Andrew Donaldson

Andrew Donaldson

@four4thefire.bsky.social

Made by West Virginia. Occasional talking head, frequent VA patient, Comm College culinary student M.E. https://ordinary-times.com/ WV Watch https://westvirginiawatch.com/ Forum Daily News (CA) https://www.forumdailynews.ca/ Subscribe: heardtellmedia.com

1.7K followers1.4K following5.3K posts

Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

There is a reason "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" didn't get four sequels. The fourth version of this same old song going on a decade now is just not going to work and sounds exactly like what it is: desperate excuses www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

washingtonpost.comHow Trump and his allies are sowing doubt ahead of the midtermsA Post analysis found thousands of messages from right-wing influencers pushing new theories for why, if Democrats win, the elections can’t be trusted.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Western media-& American media in particular-has done a horrible job explaining Netanyahu's political situation. He was done before Oct 7 but reprieved/tolerated during emergency response while many blamed him for lapse. Iran war was his last ditch effort www.nytimes.com/2026/10/26/w...

nytimes.comNetanyahu Pushed for Attack on Iran Ahead of Israeli Election, Officials SayIsrael’s military chief resisted the prime minister, who then pressed in recent days for a separate action, short of an overt strike, according to an official and a person briefed on the matter.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

ICYMI @westvirginiawatch.com "Local identity, patronage jobs, the way things are always done, everyone will hate me on Facebook, & dozens of other highly personalized reasons that no amount of math can prevail against paralyzing any movement for change. Thus, not. And didn’t."

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

My latest @westvirginiawatch.com "Local identity, patronage jobs, parochial weight, the way things are always done, everyone will hate me on Facebook, & dozens of other highly personalized reasons that no amount of math can prevail against paralyzing any movement for change. Thus, not. And didn’t"

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

My latest @westvirginiawatch.com on what most folks would rather not talk about at all: county & local governments in demographically declining areas are falling below minimum viable levels, which means gov't in name only unable to serve. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Always great joining the great @jimlokay.com

Jim Lokay@jimlokay.com

On the Sunday Stream on Fox Local & fox5dc.com at 8pm: 8:15: @four4thefire.bsky.social on why politics are so nasty 8:30: The race for #VA10 9:15: Chaz Nuttycombe on the Virginia midterm outlook 9:45: Kaivan Shroff on what it means to be Indian-American

fox5dc.comFOX 5 DC | Local News, Weather, and Live Streams | WTTGWashington, D.C. news, weather, traffic and sports from FOX 5, serving the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Watch breaking news live or see the latest videos from programs like Good Day…
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

The sous vide pork medallions got happy so did mashed taters, green beans, and a pan sauce and fished the happy pig off with a cornmeal cheese herb smear that broiled off. Good eating #blueskysupperclub

Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Please read, share, and discuss my latest @westvirginiawatch.com "The very words meant to free West Virginia from oppressive rebellion and make it a state are now the pressure points cutting off the future for most mountaineers striving to be free." westvirginiawatch.com/2026/10/23/h...

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Dang this was good. Trim piece from cleaning/prepping tonights pork loin, sliced it , pounded it, my on hand pork rub, flash fried it some bacon grease, my local dill cherve goat cheese spread on toasted baguette Spectacular for 5 minutes work & trim #blueskysupperclub

Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

In this house, we taste the goodness of the biscuit for #blueskysupperclub For those thst keep asking, my mamaw & Aunt NoNo were of the "waste not want not" school so you rolled your dough and cut as it was, no waste. Aunt NoNos were way prettier, even stamped them sometimes

Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Partisan politics get all the attention, but the structural issues in how West Virginia functions at the local level is centered around impossible math & needs to be fixed. Which starts with us at least having an honest talk about it My latest @westvirginiawatch.com

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

My latest @westvirginiawatch.com "The 8 growing counties are highlighted as success stories...The 47 declining counties are continuously told to do more with less, do better, and be quiet about it, lest they upset the success narrative of the growing counties." westvirginiawatch.com/2026/10/23/h...

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.

Andrew Donaldson reposted

Nathaniel William Horadam
@horadam.bsky.social

Replying to @horadam.bsky.social

2. Rurals have gotten especially screwed by Trump’s trade wars + inflationary policies, and aren’t the admin's favored demographics that cluster in exurbs (megachurch-goers, small business tax evaders, homeschoolers, etc.), so they’re not showing up while the exurbs are.

Andrew Donaldson reposted

States Newsroom
@statesnewsroom.com

‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in voters

bit.ly‘Not only convenient, but necessary’: Voices of mail-in votersByron Sutter has been voting by mail for years, ever since he worked in healthcare and couldn’t leave his patients to vote in person.Mary Ann Klarenbeek votes by mail because she has breathing problems and can’t stand in line at a polling place.John Jeratowski travels for work as a journeyman electrician and would have to surrender pay to go home and cast his ballot if he couldn’t vote by mail.

Andrew Donaldson reposted

Anonymous
@youranoncentral.bsky.social

Elon Musk spreads disinformation about Ukraine after being exposed for sabotaging military operations by the WSJ. The US tax funded billionaire, Trump's largest donor, (backed by Israel and Russia); tied to the deaths of thousands of children due to USAid cuts, blames Ukraine for not surrendering.

Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

"There is no version of the state telling local folks to “consolidate” that doesn’t come off as having less...Nomenclature like “right-size” and “cost-efficient” sounds painless, whereas “consolidate” has visceral pain many communities know first hand" westvirginiawatch.com/2026/10/23/h...

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Elections & partisan politics get all the attention in debates over how government will function But if we dont get serious about demographic decline, wide swaths of the state will have local gov'ts in name only where communities once were...and many already are My latest @westvirginiawatch.com

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

Thankful for a place like @westvirginiawatch.com and an editor like @leannray.bsky.social who lets me get into the non-trending stuff that really matters as foundations of our government & society, and more folks need to be talking about

West Virginia Watch@westvirginiawatch.com

COMMENTARY: West Virginia’s founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death, writes @four4thefire.bsky.social.

westvirginiawatch.comHow unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

From me @westvirginiawatch.com "The eight growing counties are continuously highlighted and resourced as success stories....The 47 declining counties are continuously told to do more with less, do better, and be quiet about it, lest they upset the success narrative of the growing counties."

westvirginiawatch.comCommentary: How unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia • West Virginia WatchWest Virginia's founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death.

Andrew Donaldson reposted

Marc Ellison, Ed.D.
@marcellison.bsky.social

Excellent insight by Andrew Donaldson. If you live in one of several dozen small communities in WV -- like Drennen, #WV, where I grew up -- this is a must read. Drennen won't exist in 50 years, nor will other communities of similar size, unless we organize differently @four4thefire.bsky.social

West Virginia Watch@westvirginiawatch.com

COMMENTARY: West Virginia’s founding math is slowly strangling the most vulnerable parts of the state to death, writes @four4thefire.bsky.social.

westvirginiawatch.comHow unfirm a foundation, O counties of West Virginia
Andrew Donaldson
@four4thefire.bsky.social

So Democrats are handed an absolute gift w/Vivek ad to sledgehammer the GOP, but these dweebs decide NOPE let's make sure we come off the top rope w/common knowledge on Graham who-BTW-is ALREADY DEAD The stunning political brilliance of this...will be studied for years. Morons

Adam Mockler@adammockler.com

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