As the West Virginia Senate race looks increasingly competitive, Democratic candidate Gov. Joe Manchin is walking back his support for President Obama's health care overhaul. "I believe in health care reform. I don't believe in the way this bill was passed," Manchin said in an interview with RealClearPolitics. "Why they overreached, I don't know."
He added that he is in favor of "repealing the things that are bad in that bill."
Manchin's statements stand in contrast to his previous remarks. "I'm totally behind health care reform," Manchin said in 2009. Days before the bill was passed in March, Manchin told the National Governors Association that he would vote for the health care bill if he were a congressman.
Polls indicate that the two-term governor is popular among his constituents, and he was considered a strong Democratic candidate for the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Robert Byrd. Manchin, however, appears to be suffering from the perception that he is an ally of the president, who is not popular in the state.
Read more:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20017795-503544.htmlBad move, Manchin.
If only he supported HCR then his polling numbers would show him in the double-digit range.
Sigh.