Sept. 28, 2010
Campaign 2010: The U.S. Senate Race
Too Little, Too Late From Manchin On Obamacare
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Governor Manchin, losing serious ground in the polls to his Republicans U.S. Senate opponent John Raese,
has started this week with a new tactic: attempting to both support Obamacare, even while calling for a repeal
of "the things that are bad in this bill." Yet Manchin also continues to maintain that "it's a great bill," stressing
that he's not for an overall repeal of the President's signature piece of legislation.
Manchin was an early supporter of Obamacare, making supportive remarks for President Obama's health care legislation before it came out last fall at a Labor Day rally in Racine and continuing his support through the spring of 2010. But the Governor's support of Obamacare has come at a political cost to the two-term Governor in his quest to replace the late U.S. Senator Robert Byrd.
According to a key poll by a national Democratic pollster, Raese has taken the lead in the U.S. Senate race, a remarkable development considering that Raese was behind by sixteen points when polling began between the two in late summer just a few weeks ago.
Raese has used a combination of grassroots politicking and a statewide TV/radio ad campaign to
put Manchin on the defensive over the past month.
"Clearly, Manchin just blinked in the faceoff against Raese over Obamacare," said Jack Ellis, Huntingtonnews.net's chief political analyst. "Manchin realizes he's just been defined by Raese's ads on this issue, and he's trying to do something about it. The Governor would never have done this half-measure unless he was forced to do so by Raese's effective radio and TV ads.
"Manchin seems to have believed that he wouldn't have any kind of tough competition for Byrd's seat, so he nuzzled up to Obama on issues like health care reform and Cap and Trade," said Ellis. "Raese has exposed this, and now Manchin is paying the price in terms of lost support from the electorate in both parties, along with Independents across the state."
Is Manchin's effort to distance himself from Obama effective at this point in the campaign?
"Well, to be candid, I don't really think he's done much distancing here," said Ellis. "Incredibly, he's still saying it's a "great bill." An overwhelming number of West Virginia voters say in poll after poll that this is a lousy bill, one they resent. Yet there stands Manchin like a stone wall for the President. Manchin just can't seem to wean himself away from Obama and his health care bill. I think these latest remarks just reaffirm Raese's point about Manchin, namely that Obama really has his hooks in him."
"Finally, the Governor is beginning to look like a hunted animal now," said Ellis. "Raese has forced Manchin to at least look like he's trying to backtrack on his relationship with Obama, even while the Governor still praises the President's health care legislation. Manchin is torn. But it's too late to be torn. If Manchin was going to change directions on his health care fervor, he needed to do that well before the campaign began."
"Now Manchin has already been defined by his opponent, and we haven't even gotten to Cap and Trade, which is a profoundly important issue to West Virginians, especially in the southern coalfields," said Ellis. "I think this weak attempt to pivot on health care reform is the beginning the Manchin campaign's unravelling, quite frankly. He's simply been outgunned by Raese on the issues of importance this year.
"Raese is running a much better campaign, one that is much more in tune with the voters," said Ellis. "All Raese needs to do now is to keep on chipping away at Manchin on these issues, while showing the more positive attributes of his own candidacy. The wind is at Raese's back now, and Manchin's attempt to change his tune a bit on health care is just his way of acknowledging that Raese is winning. Let's hope the Governor doesn't sully his office by getting more shrill against Raese in his ads. That's a dead end street."
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Campaign 2010: The U.S. Senate Race
Too Little, Too Late From Manchin On Obamacare
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Governor Manchin, losing serious ground in the polls to his Republicans U.S. Senate opponent John Raese,
has started this week with a new tactic: attempting to both support Obamacare, even while calling for a repeal
of "the things that are bad in this bill." Yet Manchin also continues to maintain that "it's a great bill," stressing
that he's not for an overall repeal of the President's signature piece of legislation.
Manchin was an early supporter of Obamacare, making supportive remarks for President Obama's health care legislation before it came out last fall at a Labor Day rally in Racine and continuing his support through the spring of 2010. But the Governor's support of Obamacare has come at a political cost to the two-term Governor in his quest to replace the late U.S. Senator Robert Byrd.
According to a key poll by a national Democratic pollster, Raese has taken the lead in the U.S. Senate race, a remarkable development considering that Raese was behind by sixteen points when polling began between the two in late summer just a few weeks ago.
Raese has used a combination of grassroots politicking and a statewide TV/radio ad campaign to
put Manchin on the defensive over the past month.
"Clearly, Manchin just blinked in the faceoff against Raese over Obamacare," said Jack Ellis, Huntingtonnews.net's chief political analyst. "Manchin realizes he's just been defined by Raese's ads on this issue, and he's trying to do something about it. The Governor would never have done this half-measure unless he was forced to do so by Raese's effective radio and TV ads.
"Manchin seems to have believed that he wouldn't have any kind of tough competition for Byrd's seat, so he nuzzled up to Obama on issues like health care reform and Cap and Trade," said Ellis. "Raese has exposed this, and now Manchin is paying the price in terms of lost support from the electorate in both parties, along with Independents across the state."
Is Manchin's effort to distance himself from Obama effective at this point in the campaign?
"Well, to be candid, I don't really think he's done much distancing here," said Ellis. "Incredibly, he's still saying it's a "great bill." An overwhelming number of West Virginia voters say in poll after poll that this is a lousy bill, one they resent. Yet there stands Manchin like a stone wall for the President. Manchin just can't seem to wean himself away from Obama and his health care bill. I think these latest remarks just reaffirm Raese's point about Manchin, namely that Obama really has his hooks in him."
"Finally, the Governor is beginning to look like a hunted animal now," said Ellis. "Raese has forced Manchin to at least look like he's trying to backtrack on his relationship with Obama, even while the Governor still praises the President's health care legislation. Manchin is torn. But it's too late to be torn. If Manchin was going to change directions on his health care fervor, he needed to do that well before the campaign began."
"Now Manchin has already been defined by his opponent, and we haven't even gotten to Cap and Trade, which is a profoundly important issue to West Virginians, especially in the southern coalfields," said Ellis. "I think this weak attempt to pivot on health care reform is the beginning the Manchin campaign's unravelling, quite frankly. He's simply been outgunned by Raese on the issues of importance this year.
"Raese is running a much better campaign, one that is much more in tune with the voters," said Ellis. "All Raese needs to do now is to keep on chipping away at Manchin on these issues, while showing the more positive attributes of his own candidacy. The wind is at Raese's back now, and Manchin's attempt to change his tune a bit on health care is just his way of acknowledging that Raese is winning. Let's hope the Governor doesn't sully his office by getting more shrill against Raese in his ads. That's a dead end street."
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