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Today is judgment day and I just decided this morning that I will loan my vote to Joe Manchin to be our next U.S. Senator. This decision was going to be hard regardless of whether or not I voted for Manchin or wrote in a throw away vote. This was not an easy decision, but I would feel even greater guilt if I woke up tomorrow morning and John Raese was West Virginia's Senator.
Manchin's Flaws
As many of you know, I have berated Manchin's campaign for its cowardice in running against President Obama. I have ridiculed the Manchin camp for undercutting core Democratic principles, doing what I think will be long term damage to the Democratic brand in West Virginia. Manchin's selfishness will not be forgotten and neither will the complicity of those in the WV Democratic Party leadership encouraging his cowardly campaign tactics.
The day after the primary I wrote that I would vote for Manchin:
I will likely vote for Manchin in the special election as long as he does not go off the deep end distancing himself from Obama. I disagree with Manchin on social issues, the environment, and am ashamed of his perpetual bow to the coal bosses. I know I will never agree with Manchin's radical support of Corporate Coal but there are other issues out there that must be considered. Beyond that, Manchin will be the best candidate on the ballot and the balance of power in the Senate must remain in Democratic hands.
Not the most ringing endorsement but considering the other guy, there was a lot of factors to consider in the calculation of my vote. Also the day after the primary I wrote this of Raese:
Looks like John "rich man" Raese bought his way into the special election. I guess growing up with a silver spoon in your mouth does have its perks. Thankfully I get a chance to vote against the Floridian. Raese will make this election with Manchin a referendum on Obama and I say bring it on. Once you get passed the empty talk radio talking points and get to substance then you realize that Obama has did a hell of a job given all the problems he was left by the GOP. There is a lot more the Dems need to accomplish and we truly cannot afford to reverse course like the radical right wing wants us to do.
Seemed simple enough except Manchin did go off the farm in distancing himself from Obama. In late September, early October I started writing a series of posts on FB and Blue about Manchin's dangerous campaign. On October 12 I wrote:
Joe Manchin is running against people like me. I am a West Virginia Democrat...How I wish this were just about John Raese and his policies. Manchin has taken that away from us by trying to be John Raese. It did not have to be this way...I am not going to vote for Joe Manchin unless he makes an obvious effort to come back from the right wing fringe and defend core Democratic principles. Our vote is our only real leverage against self serving politicians and unless we take a stand here then I fear the template will be set in the West Virginia Democratic Party for years to come. Undercut the weak kneed base and go for the propagandized right wing vote- there are no repercussions.
There are repercussions. Manchin was undercutting the base and lost thousands of moderates and progressives in the process, most of which will just stay home today, ultimately pulling down the ticket for other Democratic candidates as well.
Manchin Saves Campaign
Early to mid October were bleak for Manchin. He was down in the polls and getting battered by huge sums of cash from shadow 527 groups and the Raese fortune. I thought he was going to go even further to the Right and bring down the entire Democratic Party with him. Due to pressure from Dems all over the State, Manchin pivoted back to the base. It started during the Daily Mail editorial board interview where Manchin defended the role of government as a safety net. Manchin's ads started slamming Raese on issues like Social Security and the minimum wage. Manchin placed a huge caveat on his support of extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich (really the point where he lost me in late September) by saying that you can't eliminate those tax cuts "during an economic downturn," which is a compromise position that I do not agree with but can at least compromise on myself. Despite having flip flopped on his support of health reform, he began to defend core components of it, saying that he agrees with several of the core principles. He remarked on health care:
The only people without a guarantee (of health insurance) are working people", the governor said.
Manchin quit trying to outflank Raese on the insane and positioned himself as someone that would work with everyone- often touting his endorsements by labor and business. Manchin even said he wanted to work with the President:
He's my president, he's your president. I think it's a shame...when people are rooting for their leaders to fail...You can't continue to divide and be against everything.
Raese's arrogant response:
I just don't sit there and tell a lot of people in the state of West Virginia or the United States, 'Yeah, these are problems and we can work together,' " Raese said. "Well, there are bigger problems than, 'We can work together.'
After that Manchin dominated Raese in the debate, defending both his independence and core Democratic values. All the while, Raese continued hammering Manchin with just one message, "Manchin = Obama."
In some ways Raese is right. Obama needs Joe Manchin in the Senate Democratic Caucus. Obama needs Manchin's vote on the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits, and education. Raese would vote against Obama even if he knew it would hurt the country. We just cannot afford that type of blind divisiveness and arrogance. Ultimately, Raese not only showed that he has radical positions but also that he would be unwilling to work with anyone that disagreed with him. Manchin beats Raese hands down on this metric.
Conclusion
We need Joe Manchin in the Senate Democratic Caucus but we must watch him like a hawk. When I started this post I said that I was going to loan Manchin my vote. Well, Manchin has to run again in two years and you better believe someone like Raese will be spending millions and millions of dollars to beat him. Manchin is likely going to win by the edge of his teeth today because he disenfranchised so many in the Democratic base. Enough of us will come back to push him to victory but if he goes to Washington and positions himself to the Right of Tom Delay then he can be guaranteed a loss next time. Just remember this Joe Manchin, you can capitulate to the radical Right all you want but in this polarized political climate these folks are voting for that R beside the candidates name. Don't forget the values of the people that allowed you to get into this position.
Thanks for taking the time to read my attempt to justify a difficult vote and for the 110,000 that did not early vote, get out there today and vote against John Raese. |
