March 25, 2006
 
EDITORIAL: Hiram Lewis: Mad Dog of the WV GOP
 
Greer CEO Chairman John Raese developed a thick skin a long time ago in his previous political efforts, particularly as State GOP Chairman. He learned how to roll with the punches of political attacks a long time ago and can certainly defend himself when necessary.
 
However, he deserves a standing ovation from Republicans across the state for his noteworthy restraint in the face of unnecessary and personal attacks by the campaign of Hiram Lewis, one of his rivals for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination. In recent days, reports have surfaced of Lewis's campaign making negative, personal attacks on Raese and even his family at Republican events.
 
We ask how this helps the West Virginia Republican Party and, more to the point, what does it possibly do to advance any kind of positive agenda for Mr. Lewis? Tearing someone down on a personal basis gets an underdog candidate nowhere. In fact, this kind of behavior is bound to lose Mr. Lewis what support he has left.
 
For one thing, Mr. Lewis appeared to forswear anymore negative, personal attacks just a couple of weeks ago, after he had some unfortunate remarks on his campaign website. He caught a lot of grief over that and pursued the only course available to him: he took the comments down, claiming that his website would only feature positive, issue-oriented subject matter from now on.
 
If it only takes Mr. Lewis a couple of weeks to turn hypocrite, doing an about face on his own word to the public and to members of the Republican Party of West Virginia, then perhaps it is time for a review of Mr. Lewis's other recent foibles. Judge for yourself if this is the kind of self-pronounced "leader" you want elected to anything, let alone as your U.S. Senate nominee:
 
1. Lewis has run statewide three times in recent elections and always for races above his competency level. As a result, the voters have turned him down three times in a row. This wlll be his fourth straight loss. Is Mr. Lewis a professional candidate? What does he do for a living?
 
2. Lewis has not yet explained his poor management of State GOP funds as the party's Treasurer in the waning months of former Chairman Kris Warner's tenure. Current GOP Chairman Robin Capehart is doing an admirable job cleaning up the mess left behind, particularly the tens of thousands of dollars of party debt. Thanks to "leaders" like Hiram Lewis, debt reduction was left for others to solve.
 
Question: If Hiram Lewis is such a brilliant Republican Party leader, why didn't he advance a serious plan to help the State Party get out of debt before leaving as Party Treasurer? Does he care about any other Republican other than himself?
 
3. When will Mr. Lewis come clean about some of the interesting backgrounds of his hired help? Shall we look into that for him, too? We stand ready.
 
4. Why does Hiram Lewis do what few other National Guardsmen would ever dream of doing, namely wearing his uniform to advance his every political move? While Lewis has the right to take pride in wearing the uniform of his country, most veterans will tell you that when they see a man using his military service in such a transparent fashion to advance his personal political career, it offends and rightly so.
 
Democratic Presidential hopeful John Kerry caught flak for taking home movies in Vietnam to use in his first political campaign back home. Is Lewis any different, throwing out pictures of him, with a rifle he never fired, sitting in one of Saddam Hussein's golden thrones? Isn't this a bit grandiose for most West Virginians--and downright silly?
 
When one sees the childish behavior of Hiram Lewis over the years, coupled with the nasty attacks he and his pathetic toadies have made on a man of John Raese's noteworthy service to the WV GOP, it makes one wish that someone close to Lewis could get him to climb down from his high horse before he does real damage to himself and the Party of Lincoln.
 
A spirited battle of ideas is what a primary campaign should be about, not personal and unwarranted attacks. Especially on a man like Raese, who has not uttered one negative move towards his fellow Republican candidates since filing.
 
John Raese is like Muhammed Ali in this race--he can take a punch, even though hemust hurt for his excellent wife, Liz, and their two daughters, who deserve none of this treatment.
 
But one expects that they are tough, too, and Raese is fortunate to have such support on the homefront, as is the WV Republican Party for its upcoming nominee.
 
Lewis has had many opportunities to make his best appeals to the West Virginia voting public and has been turned down repeatedly. Until now, he was just a loser of campaigns.
 
Further attacks on a decent man and respected West Virginian will make his remaining stock fall through the floor.
 
Since Lewis has such terrible campaign advice lately, here's some free advice he can take or leave. But it's definitely appropriate in this case for this troubled young man, who is about to have yet another message delivered to him by voters in a big way this May:
 
"Angry man loses, Hiram."