Republicans Trying To Lure Away Joe Manchin With All The Coal He Can Eat

Republicans in the Senate are trying to lure a few Democrats into switching parties and giving them a majority, because apparently they want more responsibility for this crappy economy while not being able to get any of their dumb laws past Obama. First up on the list is apparently Joe Manchin, presumably because all you have to cough up (from your black lung) to a West Virginia senator is the chairship of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and funding for a plant that will turn coal into diesel fuel so that we can reduce America's reliance on foreign atmosphere-killers. But of course that proud Democrat told them no, correct? Nope.

"Republicans believe in an ‘all of the above' approach to energy," one top Senate aide told Power Play. "And coal-to-diesel could certainly be part of that."

Sure! All of the above! How about cows-to-gasoline? Pecan pie-to-diesel? Hipsters-to-natural gas? All of that, yes, if it helps certain industries.

Republicans believe Manchin is particularly susceptible to the overture because he is up for reelection in 2012 and will have to be on the ticket with President Obama, who is direly unpopular in West Virginia. Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Independent Joe Lieberman are the other two prime targets of Republican advances.

Noooooo! Those are the greatest hits of Democratic senators!

"He was elected as a Democrat and he has to go to Washington as a Democrat to try, in good faith, to make the changes in the party he campaigned on," said one Manchin advisor. "Now, if that doesn't work and Democrats aren't receptive, I don't know what possibilities that leaves open."

Oh, so all Democrats have to do to keep The Man Chin is do everything he says. This should end well. [ Fox News ]