Oct. 13, 2005
 
EDITORIAL: In Choice of Gould, Who Campaigned for Manchin, WV GOP Should Watch its Inclusiveness
 
Inclusiveness in a political party is generally commendable. A political party is a bigger affair than a small club of like-minded individuals, after all. While there can be agreement on a few basic goals that the members all share in, healthy disagreement about how best to achieve those goals is a smart and good way to get the best ideas from everyone.
 
However, there are limits to inclusiveness. No, not on the basis of some grouping, like one's race, gender, color, or ethnicity. Thankfully, that's yesterday's problem, and no political party should disinclude anyone based on membership in a group they can't control.
 
Rather there are certain individuals, who by their individual actions, ban themselves from participation in a given organization, political parties included.
 
Take, for example, Robert Gould, a failed GOP candidate for Attorney General and, most recently, one of the lead members of the organization "Republicans for Manchin" in last year's election. As it turned out, Manchin hardly needed Gould's help, but Gould was there, ready, willing, and able to oppose his Republican Party's nominee for Governor, Monty Warner.
 
Most people, in Gould's shoes, would have just kept silent on the matter if they did not have enthusiasm for their party's nominee. But Gould did not stop there and went over to the other side completely. This is his right as an American, and no one here at HNN is disagreeing with that.
 
What is difficult to swallow, however, is his new role as councilor-in-chief to new GOP Chairman Robin Capehart, helping the Chairman sort out the financial mess the party is in. Having one of the charter members of "Republicans for Manchin" sorting through the State GOP Executive Committee's books does not engender confidence in many rank-and-file Republicans and for good reason.
 
You can't play both sides in West Virginia politics without a lot of people noticing. Chairman Capehart has made many smooth moves as the new GOP Chairman, and he has an unenviable task in cleaning up after the Warner fiasco.
 
But is he going to tell us that only Gould had the talent to go through the books? Was there nobody else who could help besides a politico whose last public effort was for the other team?
 
Capehart and Gould go back a long ways, some say. Too far back, apparently. Picking Gould to help him clean up the party's finances is the ultimate example of the fox in the chicken house and shows poor judgment on Capehart's part.
 
And as for Gould, he should at least have the grace to sit out a four year cycle before trying to come back to his old haunts. It's presumptuous --and just bad form.