As Gov. Patrick Morrisey celebrated a new education center at West Virginia University that will supposedly promote "education, not indoctrination," it was another in a series of signs that have certified he is purely a creature of politics.Â
Morrisey's mission since taking office in January has been to pursue one political windmill after another, appealing to the basest short-sightedness of the GOP under President  Donald Trump. Fighting vaccines for children? Check. Fighting anything that mentions diversity? Check. Decrying education as "woke" and weakening public schools and universities while bumping up public money for private schools and homeschooling? Check. Continuing to shout the praises of Trump's pro-coal agenda despite more than 500 miners being laid off over the past three months alone? Check.Â
Morrisey would probably tell you that he believes very strongly in these pursuits, and maybe he does. Right now, anyway. Thing is, Trump could come out tomorrow and say he hates coal and renewables are the way to go, and Morrisey would pretzel himself up and fall in line. It's seemingly all about the surface-level politics for Morrisey. It's about who's saying what on social media. Who's owning the libs. Who can suck up to Trump the most. And no one shines a boot like Morrisey.Â
The political grandstanding likely has a secondary purpose. Morrisey has to be eying the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by his gubernatorial predecessor, Jim Justice, R-W.Va., with a lustful gaze. After all, Morrisey promised he would serve no more than two terms as state attorney general, but failed to unseat then-Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2018 election. So, he went back for a third term in his old office and waited for the next opportunity. He emerged victorious in a brutal 2024 GOP primary for governor, because of his campaign war chest, and won in the general election because he's a Republican. Â
Morrisey has serious financial backers and an eye on the next rung up the ladder. So, he plays political games with things like education and children's health because that's what he figures he's supposed to do. It's the apex of political nihilism.Â
The problem is, these things take an actual toll on ordinary people, many of whom have been historically marginalized. Teaching a monochrome version of history erases some from the text. Eliminating a program because it promotes "diversity" ends up taking opportunities away from those who might not otherwise get them. Uprooting vaccine policies to pander to a lunatic fringe puts everyone at risk of contracting previously eradicated and sometimes fatal diseases. Threatening protesters with possible police or military action suppresses free speech and presents the possibility of violence. And for what? Political clout.Â
That certainly seems to be the endgame for Morrisey, much to the detriment of the people he serves.
