As we prepare to enter the
"silly season" of politics and brace ourselves for the onslaught of
up to $5 billion in political spending, mostly political ads, did you ever
wonder how people are selected to run for office.
There are a variety of
ways one used to be a candidate for office, particularly federal office, but
the collapse of federal campaign finance laws and the failure of any candidate
for president to propose new laws will insure the path to election is lined
with cash.
What a pity. Once upon a time, the two political parties
reached out to people who were not career politicians to bring new life to
political office and new ideas for people to consider.
Once upon a time, when
people were running for office, whether Democrats or Republicans, once elected
they actually worked to serve all the people in their state or district. In fact, they even worked with members of the
opposite party to help all people.
Unfortunately, that
practice seems dead. It is the political
parties and the professional politicians they support who have fostered the
bitter partisanship, the character assassination, and the smear campaigns to
keep people out of office.
The result, many good
people, and many deserving people who really care about all people get denied
the chance to hold public office. When
this happens, people get cheated out of the caring, compassionate, and
understanding leaders we deserve and need.
Where are the people's
politicians who put the needs of the people first and who never lose sight of
the sacred trust between an elected official and all the people they serve?
Let me give you a
hypothetical example so you can see what I mean. Let us take the Second Congressional District
of West Virginia. The Second District is
one of the strangest in the nation as it extends from the Washington
suburbs in the Northeast part of the state all the way through Charleston
almost to Kentucky .
During the most recent
election in 2014, the party candidates for Congress included the former
chairman of the West Virginia Democrat Party running against the former
chairman of the Maryland Republican party.
Democrat Nick Casey and Republican Alex Mooney squared off.
As whacky as it sounds
that is what happened. Professional
politicians from both political parties squared off to represent the
Mountaineers. Mooney, who did not even
live in West Virginia when he started his
campaign, was running for public office in his third different state: New Hampshire , Maryland ,
and West Virginia .[
Casey, the prohibitive favorite as former state Democrat party
chairman, president of the ABA , prominent
Catholic, Charleston
resident, person with exceptional charitable credentials, and candidate with by
far the highest public recognition, got just 60% of the vote in the primary and
43.9% in the general election.
Mooney pulled off a major upset.
As we approach the 2016 election cycle, what do you
suppose is happening in the now GOP Second District. Mooney is preparing for the re-election
campaign although there is some speculation that if a Republican became
president Mooney would be in line for a major position in the new
administration.
On the Democrat side the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, DCCC, is encouraging Nick Casey to
run again for the Second District WV Congressional seat. The fact such action is being reported in the
news media suggests the DCCC has decided to push Casey and discourage any other
candidates from running, much like is being done with Hillary Clinton at the
presidential level.
As for Casey vulnerability, I
believe Casey could lose the race
by even more votes than the last election.
Several issues could cause serious damage to his efforts. Casey is
vulnerable for two reasons, his time as Democratic State party leader in West Virginia , and his
statements in the last campaign.
While I have only
completed a cursory review of the actual voting breakdown, certain things are
quite clear. First, in 2016, there will
be massive GOP spending for president and the message will be targeted at two
potential Achilles heels for Casey, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Like it or not Casey is
linked to Obama, to DNC leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to
former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and to key elements of the Obama program. As a result, the GOP will portray him as just
another party hack doing the bidding of the professional politicians.
His super-delegate and party spokesperson role put him on
record supporting what Obama, Pelosi, and Schultz told people to say. The fact he had to say he was going to vote
against Pelosi in the last campaign, if elected, showed his party
vulnerability.
His strong support for Obama on Obamacare and energy
policy both became campaign issues used against him, and will be larger issues
in the next campaign because of the spending in the presidential election.
That same party loyalty over what is good for the people
of West Virginia
will include his relationship to Hillary who already has her highest negatives
recorded and the campaign has barely begun.
Since Casey was on record saying he wanted the Clintons help in his campaign,
and he supported her during her State department days, it links him to her and
her standing in the polls.
However, from a hypothetical standpoint there may be a far better candidate
than either Mooney or Casey. One who
will never get to serve the people of West
Virginia because the professional politicians want to
keep the seat in the control of professional politicians.
My hypothetical candidate
is a real person, Clarence E. Martin, III of Martinsburg. "CEM" Martin possesses about every
quality known to elevate politicians to friends and advocates for all the
people.
Since this is a key swing
district in a key swing state, it would seem one grounded in serving people like
Martin rather than parties, is an ideal candidate. He is homegrown from West
Virginia with three generations of prominent family in public
service serving the citizens of West
Virginia .
Why CEM Martin should be the Congressman, hypothetically speaking that is.
He is homegrown with a statewide
network of friends and long go demonstrated a commitment to family, faith, and
loyalty. CEM Martin was a past president
of the State Bar Association. His
grandfather was past president of the American Bar Association. CEM would garner support from a variety of
local networks like lawyers, the Chamber of Commerce, religious groups, non-profits,
and the business community.
Throughout his career he
demonstrated how to serve people and put their interests first. With Congressional committee staff experience,
international experience through think tanks, and his standing as one of the
highest-ranking members of the Papal backed Knights of Malta in the USA , he is free
of partisan political association. When
you add his family legacy and a charming wife and daughters, he could make a formidable
candidate.
