Obama acknowledges weakness in WV, but Manchin confident

After meeting with Senator Barack Obama in Chicago last week, Govenor Joe Manchin says he’s confident Obama can pull out a victory here. But Manchin says the Democratic presidential nominee knows he’s got an uphill battle to win support of West Virginia voters. 

“He says, you know Joe, I don’t know if my demographics work that well, which is being an African American in a state that is predominantly white Caucasian,” Manchin says. “And I kidded with him. I said, I come from an ethic background, in being Catholic in a state that has very few Catholics. You could say my demographics do not work well in West Virginia, but people need to know you. They will base you on your performance. You need to spend time in West Virginia.”

Republicans have won the state in the last two presidential elections. But Manchin contends the only way John McCain can win here this year is if he runs a negative, divisive campaign.  

“The only way that Republicans can win is if they go back to their tactics of scare,” he says. “Scaring the living daylights out of people, believing that someone that is different from you are is going to take away your comfort zone and your way of life.”

Manchin met with Obama during a meeting of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council last week. Manchin says what Obama can do to appeal to white working class men was a major topic of discussion at the meeting.

But there was also some policy talk, and Manchin says he was impressed with Obama’s approach.

“I have never had anyone reach out and say, tell me what is working in your state and tell me what on the federal level we can do to help your state. It has always been, we are going to do this, this, and this,” Manchin says. “It was just so refreshing.”

Manchin says that Obama did not make any promises about when and how much he plans to campaign in West Virginia.