How Long Before Joe Manchin Abandons West Virginians (Again) In Favor Of President Obama?

He's Hoping His 2008 Lovefest With President Obama Will Be But A Distant Memory To West Virginians
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2012 Contact: Josh Sowards, 304-594-0281 MORGANTOWN, WV - It's been three days since the West Virginia Democratic Party passed a resolution requiring all elected officials to vigorously endorse President Obama's re-election campaign and still no word from Sen. Joe Manchin. Press accounts have called Manchin "slightly schizophrenic" on the subject, but 2008 was a different story when Joe Manchin was tripping over himself to endorse then candidate Barack Obama. Manchin was an early and vocal supporter of Obama four years ago and campaigned extensively for him. Manchin even took the unusual step of parting with West Virginia Democrats at the Democratic Convention and endorsed Obama despite the fact that Hillary Clinton destroyed Obama by 41 points in the primary. Fast forward four years and it appears the lovefest has come to a bitter end. The prospect of backing President Obama in a state that John McCain won by 13 points in 2008 isn't so appealing to Joe Manchin. So Manchin has done what all lifelong politicians do so well, he threw his old friend overboard to save his own political prospects.

But, no matter how hard Manchin tries, he can't run from his overwhelming support of the President's policies over the last few years. Manchin has voted to fund Obamacare, supported stimulus spending, and has conveniently ignored his party's war on the coal industry. "West Virginians deserve a senator that represents their values, not his own political interests," said Josh Sowards, Raese for Senate campaign spokesman. "It would be nice if Joe Manchin cared as much about our livelihood as he did his own re-election. John Raese is a proven job creator who has spent his life in the private sector and is an unapologetic supporter of the coal industry. Joe Manchin's Democrats have made no bones about it; they want to kill the coal industry. It's time for new leadership for West Virginia." Manchin's first vote in the United States Senate was for Harry Reid to be the Majority leader. Reid, of Nevada, has made his desire to put coal out of business very clear: "Coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick, it's ruining our country, it's ruining our world." - Harry Reid "Joe Manchin needs to tell his constituents where he stands. No more games, does he side with coal or does he side with his party bosses President Obama and Harry Reid. He helped put them in power, now he needs to explain why. It's a simple question really: why does Joe Manchin believe that Obama and Reid are better for West Virginians than Mitt Romney and Mitch McConnell." If elected, John Raese would help make Mitch McConnell Majority Leader in the United States Senate. McConnell, from neighboring Kentucky, is a vocal coal supporter. References: JOE MANCHIN VOTED FOR HARRY REID Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) voted to keep Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in his position as majority leader. (Andrew Restuccia, Republicans blast Manchins support for Reid as majority leader, The Washington Independent, 11/16/2010) JOE MANCHIN LOVES BARACK OBAMA Manchin: We Are All Totally Committed To Senator Barack Obama Being The Next President Of The United States. I Can Assure You That. (Governor Joe Manchin, Remarks At DNC Press Conference, 6/10/08) Manchin: Thats why its so imperative that Barack become the next President. (CNBC, 11/3/ 08) Manchin: I Can Assure You That [Obama] Is Ready And Willing To Work Closely With All Of Our States Democrats, Republicans And Independents To Achieve A Victory For All Of America In November, and he is definitely looking forward to coming to West Virginia again soon. I have assured him that the people of our state will join him in doing our part to achieve the change that our nation so desperately needs. (Manchin Says He Will Back Obama, Charleston [WV] Daily Mail, 6/6/ 08)

Manchin Held Out As Long As Possible, But Now Calls Obama My Guy. Absolutely not, he said, when asked if the controversies swirling around Obama posed any difficulty in his support for his presidential hopeful. All we have to do is look at the eight years weve had and I know we can improve off that. I know hell do great. (Mannix Porterfield, Manchin Reaffirms Support For Obama: No Surprises At Special Session, The [Beckley, WV] Register-Herald, 6/18/08) After This Election, Congress Will Be In The Democratic Column. The U.S. Senate Will Be In The Democratic Column. Give Us Barack Obama And Joe Biden At The Top, Manchin Said. (Paul J. Nyden, Tour For Change, The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 10/19/08) Manchin Said Voters Should Look Not Only At Candidates Experience, But Their Compassion For Ordinary People. Obama Could Bring Comfort And Calmness To The Chaotic System We Have Now, Manchin Said. (Alison Knezevich, Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 9/21/08) Gov. Joe Manchin, Who Addressed The Crowd Early In The Afternoon, Disagreed. Ive Never Been More Committed To Change Than I Am Today, Manchin Said. He noted that Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have united behind change even after Hillarys tight race with Obama for the Democratic nomination. Theyve asked all of us to do the same, he said. (Davin White, UMW, Democrats Join Forces At Labor Day Picnic, The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 9/2/ 08) Theres Definitely More Excitement At This Convention Than Any One Ive Been To, Manchin Said. People Talk About The American Dream, But This Party Is Living It Right Now. Nominating Barack Obama For President Speaks Volumes. (Phil Kabler, State Delegates Ready For Obama, The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 8/27/08) Manchin: I Think I Will Have A Better Opportunity Working With Barack Obama Than John McCain. Manchin said he and Obama both support a strong energy policy with a focus on coal and clean coal technology. Manchin said West Virginia has an opportunity to become a global leader in clean coal technology under an Obama administration. I think I will have a better opportunity working with Barack Obama than John McCain, Manchin said. (Charles Owens, Manchin Confident Mountain State On The Right Track, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 10/19/08) Despite Some Of The Attacks On Obama As An Anti-Coal Liberal, Manchin Said Hes Confident That West Virginians Will Benefit From An Obama Presidency. I Feel Very Comfortable Working With Him, Manchin Said. I Talked To My Colleagues, Governors Around The State That Have Coal. Were Going To Form A Coal Coalition And Work With Him. Hes Been Very Receptive. (Jake Stump, Manchin Pledges To Keep Building Economy, The Charleston [WV] Daily Mail, 11/5/08) Manchin Defended Obama When He Was Criticized For Saying, If Somebody Wants To Build A Coal Power Plant They Can, Its Just That It Will Bankrupt Them Because They Are Going To Be Charged A Huge Sum For All That Greenhouse Gas Thats Being Emitted, Claiming Opponents Were Misconstruing Obamas Comments. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle last January, Obama discussed his cap and trade proposal that aims to reduce emissions and curtail global warming. Obama told the newspaper, If somebody wants to build a coal power plant they can, its just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that

