Joe Manchin for President: Real, Pragmatic Leadership
Speech in Charleston, West Virginia, April 14th, 2015
Now, some will say that I have no chance here, that my positions are too out of line with the modern Democratic Party to gain any traction. Well that's why I'm here to run for President and I'll prove them wrong. I'm a different kind of Democrat, one from the back country roads of West Virginia.
When I was Governor of the great state of West Virginia, dealing with our state’s problems required bringing together a diverse and strong-willed group of legislators. But I did, because that was my responsibility. By working together, we were able to tackle the tough fiscal problems that our state faced – and we did it while setting our priorities and protecting the most vulnerable in our state.
The bottom line is this – the President is the leader of this great nation, and when it comes to an issue of significant national importance, the President must lead. Not the Majority Leader or Speaker, but the President.
He must sit down with leaders of both parties and help hammer out a real bipartisan compromise that moves our nation forward and establishes the priorities that represent our values and all hard-working families.
And I truly believe that he can do it. And when we finally do come together and agree to a bipartisan solution, we will not only set a new tone for our nation, but we can start to focus on what the American people sent all of us here to do: start working together to create a more prosperous future for our children and our families, and be the America we all know we can be. I can be that president.
Now is a crucial time, and we must work together to get America back on track. We need common-sense approaches to help get government off our backs and out of our pockets. We need to balance our national budget and reduce our deficit. We need to tackle health care reform and make changes for the better. And we must work to make America energy independent.
I am the only candidate here today that will be able to deliver on these promises, and I hope that you join me on the campaign trail to bring commonsense, West Virginia values to Washington.
Thank you, and goodnight. Campaign Staff
Campaign Manager: Robby Mook
Senior Advisor: Hayden Rogers
Press Relations: Jonathan Cott, Katie Longo
Political Director: Chris Kofinis
Policy Director: Mara Boggs
Finance Director: Larry Puccio
