Representative McKinley speaks to a huge throng at Palantine Park

(photo credit -- Mountaineers for Progress via The Daily Anthenaeum)

From Douglas Soule in yesterday's online edition of West Virginia University's student newspaper, The Daily Anthenaeum:

Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., visited Fairmont on July 4 to recognize the Marion County Commission for their design of Palatine Park. The only people in attendance were two reporters, McKinley staffers, and twenty protestors. Mountaineers for Progress, along with Marion County for Progress and Progress Starts Now, were the ones waving the signs.

McKinley visits Prickett's Fort State Park

The Morgantown Dominion-Post covered McKinley talk at Prickett's Fort:

The spirit of the American Revolution was alive and well at Prickett’s Fort State Park July 4.
Stopping by the park was Rep. David McKinley, R-W. Va., who addressed a crowd at the visitors center.

The link has two photos if you're interested. My hunch is that our local "newspapers" would have covered this event except that there were no 18th century survivors around for the required veteran photo-op with Representative McKinley.

Health care questions raised

The Fairmont Times covered both McKinley events and, like the Anthenaeum, it also dealt with McKinley and health care coverage. However, the Anthenaeum's story explained why the protesters were against McKinley's vote on health care. The Fairmont Times' coverage (not unlike WV Public's interview in May) allowed McKinley to make numerous unchallenged false statements about health care:

McKinley said a requirement for his support for the bill was that those who acquired health coverage under the Medicaid expansion would keep their coverage and that there would not be funding cutbacks on Medicaid. He said that it irritates him when he hears the national media report that there will be funding cuts to Medicaid, because that is not the bill he said he voted for.

“I know in the bill we voted for that we’re increasing funding to Medicaid over the next 10 years by $380 billion,” McKinley said.

To which the reporter/stenographer apparently said nothing. Amazing.

Finally, not unlike a number of political analysts who have been following Capito's gyrations on the Senate's Trumpcare debate, McKinley thinks that allocating more than $15 billion for opioid addiction should be enough to buy her vote:

“I think what (Capito) is going to be more comfortable with is a more specific dollar amount than $15 billion,” McKinley said. “I think what she’s talking about is $45 billion. If that’s the case, then fine; I’m OK with that."