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Wednesday, May 7, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
Manchin hurt by fall-out
Gov. Joe Manchin's insistence on defending Mike Garrison's job at West Virginia University is clearly taking its toll on the governor's own standing among the citizens of the Mountain State. The hard numbers tell part of the story -- an approval rating that has dropped to only 53% even among members of his own party.Just as telling is the anecdotal evidence, like how quickly he has become the punchline in countless jokes and wisecracks about the unearned eMBA degree claimed by his daughter over the past decade.Whether Manchin is telling the truth when he says he had no involvement in the WVU decision to hastily make her degree official, the public is not buying it. From reports around the state, water cooler conversation and dinner chatter indicates that the belief that Manchin had a hand in the matter is almost universal, regardless of ideology or party affiliation.Such a conclusion is not difficult to understand, given how Manchin, since the day he took office, has insisted on being one of the most hands-on chief executives in modern history. With his penchant for being right in the middle of everything happening in West Virginia, most people seem to wonder how they are expected to believe that the WVU-Heather Bresch scandal was any different.Meanwhile, Dem consultant Tom Susman is reporting a poll that shows 17% undecided in the Democrat governor's primary -- an amazingly high number for a once- popular incumbent versus a virtually unknown opponent. WVU scandal could be event that finally focuses citizens, media on cronyism and corruption in WV
For those who have long thrown up their hands in exasperation over the apathy in West Virginia about the cronyism and corruption that exists in state government, the scandal at West Virginia University might finally be the event that reveals the small tip hiding the rest of the iceberg.It's not that cronyism and corruption are unknown to everyone in the state. The problem is that it is so embedded, so cultural, so historic, that its ongoing practice is shrugged off as business as usual.Part of the reason is that the negative and destructive effects of cronyism and corruption are often not immediately felt. And when they are noticed, they sometimes affect so few people as to be considered unworthy of the trouble it would take to uproot them.But the WVU scandal is different. First, it involves the most beloved jewel in the entire state. Second, it revolves around an easily understood series of events, with a very simple connecting line that is obvious even to those who do not follow politics or government regularly, to wit: * Heather Bresch is the daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin. * Heather is also the COO of Mylan, Inc., WVU's biggest financial supporter. * She is a former classmate of Mike Garrison, and his longtime friend.* Mike Garrison is former chief of staff for Gov. Bob Wise, and was also tight with the Manchin Administration. * Manchin has appointed the majority of members of the WVU Board of Governors who, against almost all recommendations, hired Garrison for the WVU presidency. * On Garrison's watch, and with no objections from him, his chief of staff, or his attorney, WVU was discovered to have manufactured fake grades in order to justify a diploma Ms. Bresch claims she earned, but records show she did not.The plot is so clearly defined, so easily traceable, that it takes virtually no time to spell it out on television or radio. The cronyism and favoritism is blatantly clear to one and all, regardless of political affiliation, past loyalties or class status.More than anything, though, what the WVU scandal represents is an opportunity that should not be ignored regardless of how this particular case turns out. Whether Mike Garrison resigns, or whether the fallout at WVU is big or small, what has been presented here is an opportunity to examine a much bigger story, and -- while the whole state is still paying attention -- to raise questions about the accepted practices of this governor, his administration, and many other longstanding acts of cronyism and favoritism that have dominated the landscape for decades, and which reach into almost every aspect of the lives of the average West Virginian, with respect to their government, its actions and its policies. What has happened at WVU is scurrilous, and the faculty there is right to be outraged and demand a fresh start. But to allow the bigger story to die when the issues at WVU finally fade would be to lay the groundwork for such a series of events to happen over and over and over again.Quote of the Day
"You need to give people a chance to be involved in this process to fix the thing that's been said that needed to be fixed.”
-- Gov. Joe Manchin to MetroNews, clearing it all up as only Mojo can do.
