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.