During his remarks at a local AEP event, Governor Joe Manchin proceeded to threaten local millionaire, Don Blankenship, for purchasing $250,000 worth of ads criticizing the Governor’s pension bond proposal.

According to the Charleston Gazette, Governor Manchin said Blankenship should expect tougher scrutiny of his business affairs.

“I think that is justified now, since Don has jumped in there with his personal wealth trying to direct public policy,” Manchin said.

After his speech he was asked to clarify, the Gazette reported.

“I truly appreciate and value every business person who creates jobs in our state,” the governor said. “[But] I want Don to use his creative energies in a good, positive manner.”

Obviously the governor’s definition of “good, positive manner” is supporting everything the governor promotes.

Manchin said he was puzzled that Blankenship would not agree to serve on a pension bond advisory committee before launching his campaign against the governor’s proposal.

“The most frustrating thing going on is that there’s a person who has been very successful financially in the business world, and when someone asked him to be a part of a positive movement in West Virginia, he said, ‘No.’”

A consummate control freak, the governor is not used to hearing the word “no.” As Blankenship already explained, he believes the governor offered him the position to hush him.

When asked, Manchin said that Blankenship’s campaign against the pension bonds should and will prompt even more scrutiny of Blankenship, who is arguably already the state’s highest-profile coal executive.

“If you want to throw yourself into public policy, your record is open,” the governor said.

According to the governor, any person who donates their money to affect public policy is fair game. I wonder if he provides waivers for those who use their money to agree with him? Maybe he should have a dollar limit on who gets investigated: say, if you spend under $1395.82, you won’t get harassed.

There is no excuse for the governor to threaten Blankenship. In the world of politics, there are few things that are taboo to attack. A leader’s policy decision is certainly not one of them. Manchin’s glowering in the face of dissent tramples upon the right of every citizen given in article 3, section 7 of the West Virginia State Constitution to free speech.

Threatening to release the goons on Blankenship because he takes an active part in West Virginia is unconscionable. The governor should know that politics is rough and tumble. While growing up, my mom had a saying, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” At the risk of getting investigated and thrown in the pokey for my dissent, I say that’s good advice.

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Update: The Governor unveiled a new radio spot today that made a dubious claim that passage of the bond would create new jobs. Considering all the advantages the Governor touts for the bond, this seems an odd argument to make.

But that’s not all. The Governor only spent roughly 10 of the 30 seconds on the bond. He then started ad hominem attacks on Blankenship, calling him an outsider and asserting he was against the bond for his own personal profit. Perhaps I do not have the insight of the Governor, but I do not imagine how Blankenship would personally profit from the defeat or victory of this bond. Again, it begs the question: if the Governor has so many advantages to the bond, why would he spend the majority of the ad in character assassination of his opponents?