingly that someone's geographical background can be attacked this openly on TV and radio ads.
I agree with what you're saying. The "mistrust" actually only takes place in the rural areas where the reference group society mindset still dominates. It also has nothing to do with a person's state of origin. Those folks mistrust the folks from the next town over, even though they are similar. It takes quite some time to win them over in terms of trust, although on the surface they will be cordial. The more populated areas, and especially the northern more populated areas, are not really mistrustful of outsiders.
My daughter and son in law both live in Martinsburg, and work in Hagerstown. That is common.
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