Obama drags down Democrat in West Virginia governor’s race

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama’s unpopularity is threatening Democrats’ hold on the governor’s mansion in West Virginia.

Sources close to Tuesday’s special election for the remaining year on now-Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) term as governor say the race continues to move in favor of Republican nominee Bill Maloney, who appears to be winning over the many undecided voters in the state. The race is now looking more and more like a toss-up, though Democrats remain confident they will pull it out in the end.

Regardless of where operatives come down on the final results, both agree that the reason for its narrowing is simple: Obama.

After largely leaving the president out of the race for months, the Republican Governors Association has gone up with a heavy rotation of ads linking Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) to the implementation of Obama’s health care bill.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/obama-drags-down-democrat-in-west-virginia-governors-race/2011/10/03/gIQATp7jIL_blog.html

[Dawson Leery]

1. Even though Tomblin is pro-coal, anti-tax, they still

will vote him out to just protest Obama.

They have a deep and blind hatred of Obama.

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Look at what happened to David Weprin

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lyric]

16. Who's "they"?

[xchrom]

3. Interesting. Nt

[BeyondGeography]

4. West Virginia politics

Nuff said.

[DisabledDem]

15. It could be more dreadful

It could be OK or Idaho, two of the most conservative states in the country. For a strong Democratic state though, West Virginia is one of the most horrfic Dem states in the country. And it has it's well share of DINO's that wouldn't be elected in states like Vermont or California.

[liberal N proud]

6. Isn't that something like throwing the baby out with the bath water?

People just don't think!!!!

[hedgehog]

7. Saw some of the ads just driving driving through the state, and

both sides are getting down mean and dirty. The only way you can tell which one is the Democratic candidate is that he's the one accused of supporting Obama. (and accused is the right word!)

News flash - the Coal people hate] Obama - he's being accused of destroying jobs with EPA regulations!

[doc03]

9. I live next to WV and the Rethugs are using the cuts in Medicare

included in the HCR bill. The thing of it is it may be a legitimate argument. After all there are cuts in Medicare that the Democrats and not one Republican voted for. Since then Obama has said repeatedly the entitlements are on the table. The Republicans look like the good guys. They frame it as we want to save SS and Medicare for our children and grandchildren. While the Democrats seem to be promoting cuts in entitlements by saying they are on the table. Yes I know the Republicans would like nothing other than do away with both but they always seem to win the war with a clever sound bite.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. You have proven that you live next to West Virginia because you wrongly believe

that there are cuts in Medicare! That's a lie! There are cuts in Medicare Advantage, which is the private-insured "donut whole" that was hurting seniors by causing them to pay higher prescription costs!!

Medicare Advantage is NOT Medicare!!!!

[doc03]

17. If you cut payments to the Medicare Advantage you are

in effect cutting Medicare for those enrolled in those plans. If you cut payments to the providers Medicare recipients are going to have to pay more for their Medicare supplement insurance or even more providers will just stop taking Medicare patients. So saying we are only cutting the payments to the providers is just plain BS. Medicare Advantage had anything to do with the donut hole, that was something included in the Bush prescription plan from what I understand. I do know one thing for sure our union told us our retirees Medicare supplement premium that we pay is going to increase $50 to $100 a month next year, it is currently $98 so that is about a 50% to 100% increase.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

22. Please do you research on Medicare Advantage because you have no clue...

Here:

http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/2052-14.pdf
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/01/27/141105/hensarling-obamacare-cut-medicare/
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/82xx/doc8268/06-28-Medicare_Advantage.pdf

On Part D:

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/105xx/doc10543/08-28-MedicarePartD.pdf

Please do your research and stop buying into Right Wing/Corporate Media/anti-Obama BULLSHIT!!!!!!

[doc03]

24. Thanks that confirms I am right.

Last paragraph in summary on page one. Reducing payments to Medicare Advantage "Would diminish the supplemental benefits and cash rebates that Medicare Advantage plans can offer their enrollees and lessen enrollment in plans."


http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/82xx/doc8268/06-28-Medicare_Advantage.pdf

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

26. That is for a private plan that has been milking seniors. Not Medicare!!!

That's the point!

