Joe Manchin won’t run for WV Governor
A few weeks ago, Joe Manchin announced to The State that he was contemplating a run for the West Virginia governor’s seat because he wasn’t happy being one voice in a crowd of a hundred;
Manchin has said stagnation in Congress spurred him to start considering other options. In the new Republican Congress, Manchin called having an open process with amendments and more voting an “encouragement.”
Lawmakers still get bogged down in the political process, however, he said.
Manchin is evaluating the state landscape, where the Legislature recently finished its first session under Republican control in more than eight decades.
So, here we are two weeks later and Breitbart reports that he’s changing his mind because…guns.
Manchin’s gun control reputation precedes him. He opposed recent efforts in the state to establish Constitutional Carry by doing away with a concealed carry permit requirement. He did this by suggesting the Second Amendment is not a sufficient carry license. He believes people have to be “properly trained” before they can exercise their right to keep and bear arms.
Manchin was also the point man for gun control in the months after the heinous attack on Sandy Hook Elementary. He pushed a system of expanded backgrounds, which would have banned private gun sales, minus a handful of exceptions, and then admitted the expanded checks would not have stopped the Sandy Hook attack from happening had they been in place.
He ran as a pro-gun candidate in 2012 but a month after the election he was cozying up to Yankee Chuck Schumer and helping to cram useless expanded background checks down our national throat. Many West Virginians, including myself, felt betrayed. Manchin was the first national office Democrat that I’d voted for since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Of course, Carter made me feel betrayed after he gave amnesty to the draft dodgers on his first day in office – when will I learn, right?
The final slap in our face was when he came out against the permitless concealed carry bill. You know, even though West Virginia has permitless open carry laws. His stance on the issue was solely to prove his creds to the national Democrats.
Manchin has also fallen short on his other anti-Obama issue – defending the West Virginia coal industry. He has also decided that he’s going to endorse Clinton for President. That won’t sit well with West Virginians either.
I’d be very surprised if he keeps his job in the Senate after the 2018 election. Knowing he’s not happy with his job in the Senate, I’m not sure he wants it now. So he should just resign his office before he hurts West Virginia more.
Thanks to Chief Tango for the links.
Category: Politics
Is this because he’s not happy about not having his way with thing? Seems to me he speaketh with fork-ed tongue.
I’m not from West “By God” Virginia, Jonn – but what are the chances he could get elected in that state as governor?
I’m only curious because I wonder what the consensus of opinion is of this guy?
“…what are the chances he could get elected in that state as governor?”
Zero–as in none and as in TAH’s Admiral Zero has a far better chance of becoming our next gubner. (Zero is an admiral, by the way. The WV legislature said so. It’s true.)
I live in WV and have been watching all this stuff unfold. I have decide to rank Manchin right up there with Tenant. Either one will do and say anything they think will garner favor with the voters du jour. We got lucky last election cycle – in my opinion, anyway. Hard to believe Maryland is actually considering to not tax military retiree pensions and WV isn’t. May not happen, but at least they’re thinking about it.
Lawmakers still get bogged down in the political process, however, he said.
I always like when these senators make it clear they’ve not read their history and completely fail to understand the purpose of the senate….the Senate is designed to stagnate legislation that is feverishly pushed its way from the House….the idea was to keep from passing too many laws each session.
Our government was never designed to be a simple, smooth lawmaking industry. It was designed to be a contentious, prolonged process to avoid overwhelming the citizenry with frivolous over reach legislation.
The founders of course could never count on the machinations of many who were able to continue to pass law after law and create this spider web if legislative code that reaches into every dark corner of our daily lives now.
Manchin is clearly well suited for Washington as he’s full of shit and talks about why he is as though it should be expected of him.
I will tell you this Jonn, it could be worse you could have the whitest woman of color in the history of mankind and the life time political hack who is her compatriot as your duly elected senators…I’d be willing to bet that your last three state speakers haven’t been indicted by the feds either…so there’s that as well.
And the process worked fairly well until the passage of the 17th Amendment (1912-1913), which passed the selection of Senators from the states legislatures to election by the populace. Which meant that now you have two “Houses of Representatives”.
And we all know the rest of the story.
Two things you might not want to be against if you’re going to run for office in West Virginia are coal and firearms.. It’s a recipe for disaster. I think he had a B or B+ rating from the NRA last election, but that may have been two election cycles ago. As far as the Sandy Hook legislation I think the progressive caucus had Manchin take point on that because he had a good NRA rating and therefore would fleece worried firearm owners into trusting them and the law. Unfortunately for them, the American people are a little smarter than they think we are.
Yes, some of us are…
But, look at the POTUS…
I still think they rigged the 2012 election.
Every state that had voter ID went to Romney, the ones without went to ovomit…
This guy is the poster boy of the two-faced, lying politician, who insults the intelligence of the voters and constituents whenever he can. I hope WV voters send him packing in 2018.
The Texas State House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that would allow CHL holders to open carry. The bill passed yesterday needs to be reconciled with the Senate version (already passed). At that point, it will be presented to the Governor who has said he intends to sign it. I am , at present, neither a CHL or an open carry guy. Maybe one of these days I will have the time to take the class and get the cert. I think there is a retired Air Force Lt. CPL. that teaches the class in my area.
I drove through W Virginia back in December, very hospitable people. I’m amazed as to why anybody there would every vote for any party that hates mining in the first place. It’s a lesson learned I’ve made mistakes myself voting for mancharian candidates. The feeling of being screwed over sucks