Most important is the legacy issue. West Virginians
seem to like authentic, homegrown candidates and if ever there was a race when
it should have been evident, it was last year.
Clarence E.
"CEM" Martin, III is a Shareholder at Martin & Seibert, L.C. and
is the third generation of his family to be a member of the firm. His
Grandfather, Clarence E. Martin, President of the American Bar Association in
1932-1933 founded the firm over 100 years ago, in 1908, in Martinsburg.
CEM's parents |
CEM is a former Assistant
Counsel to the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of
Representatives (now Energy and Commerce) and Trial Attorney for the U.S.
Department of Justice. He was a Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
from 1976 – 1982 and held various leadership positions.
In May of 2012, Martin was
appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to chair a
select committee to review and revise the Constitution, Bylaws, Rules, and
Regulations of the West Virginia State Bar. Mr. Martin has taken leadership
roles in a number of professional and business organizations in West Virginia and
beyond. He recently served as Chair for the West Virginia State Chamber of
Commerce.
He has also served his
communities in the following practices:
President of the West Virginia Bar
Association in 1991-92
Commissioner on the U.S. Commission
on Agricultural Workers from 1988-92
National Board of the
American Board of Trial Advocates from 1986-94
Fellow, West Virginia Bar Foundation
Fellow, Litigation Counsel
of America
Fellow of the American Bar
Foundation
Board of Directors of the
Defense Trial
Board of Directors of the
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chair 2007-2008
Board of Advisors for Shepherd University serving as its Chair from
1990-92 and 1995-97
Board of Advisors for the Catholic University
of America , Columbus School of Law
Board of Directors of
Catholic Charities of West Virginia
Board of Directors for
Vision Shared
Board of Directors for the
West Virginia Education Alliance
Board of Directors for the
International Partnership for Human Development
Board of Directors for West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development
Board of Directors for the
Holy Family Hospital
Foundation
Board of Directors for the
Federal Association of the Order of Malta
Member of the West
Virginia Law Institute
Member of the National
Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
Who's Who in America
Who's Who in American Law
Honorary Doctorate degree
by Shepherd University
Honors
He was named a Super
Lawyer in West Virginia in 2008 through 2011,which
recognizes the top five percent of lawyers in the state, and named a Fellow in
the Litigation Counsel of America
in 2007, which recognizes the top two percent of litigators in the U.S. In 2011, he was named to Best Lawyers in America , which is a peer rated listing recognizing
the top lawyers in the U.S.
Also in 2011 he was
elected to the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance. The Alliance is a nonpartisan group made up of
insurance companies, corporations, law firms, and service providers committed
to furthering the highest standards of litigation management. In 2012 he graduated from the Alliance 's first certification program in litigation
management held at the Columbia
Law School
and is a Certified Litigation Management Professional.
In 1992 he was appointed
to serve on the West Virginia Council for Community and Economic Development,
which developed and directed the State's economic development programs and he elected its Secretary and served until 1995. CEM
also chaired the West Virginia Economic Development Foundation and the West
Virginia Economic Development Corporation, which are authorized by the Council
as private funding corporations for the State's economic development programs.
He now serves on the board
of Vision Shared which works with the State's development office on economic
development. He served as President of the Discover the REAL West Virginia
Foundation from its founding in 1993 through 2004, focusing on economic
development and international trade issues with U.S. Senator John D.
Rockefeller, IV.
He is also Chairman of the
Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority, which is restoring a historic railroad
property. In 2003, Mr. Martin was elected a Fellow in the West Virginia Bar
Foundation.
CEM is a member of the
Board of Directors for the Holy Family Hospital Foundation which supports the Holy Family
Hospital . The Hospital is
the only hospital that provides critical, neo-natal care in Bethlehem ,
in the Palestinian
Territories . He is also
president of the Washington-Baltimore Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the
Vatican Museums.
In 2000, Mr. Martin was
invested in the Order of Malta
as a Knight of Magisterial Grace. In 2003, he was elected to the Federal
Association's Board of Directors. In 2004 he was invested as a member of the
Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Constantinian Order of St. George. In 2007
he was awarded the Cross of Merit by the Order for service to the Order and Church.
In 2009 he was advanced in rank in the Order of Malta to the second class in
Obedience.
In 2013 when he was named
to the Order of St Gregory the Great by Pope Benedict XVI, an honor that was personally
presented by the Pope. It represents the
highest award bestowed on a Catholic layperson.
More recently, he has had several private audiences with Pope Francis.
CEM is qualified to
practice law before the following courts.
The U.S. Supreme Court, the West Virginia Supreme Court, the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals of the Third and Fourth Circuits, the U.S. District
Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, Northern and
Southern Districts of West Virginia, District of Columbia and Eastern District
of Virginia, The Court of Appeals for Maryland, and the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania.
Whew...
Can you imagine that
hypothetical candidates like CEM Martin will never get a chance to represent
the people of West Virginia when they are
exactly what the people of West
Virginia need and deserve.
[Note - In the interest of transparency I was
a classmate with CEM at the University
of Arizona and he has consistently told me he is not a candidate for Congress in West Virginia , though he should be.]
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