greenhouse gas thats being emitted. Democrats, including West Virginia officials Gov. Joe Manchin and Sens. Rockefeller and Robert Byrd, defended Obama and said his opponents were misconstruing his comments. (Jake Stump, Senator Pushes Funding For Coal, The Charleston [WV] Daily Mail, 1/ 23/09) BARACK OBAMA LOVES JOE MANCHIN POTUS: And I Want To Again Thank Governor Douglas And Governor Manchin For Their Outstanding Leadership With This Organization. (President Barack Obama, Remarks by the President and the Vice President to the National Governors Association, 2/22/10) POTUS: I Want To Begin By Acknowledging Your Outstanding Chairs Of This Extraordinary Organization -- Jim Douglas Of Vermont And Joe Manchin Of West Virginia. Thank You So Much For The Great Work That You Guys Do Each And Every Day. (President Barack Obama,Toast Remarks by the President and Governor Douglas at the 2010 Governors Ball)

SINCE GOING TO WASHINGTON, MANCHIN HAS BEEN A LOYAL SUPPORTER OF OBAMAS AGENDA

OBAMACARE In February 2011, Manchin Voted Against Repeal Of The Health Care Law. (S. 223, CQ Vote #9: Motion rejected 47-51: R 47-0; D 0-50; I 0-1, 2/2/11, Manchin Voted Nay) In April 2011, Manchin Voted Against A Resolution That Would Have Defunded The Health Care Law. (H. Con. Res. 35, CQ Vote #59: Rejected 47-53: R 47-0; D 0-51; I 0-2, 4/14/11, Manchin Voted Nay) COAL Manchin Passed Cap and Trade in West Virginia. (Kallie Cart, Manchin vs. Raese On The Coal Controversy, WSAZ, 9/14/10) MANCHIN: Theyre Going To Have To Pay For The Carbons, Whether Cap And Trade Or Whether Its In A Carbon Tax. (CNBC, 11/3/08) STIMULUS In December 2008, Manchin Said Obamas Plan For An Economic Stimulus Package With Funding For Infrastructure Projects Would Jumpstart The U.S. Economy. (Phil Kabler, Obama Will Help, Manchin Says, The Charleston [WV] Gazette, 12/3/08) In February 2009, Manchin Said West Virginia Did Not Need The Stimulus Funding To Take Care Of The Services People Depend On, But Said The State Wasnt About To Reject The Money. (Mannix Porterfield, State Ready For Stimulus Money, The Register-Herald, 2/25/09)

TAXES Manchin Co-Sponsored A Resolution That Encouraged The Supercommittee To Reach $4 Trillion In Reductions Through Long-Term Entitlement And Pro-Growth Tax Reforms. (Senator Joe Manchin, Sens. Manchin, Kirk to Supercommittee: Go Big on Deficit Reduction, Press Release, 11/16/11) Manchin Voted For President Obamas $447 Billion Jobs Bill. (S. 1660, CQ Vote #160: Motion rejected 50-49: R 0-46; D 48-3; I 2-0, 10/11/11, Manchin Voted Yea) Manchin Opposed The Cut, Cap, And Balance Plan Because He Said He Didnt Believe We Needed To Cut The Budget So Deeply And Without Regard For Our Seniors And The Most Vulnerable. (Senator Joe Manchin, Congressional Record, 7/22/11, p. S4825)

http://www.raeseforsenate.org/ Paid for by the Raese for Senate Committee For more information: (304) 594-0281 The Raese for Senate Committee P.O. Box 262 Morgantown, WV 26507