Oct. 11, 2010
"WHO IS JOE MANCHIN?": After thirty years in public life, this question remains
Campaign 2010 Analysis: The U.S. Senate Race
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Recently, the Shepherdstown Observer had a lengthy interview with Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Raese. The headline of the piece was : "Who is John Raese?" A large picture of a smiling John Raese was featured on the cover, and the story followed Raese on the campaign trail, introducing him to an Eastern Panhandle crowd who may not have been familiar with Raese's conservative views and Morgantown-area background.
Interestingly, we hear the same question frequently these days regarding Governor Joe Manchin, despite his many years in state politics, first as a member of the State Senate, then as Secretary of State, and more recently as Governor. While most everybody is certainly familiar with Manchin and know that he is the Governor, a surprising number of people we've talked with are as fuzzy on Manchin's positions and vision for West Virginia as they are on Raese. Why is that?
"What you're going to run into here is what I call "hiding out in the wide open," said
Jack Ellis, Senior Political Analyst for Huntingtonnews.net. "Manchin's not alone
here--many politicians do it. They don't want to reveal their real beliefs, if they
have any, because that's bound to alienate somebody. If you come out as
a conservative, you're going to lose some liberal votes. And vice versa."
"So Manchin has concentrated less on developing a worldview that actually would help him right now in a race against a guy like John Raese, who has a more coherent way of seeing the world from several years running his family businesses," said Ellis. "Manchin doesn't seem to have that kind of vision, or at least he hasn't shown it in his negative TV ads this year. Manchin just wants to be Governor and now U.S. Senator. It's a totally personality-driven campaign for him And from what I hear, he also is desperate to be liked by everyone in the room, sort of like Bill Clinton."
"Somebody has said that some people go into politics to be somebody and some people go into it to do something," said Ellis. "This race is a perfect example of that saying. John Raese has already had a highly successful career in business, running five companies and growing each of them in tough times. Raese doesn't need another feather in his cap. He wants to go up to D.C. and change things. That's my take anyway."
"But Manchin's whole self-image is wrapped up with being a public
official," said Ellis. "That's why he's been so shrill lately, even picking
on Raese's wife. Now come on. Would any secure man need to do that
if he had some good issues to run on instead? Joe Manchin has shown
more clearly than I ever thought possible that some politicians love
prestige and position so much that they simply can't imagine life
without it. So they get a little nutty when someone threatens
to take away their candy."
"We still don't know, after all this time, whether Manchin is a conservative or not," said Ellis. "Or Cap and Trade, or coal versus alternative energy, it just goes on and on. Do you know why we don't really know where Manchin is on these important issues? Because I don't think Joe himself knows anymore. He knows he just craves that U.S. Senate seat, and isn't that a shame?"
"You know, we teach our young people that George Washington was a great man because he always gave his power back after being entrusted with it," said Ellis. "Joe must have missed that lesson in junior high. His behavior this election cycle shows us a man who can't bear the thought of losing power. And that's the kind of man we all need to watch very carefully."
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"WHO IS JOE MANCHIN?": After thirty years in public life, this question remains
Campaign 2010 Analysis: The U.S. Senate Race
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Recently, the Shepherdstown Observer had a lengthy interview with Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Raese. The headline of the piece was : "Who is John Raese?" A large picture of a smiling John Raese was featured on the cover, and the story followed Raese on the campaign trail, introducing him to an Eastern Panhandle crowd who may not have been familiar with Raese's conservative views and Morgantown-area background.
Interestingly, we hear the same question frequently these days regarding Governor Joe Manchin, despite his many years in state politics, first as a member of the State Senate, then as Secretary of State, and more recently as Governor. While most everybody is certainly familiar with Manchin and know that he is the Governor, a surprising number of people we've talked with are as fuzzy on Manchin's positions and vision for West Virginia as they are on Raese. Why is that?
"What you're going to run into here is what I call "hiding out in the wide open," said
Jack Ellis, Senior Political Analyst for Huntingtonnews.net. "Manchin's not alone
here--many politicians do it. They don't want to reveal their real beliefs, if they
have any, because that's bound to alienate somebody. If you come out as
a conservative, you're going to lose some liberal votes. And vice versa."
"So Manchin has concentrated less on developing a worldview that actually would help him right now in a race against a guy like John Raese, who has a more coherent way of seeing the world from several years running his family businesses," said Ellis. "Manchin doesn't seem to have that kind of vision, or at least he hasn't shown it in his negative TV ads this year. Manchin just wants to be Governor and now U.S. Senator. It's a totally personality-driven campaign for him And from what I hear, he also is desperate to be liked by everyone in the room, sort of like Bill Clinton."
"Somebody has said that some people go into politics to be somebody and some people go into it to do something," said Ellis. "This race is a perfect example of that saying. John Raese has already had a highly successful career in business, running five companies and growing each of them in tough times. Raese doesn't need another feather in his cap. He wants to go up to D.C. and change things. That's my take anyway."
"But Manchin's whole self-image is wrapped up with being a public
official," said Ellis. "That's why he's been so shrill lately, even picking
on Raese's wife. Now come on. Would any secure man need to do that
if he had some good issues to run on instead? Joe Manchin has shown
more clearly than I ever thought possible that some politicians love
prestige and position so much that they simply can't imagine life
without it. So they get a little nutty when someone threatens
to take away their candy."
"We still don't know, after all this time, whether Manchin is a conservative or not," said Ellis. "Or Cap and Trade, or coal versus alternative energy, it just goes on and on. Do you know why we don't really know where Manchin is on these important issues? Because I don't think Joe himself knows anymore. He knows he just craves that U.S. Senate seat, and isn't that a shame?"
"You know, we teach our young people that George Washington was a great man because he always gave his power back after being entrusted with it," said Ellis. "Joe must have missed that lesson in junior high. His behavior this election cycle shows us a man who can't bear the thought of losing power. And that's the kind of man we all need to watch very carefully."
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Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
