Freshman Dem Senator Blasts Obama on Budget

Although Sen. Joe Manchin was just elected to the Senate, he won a special election and will face the voters again in 2012. He's clearly worried about that race:

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is planning to rip President Barack Obama on his budget proposals in a Senate floor speech Tuesday, a rare rebuke from a freshman Democrat who clearly is worried about the politics of deficit spending as he faces a tough reelection in 2012.

Manchin says the president has failed to lead the way in reducing spending, but he’s also criticizing Republicans for “partisan” and “unrealistic” budget proposals as well.

“Why are we doing all this when the most powerful person in these negotiations — our president — has failed to lead this debate or offer a serious proposal for spending and cuts that he would be willing to fight for?”

The full-throated rejection of the president’s spending proposals by a politically vulnerable Democrat is just the latest worrisome sign for Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who have yet to rally their party around a unified spending plan. Indeed, Democratic leaders are having trouble just keeping moderates on board — Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) also have expressed skepticism that Democrats are willing to cut enough spending to satisfy voters and make a dent in the deficit.

Manchin ran a famous ad during the campaign showing him shooting a high powered hunting rifle at the Obamacare bill, but his actions in the Senate to this point don't reveal him to be much of a maverick. Perhaps this is the beginning of his move away from Harry Reid and Obama.