West Virginia governor tells Hollywood leftist to kiss his dog's 'hiney'



West Virginia's Republican governor told a left-wing Hollywood actress to kiss his dog's "hiney" at the conclusion of his State of the State address this week.

His comments were directed at Bette Midler and others who have disparaged West Virginians as "poor, illiterate, and strung out."

"Absolutely too many people doubted us. They never believed in West Virginia," Justice said after listing his administration's recent accomplishments. "They never believed in West Virginia — that we could do it."

"They told every bad joke in the world about us," he continued. Then he picked up his bulldog, Babydog, turned her rear to the audience, and said, "And so from that standpoint, Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, kiss her hiney.”

2022 State of the State Address youtu.be

The legislature erupted into laughter and applause.

Last December, Midler had criticized Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for his opposition to nuking the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold, which prevented President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill from passing.

Midler tweeted, "What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out."

Her tweet sparked a wave of backlash. At the time, Justice said her remarks were "cruel" and "unfair."

"Bette, it’s cruel, and it’s really, really unfair. You know, we’ve had a struggle, just like anybody’s had a struggle, but just think about what we’ve done. In the last few years, we have become the diamond in the rough that everybody’s missed. We have the four most beautiful seasons on the planet. Absolutely, we have the very best people, and I would welcome you to come and see these people. See these people that really care. People that love and appreciate what others by what they do,” Justice said.

Midler later apologized for demeaning the people of the Mountain State.

In a statement reported by Fox News, Republican state House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said he had been "hoping for some time" that West Virginia would be recognized for its robust economy.

"I have been hoping for some time that West Virginia would gain national attention for our newly celebrated efforts to create, grow and champion a new and diverse 21st Century economy in the Mountain State," Hanshaw said.

"I plan to continue doing the work that leads to large capital investments, creating countless new careers here in our state, and I continue to hope the spotlight will find us for the right reasons," he continued.

Bette Midler issues apology after describing West Virginia as 'poor, illiterate and strung out'



Bette Midler issued an apology to West Virginians on Monday not long after issuing a tweet in which she described the state as "poor, illiterate and strung out."

"What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out," Midler tweeted.

Less than an hour later, the celebrity actress and singer issued an apology to West Virginians.

"I apologize to the good people of WVA for my last outburst. I’m just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens? Surely there’s someone there who has the state’s interests at heart, not his own!" Midler wrote.

During an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said that he will not vote in favor of the massive spending proposal that the Biden administration and other Democrats want to pass.

Manchin told Brett Baier of Fox News, "I've always said this Brett, if I can't ... explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there," Manchin said.

Since no Republican senators back the proposal, Democrats could only ram the plan though if the entire Senate Democratic caucus was on board.

Meghan McCain fired back at Midler on social media, tweeting, "This is abhorrent. Way to stereotype. WV is a beautiful state with loyal hard working people making a hard earned living for their families. WV workers make coal companies & the rest of the country rich & energy supplied on the backs of their hard working & dying coal miners."

Former Trump 2020 communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted that, "It would be hard to encapsulate the condescension leftists feel for tens of millions of Americans any better than this does in one tweet."

This is abhorrent. Way to stereotype.\n\nWV is a beautiful state with loyal hard working people making a hard earned living for their families. WV workers make coal companies & the rest of the country rich & energy supplied on the backs of their hard working & dying coal miners.https://twitter.com/BetteMidler/status/1472955243935711236\u00a0\u2026
— Meghan McCain (@Meghan McCain) 1640041911
It would be hard to encapsulate the condescension leftists feel for tens of millions of Americans any better than this does in one tweet.\n\nDemocrats should continue this line of attack. It is an excellent strategy for them.https://twitter.com/bettemidler/status/1472955243935711236\u00a0\u2026
— Tim Murtaugh (@Tim Murtaugh) 1640043729