Oct. 10, 2010
EDITORIAL: Manchin Loses His Self-Respect in Attacks on Raese's Wife
Politics and the power it brings can prove too intoxicating for some people who just don't know how to handle it well. Unfortunately, this appears to be the case with Governor Joe Manchin, who has lost all dignity in his mad pursuit for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Robert Byrd.
We've seen his willingness to engage in personal, slash and burn politics before in the highly negative contest in the 1996 Democratic Primary with former Kanawha County Senator Charlotte Pritt. Manchin lost that race in large part because Pritt weathered Manchin's attack ads well and showed that she had more poise than him that year.
But now Manchin has gone to a new low: attacking his opponent's wife. If this doesn't prove that Manchin is absolutely unfit for the U.S. Senate, we don't know what would. First, such flagrant and personal attacks show that, despite nearly six years at the CEO of West Virginia, the Governor has no accomplishments or fresh ideas to put before us.
But even worse, Manchin's attacks on Elizabeth Raese are gutter punches against a woman who has done nothing to Manchin and who has done much good across West Virginia, like helping to sponsor an organization that helps Alzheimer's patients.
Dragging in wives and children have always been off limits in West Virginia politics. But Manchin seems to have no regard for decency this year.
Apparently, the Governor wants us to think poorly of the Raeses because they own another home outside the state. Of course, if owning more than one home was a disqualifier for being acceptable to Joe Manchin, we'd have to mark off the list all those West Virginia senior citizens who go south for the winter.
And U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller would most certainly have to be in the doghouse with Manchin if that is the Governor's new standard on what it takes to be 100% West Virginian. How lame, really, for the Governor to act as though he alone gets to decide who is a true West Virginian. Both John and Elizabeth Raese come from Morgantown families that have been in the Mountain State for several generations.
All the while, the greatest irony here is that Joe Manchin has done well enough financially on his Governor's income to purchase a new yacht. Did anyone mind when Manchin did that? Probably not. We're a live and let live kind of people here in West Virginia.
But many did get legitimately riled when they heard how much the Manchins spent of the taxpayers' money on over-the-top renovations to the Governor's Mansion.
Our first couple spent over $3 million dollars, oftentimes on wasteful items like seventeen flat-screen TVs. You read that right: seventeen. We don't know where even the Manchins could put so many TVs in one home, but they crammed them in there somewhere.
Manchin likes his power a little too much, and he's abusing it with attacks on Elizabeth Raese. In another era, Manchin would be shunned. Many voters, especially women voters, will likely do that very thing to the Governor at the ballot box on November 2nd.
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EDITORIAL: Manchin Loses His Self-Respect in Attacks on Raese's Wife
Politics and the power it brings can prove too intoxicating for some people who just don't know how to handle it well. Unfortunately, this appears to be the case with Governor Joe Manchin, who has lost all dignity in his mad pursuit for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Robert Byrd.
We've seen his willingness to engage in personal, slash and burn politics before in the highly negative contest in the 1996 Democratic Primary with former Kanawha County Senator Charlotte Pritt. Manchin lost that race in large part because Pritt weathered Manchin's attack ads well and showed that she had more poise than him that year.
But now Manchin has gone to a new low: attacking his opponent's wife. If this doesn't prove that Manchin is absolutely unfit for the U.S. Senate, we don't know what would. First, such flagrant and personal attacks show that, despite nearly six years at the CEO of West Virginia, the Governor has no accomplishments or fresh ideas to put before us.
But even worse, Manchin's attacks on Elizabeth Raese are gutter punches against a woman who has done nothing to Manchin and who has done much good across West Virginia, like helping to sponsor an organization that helps Alzheimer's patients.
Dragging in wives and children have always been off limits in West Virginia politics. But Manchin seems to have no regard for decency this year.
Apparently, the Governor wants us to think poorly of the Raeses because they own another home outside the state. Of course, if owning more than one home was a disqualifier for being acceptable to Joe Manchin, we'd have to mark off the list all those West Virginia senior citizens who go south for the winter.
And U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller would most certainly have to be in the doghouse with Manchin if that is the Governor's new standard on what it takes to be 100% West Virginian. How lame, really, for the Governor to act as though he alone gets to decide who is a true West Virginian. Both John and Elizabeth Raese come from Morgantown families that have been in the Mountain State for several generations.
All the while, the greatest irony here is that Joe Manchin has done well enough financially on his Governor's income to purchase a new yacht. Did anyone mind when Manchin did that? Probably not. We're a live and let live kind of people here in West Virginia.
But many did get legitimately riled when they heard how much the Manchins spent of the taxpayers' money on over-the-top renovations to the Governor's Mansion.
Our first couple spent over $3 million dollars, oftentimes on wasteful items like seventeen flat-screen TVs. You read that right: seventeen. We don't know where even the Manchins could put so many TVs in one home, but they crammed them in there somewhere.
Manchin likes his power a little too much, and he's abusing it with attacks on Elizabeth Raese. In another era, Manchin would be shunned. Many voters, especially women voters, will likely do that very thing to the Governor at the ballot box on November 2nd.
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