| By Clem Guttata
This is a horribly misguided effort to "Draft Joe."
Top West Virginia labor and business leaders are calling on Gov. Joe Manchin - who local Democrats say is highly interested in running for Senate - to reverse course and appoint himself to the seat held by the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.).
"We just strongly believe that he's the right person and we would certainly encourage him to reconsider that decision and in fact appoint himself," said Larry Matheney, the secretary and treasurer of the West Virginia AFL-CIO.
Update: see this comment.
For one thing, they're forgetting the not-so-trivial detail that the Gov. cannot appointment himself. He'd have to make a dubious moral bargain with the designated Gov. successor whereby Manchin agreed to elevate someone else to Gov. in exchange for them naming him a US Senator.
That's a mighty big bite of a poisoned fruit for them both to begin new offices with.
If Manchin turns out to be the next Dem. party candidate for Senator, I would vote for him over any WVa Republican alternative I've ever seen, but I think this whole idea of back-room maneuvering to be interim successor just plain stinks. |
