In Wake of Tucson Shooting, Joe Manchin Says He'd Reconsider Gun Ad
In the wake of Saturday's tragic shooting in Tucson, many have been quick to lay blame on Sarah Palin for using the image of crosshairs during midterm elections to "target" lawmakers.
Plenty of other politicians, however, used gun imagery during the 2010 midterms, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D). The new senator said Monday that, in light of the Tucson shooting, he doubts his future campaigns would use such imagery again.
"I can't say that we would, I really can't," Manchin said, the Charleston Daily Mail reports. "It's a much more sensitive thing we're dealing with right now."
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) remains in critical condition after a gunman open fired at a town hall-style meeting the congresswoman was hosting at a Tucson grocery store Saturday. Six were killed, and 14 were injured, including Giffords.
Along with Palin and others, Manchin also displayed his "dead aim" during the midterms with an ad that raised a few eyebrows. In the ad, the Democrat, who was locked in a tight race in a state where President Obama has been unpopular, shot a rifle at the Democrats' "cap-and-trade" energy bill.
While he said he may reconsider running such ads again, Manchin told reporters his ad was unrelated to Saturday's shooting, the Daily Mail reports.
"You're comparing a metaphor to an act - a heinous act by deranged, mad person - I don't really see the connection," he said.
He pointed out that he simply shoots a piece of paper in the ad -- not a person. "You've never seen me talk about a person," Manchin said. "We're talking about legislation and policies."
The senator said he hoped the tragedy would spur more reasoned, bipartisan conversation in Washington. "The bottom line is we should be working together as Democrats and Republicans, as Americans, as senators - we should be doing more together," he said.
Poll: Most Americans Feel Rhetoric, Tucson Shooting Unrelated After Tucson Tragedy, Pundits Just Point Fingers Jared Lee Loughner a Registered Independent; Didn't Vote in 2010 Complete Coverage: Tragedy in Tucson
