"Joe Manchin is a life-long Democrat and he is not switching parties "

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Statement from the WV governor's office, in response to FOX News rumors::

Joe Manchin is a life-long Democrat and he is not switching parties . This is exactly what is wrong with Washington - individuals try to put politics before our nation.

Joe Manchin wants to go to Washington to encourage members of Congress to stop partisan bickering and start putting our nation's needs at the forefront.

He wants to work with all sides - Democrats and Republicans - to move our state and nation forward. He is looking forward to going to Washington to do his part to help rebuild America.

Thanks!

Sara Payne Scarbro
Communications Director
Gov. Joe Manchin

From:
http://www.wvablue.com/diary/6481/manchin-is-and-will-remain-a-democrat

[laughingliberal]

1. K & R nt

[highplainsdem]

2. K&R!

[hyphenate]

3. Fox is famous for putting words in people's mouths

We know this primarily from the Fox puppets we know and dislike. But real people get as far away from Fox as there is room to do so.

[SidDithers]

4. K&R...nt

Sid

[UTUSN]

5. Well, thank you, from one lifelong to another - was there a QUESTION?!1 n/t

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

6. FOX News blogger was pushing it this morning

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/11/08/todays-power-play-gop-sweetens-its-offer-manchin

[w4rma]

7. Manchin isn't going to switch parties. No chance in heck. (nt)

[CatWoman]

8. yeah, who do they think he is?

Joe Lieberman?

[GrpCaptMandrake]

9. Ehhhh . . .

As someone who has followed Blanche Manchin's career pretty closely, and knows that no Manchin has EVER voted fora Democrat not named Manchin, I wouldn't be so sure.

After all, Joe's policies are closer to Rand Paul's than to Harry Reid's.

He is, in fact, Blanche Lincoln with much better hair.

[Alexander]

10. I don't think Manchin, Nelson or Lieberman will switch. And I'll bet on that.

First of all, even if all three of them did, Democrats would have 50 votes plus Joe Biden's tie-breaking vote, still giving us Senate control.

Second, I think Nelson and Manchin are very conservative, compared to many progressives and Democrats in blue areas, but have a lifelong affiliation with the party handed down through generations, and will stick with us. Believe it or not, they do agree with Democrats on some issues.

Lieberman is a total sleazebag opportunist, but he's not an idiot. He knows joining the Republicans would gain him nothing, and he'd lose his precious "seniority" on the Homeland Security committee he cared so much about when he bolted the party to win re-election in 2006.

Plus, Lieberman and Nelson are toast in 2012 no matter what either of them do. Manchin's up in 2012, but as he's an immensely popular Governor, he has a decent chance winning as a Democrat.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. LIEberman is up in 2012 and has the lowest approval rating of any senator now serving.

Perhaps Obama and the Dems were a lot smarter than we gave them credit for. LIEberman, for the most part, has been on his best behavior since the health care reform war. He knows that if he wants to keep his job, he needs to just shut the fuck up.

I'm much more worried about Ben Nelson and now Jim Webb after his "Why Reagan Democrats Still Matter" op-Ed. I think we are in greater danger of losing one or both of these "Democrats" than any other.

[Alexander]

21. Exactly. He will lose or retire in 2012. I'm sure of that.

Any House Democrat from CT could run against him and win. Literally any of them.

And one of them probably will run for that seat, since they all got re-elected in 2010.

Lieberman will either try to put up a fight and go down in defeat, or read the tea leaves and bow out before he loses his seat.

I am not worried about Nelson or Webb. Webb already changed parties recently, I don't see him changing back even though he's said some really awful things. Neither one of them is particularly loved or wanted by Republicans. I don't see them switching.

[w4rma]

23. Webb is sane and is a Senator because he wants to help the nation. He'll remain a Democrat.

The Nelsons are both corrupt, imho, so who knows what they might do.

[David__77]

11. I just hope he's a Byrd Democrat and not a Zell Miller Democrat.

Big difference.

[Terra Alta]

13. ugh, Zell Miller

I had almost forgotten about him.. what ever happened to that fool, anyway?

[David__77]

20. Kook wandered off into the swamp years ago.

I'm sure he has his Klavern buddies though.

[Terra Alta]

12. Good. I just hope he votes like a Democrat.

Only time will tell, but his comments about wanting to work with Repukes doesn't make me very hopeful.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

15. Safe assumption . . .

that Blanche Manchin will vote with Senate dems as long as: (a) there are no bills about climate change; (b) there are no bills about Social Security; (c) there are no bills about CO2; (d)there are no bills about expanding healthcare; (e) there are no bills about expanding Labor rights.

Apart from that, he's a pretty safe bet to vote with the Democrats.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. Sounds like he did what he had to do to win that seat. I ain't mad at him for it! n/t

[GrpCaptMandrake]

17. Me, neither . . .

He was running against a lunatic in a state where lunacy is a time-tested voting strategy.

Me, I'm disgusted with him because he's such a shameless lick-spittle for the coal industry. He wouldn't even step up to build a new school for children attending a facility immediately beside a toxic coal prep plant and directly beneath 2.8 BILLION gallons of toxic waste. He only conceded to build a new school when outside pressures made his continued refusal impossible.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. I'm with you on that. I fear that he will vote with the Repukes on special interest

issues, namely coal, oil and energy, but at the end of the day, if we can get 70% support from him at the very least, I'm cool with that.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

19. More than anything else

I worry about him on Social Security issues. One of his first acts as governor here was to piratize our workers comp system. As a result, we have a sacred cow "private" comp insurer staffed by his cronies, in which benefits for maimed workers have been minimized in order to maximize profits. In addition, I've heard him talk about other healthcare related issues that tell me he's no friend of a public option or single payer. All told, then, I'd expect him to do some nasty business if there's a close call on Social Security. What's worse, many people in this state would praise him for it . . . all the way to the poor farm.

I expect him to bootlick the energy industry. That's what they pay him to do.

B-T-W: I expect him to be toxic to any issues relating to women and choice. He's a longstanding bread-breaker with the pro-life thugs in this state.

[Davis_X_Machina]

22. You get more and better invites...

...to talk shows and such being the 'rogue Democrat who has the courage to call out his own party' than 'one of the handful of vaguely moderate Republicans left'.

He won't switch. The line for the cameras is longer on the other side.