In 1972 Dalton Trumbo published his account of the "up is down" era of the US anti-communist inquisition in Hollywood in a short set of essays entitled "Time of the Toad." The title refers to an anecdote from Emile Zola during his famous defense of Dreyfus in the midst of the ugliest anti-semitic attacks where, when asked how he could tolerate such hatred and calumny, he replied: "each morning I eat a live toad – then I am assured nothing worse will ensue the remainder of the day."
Progressives in West Virginia are indulging in toad in their efforts to elect current Governor Joe Manchin to fill Senator Robert Byrd's US Senate seat. Manchin is anti-choice, anti-gay and takes a lot of money from both coal and coal unions. He is "concerned" about but nonetheless still a supporter of mountain top removal mining. He supports the health care bill, but has been "conservative" on needed future stimulus. This last constraint is difficult to take, as West Virginia already enjoys, mostly thanks to Senator Byrd's efforts over the years, more money in federal benefits and subsidies than it pays out in federal taxes.
Nonetheless, Manchin's opponent, John Raese, a multi-millionaire (by inheritance) extremist Republican who would like to throw everything back to before child labor laws, repeal health care AND social security, substitute sunday school for public education, and is a firm believer in the social philosophy of: "The hungry dog hunts harder". Naturally, Don Blankenship, the top executive of Massey Mining, rabidly anti-union, blatant buyer of supreme court justices, as yet un-indicted ringleader behind the death of 26 miners this year in WV, if fully behind Mr Raese.
With coded hat-tips to various racist and extremist elements in the Tea Party wing of the Republican party, Raese hopes to leverage past segregationist tendencies in the state to make the election a referendum on conservative religious critics of Obama and their various preposterous falsehoods about the president's citizenship, religion and agenda.
Polls make this race too close to call. Some are having a hard time swallowing the "toad" of Manchin – but if you do not – something much worse will happen, both in West Virginia and the nation.
Photo: Gov. Joe Manchin in the hunt to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the late Sen. Robert Byrd, West Va. (By TV19 - DD Meighen, courtesy Flickr, cc by 2.0)
