NBC Nightly News Comes to West Virginia for Manchin/Raese Contest

Governor Joe Manchin and his campaign underestimated Raese's challenge for Byrd's Senate seat. Now they are fighting desparately to win. Campaign Manchin overestimated themselves and were entirely blind, until too late, at how upset average West Virginians are at Washington, thinking that the outrage and discontent was "just a Republican thing". Wrong.

Manchin, who wanted the glorious stamp of approval from the voters, might be wishing now he would have just appointed himself to fill Byrd's seat, which as Governor he had full power to do. But, he was absolutely sure he would be stamped 'approved'--relying on his popularity as Governor--without any trouble from an outsider with almost no political experience. Wrong again. A proverb warns: "Pride comes before the fall", and the "certainty" of Manchin winning the election (as he thought when deciding not to appoint himself) seems to be slipping from his political grasp. Rasmussen just reported that Raese's lead has increased.


It's all about Obama and a referendum against the present Congress and Obama administration in power that has railroaded sweeping new European type legislation that is the most socialist since FDR.

Now West Virginia wants change, ironically, and Raese is just a far better bet than the governor who is loyal to the Democrat party establishment. Obama is experiencing blow-back to his "Change" agenda. Mark it, for it will continue two years after this as well, when Rockefeller's seat comes up for election.

The State and local media too, which leans Democrat, has underestimated just how angry and vehement West Virginians are against the present Washington agenda. Even Rockefeller would have a hard time this year, if his seat was up for election against even the most novice Republican candidate.

The NBC video also proves the Gazette and Democrat establishment wrong in trying to portray the Tea Party movement as "extreme right-wing republican conservatives", as they interview Democrats voting for Raese too.

Governor Flipper? Manchin Goes National with FOX Against Obama Policies

FOX News did a nationally broadcast interview (see video below) with Governor Manchin pressing him whether he has now flip-flopped in support of President Obama's policies, primarily health care reform, to save his political hide from Republican challenger John Raese who is presently leading in the polls by 6 points (with early voting starting soon). This directly addresses the ad campaign Raese has leveled at Manchin, justly pointing out that he would likely become a political partisan in Washington and "rubber stamp for Barack Obama" (as Rep. Shelly Moore Capito was accused of by state democrats with Bush), because that is what tends to happen there for anyone who desires to gain power and personal advancement. (And make no mistake, Manchin's ego insists on personal advancement above all). Raese struck a nerve, and it is working. Watch Manchin play defense, desperately.



So does he really mean what he says? Or, has John Raese forced the Governor into it, through political threat, and now Manchin is playing the pragmatist to win. Manchin has everything riding on this as far as his political future, and he was arrogant enough to think it would be easy. Well guess what. Governor Joe is finding out that the Tea Party movement in fact is non-partisan, and he is now shifting with the political wind.

But why then did he have Bill Clinton campaign with him in Morgantown today? Campaigning with Clinton was a stupid move and sends an entirely different message than to the one in this interview with FOX.

It is also sickening to hear him brag about West Virginia's good financial situation, as if he deserves the credit, when it was done only by passing Table Games legislation and expanding the State government via gambling revenues, when the majority in the state opposed it, and the State Constitution does not permit it, nor was amended. So make no mistake, the state finances were fixed only by dishonest, unconstitutional dirty dealing to create more Gambling Revenues, not by job expansion or attracting employers. So, "Governor Soprano" (as Raese called him once) seems to fit the way Manchin operates, and he is not above using slick shady dealings to get done what he wants. The governor is more pragmatist than principled, which makes where he stands uncertain.

Credibility will be the issue here, for if Manchin was critical of Obamacare and fiscal policies he did not say anything about it until now, when his Senate race is on the line. Voters will decide soon.