[doc03]

28. How was MA milking seniors by giving them benefits not

provided by Medicare? They were milking Medicare, so by cutting payments to MA they cut benefits provided seniors from MA. The reason Medicare recipients voluntarily signed onto MA was because MA provided (advantages) over Medicare. Medicare cuts payments to MA and MA cuts benefits they previously provided their customers, that is the same as cutting Medicare for them. Over $600 billion was taken out of the Medicare program. They may say they cut payments to providers
but in reality MA will never lose a penny their customers will. As long as we have insurance companies running our health care system we are screwed. That's my point!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. Medicare Advantage (Part C) *IS* a separate program! It was the initiative that the Republicans

pushed through Congress UNPAID for! Medicare Advantage has been milking seniors, making them pay MORE for their prescription drugs. It is a program that allows drug companies to charge MORE without a government match. So yes, the program was passed by the Republicans in Congress, but it gives the prescription drug companies the ability to raise their prices on drugs. The Affordable Health Care Act reduces that authority and closes the so-called "donut whole." It also gives seniors a refund to help them pay for their prescription drugs.

Medicare Advantage is NOT Medicare!! They are two separate programs!!!

Here:

Medicare Advantage is a private health insurance program designed to compete with the government-run Medicare program. Both insure people age 65 and older and some younger, disabled people.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/23/AR2009092304692.html

On Medicare Plan, Part D:

http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/medicare/a/medicare_advantage_overview.htm

[Arctic Dave]

8. I would look at this as being the main repug election game plan.

They repugs may not be able to field a decent presidential candidate so they will try to win all the state elections by saying every Dem candidate is Obama's twin brother.

They started this in the 2010 election cycle.

[JuniperLea]

18. Yep...

That is what I think too.

[thereismore]

10. All I have to say, WV is a weird State. So backward and yet not a Southern State. nt

[dtexdem]

11. Obama may impact many Dems in 2012.

It is to be expected that the GOP would use smears and racism. Unfortunately, Obama's weaknesses have played into their game.

[OHdem10]

12. How many of the Democrats now complaining about Obama

actually early on, clarified Obama's position
in their state. Or Did those Democrats ignore
all the false accusation and let them stand.

The Democratic Party had better learn each Governor
every legislator, and every Democrat on the Hill
had best learn how to make the case for the real
position of the Party. When lies are being spread
about any member, knock down the lies.

You are a party or not a party. United we stand
divided we fall. Democrats had better learn this.

Letting lies about the Party and Obama stand
for 3 years and then suddenly realize this hurts
one, is not acceptable.

As Carville taught us I thought, --let a lie
stand for 24 hrs and it sticks. 3yrs???

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

13. Wait a minute. You can't be serious. West Virginia was one of the states where

the majority of whites admitted to not voting for Obama in the 2008 primaries because he is black.

Unrecommended based on your short memory and lack of acknowledgement that West Virginia politics has little to do with the president's popularity (or lack thereof) because he was never popular in West Virginia in the first place.

Nice try at flamebait; it just didn't work with me.

[JuniperLea]

19. Well said!

:applause:

[doc03]

20. You are talking primaries, In the general I would say

the Democrats biggest problems are, number one Clinton signing NAFTA and number two the environmental issue.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. Again, you need to be realistic! They were never going to vote for a black man

regardless of policies or pretty speeches. They made that known in 2008, and that was just Democrats.

[doc03]

25. There are numerous reasons people in WV have for

not voting for any Democrat besides race. I don't know of any of the Democrats that could have won in WV in 2008.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

27. Well, if that's the case, then you must wonder why the OP even bothered...

[AtomicKitten]

23. Uber-conservative Manchin is one of 4 Senate Dems dragging down O's jobs bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/us/politics/democrats-in-congress-balking-at-obamas-jobs-bill.html

Fuck him.

Oh and here's a reminder of what President Obama faced in West Virginia during the Democratic primary in 2008, this coming from Democrats: http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1507

West Virginia: Country's Most Racist Voters: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-k-wilson/west-virginia-countrys-mo_b_101651.html