Anyone else thinking that Manchin is just setting up his exit ramp?

[quakerboy]

Play the centrist for the next year or so. Nuke dem policies that dont bring him personal benefit, to build a nice RW landing pad so he can switch parties in time for the next elections, but hang on pretending to be a dem just long enough to make sure(both observationally and via a thumb on the scales sense) the winds are blowing in favor of that move.

Or is it just me?

[temporary311]

1. If that was his intent,

I don't think he would've voted to impeach individual 1 twice. That goes a long ways to sinking him in a Republican primary.

[uponit7771]

5. +1

[Blue_true]

2. No.

I believe that he is just a conservative Democrat on some issues.

He has had more prime times to switch parties and haven’t done so.

[FoxNewsSucks]

3. Sounds like a plausible explanation to me.

[BradAllison]

4. The Republican party is toxic forever

If he thinks it will ever be safe, he's dumber than I thought.

[SCantiGOP]

6. Manchin's motives are very simple

He represents a state that went for trump by almost 40 points. He represents the most republican and conservative state of any current Democratic Senator.
Makes sense that he is not going to want a voting record that matches the Progressive wing of the party.
And, don’t forget that, if it weren’t for him, Mitch McConnell would be in charge of the Senate today.

[hatrack]

10. Yes, and if it weren't for Rafael Warnock/Jon Ossof/Mark Kelly/Mark Warner

Etc., Mitch McConnell would also be in charge of the Senate.

[Hortensis]

11. THIS, and as Blue_true said.

Regarding WV as a conservative state, the entire state government is controlled by a Republican trifecta, and all other reps WV sent to congress are Republicans.

[empedocles]

15. Manchin also has a long winning record in WV. 5 straight

statewide elections going back to 2004.

[Bet he has heard all sorts of superficial opinions from all sides].

[Hortensis]

18. Great point. WV voters like his formula as much as the illiberal

leftists, who openly plan to try to take down the Democrats' most vulnerable senator, despise it.

(Fwiw, SCantiGOP referred to a "Progressive wing," but I never call these sorts "Progressives" any more than I'd call Republicans "Progressives" if they tried it. Our house Dems have two giant caucuses filled with progressive liberals, the real things, and these people, mostly socialists, mostly outsiders, openly promise to eventually, as they imagine, purge almost all our over 200 progressive Democrats from congress.)

[empedocles]

23. Sharply made, great point, about the Dem extremes.

[Bonn1997]

12. Is he actually representing his state?

They don’t want a minimum wage increase?
They want income restrictions on the stimulus checks?
It’s one thing to say that his state has a lot of Republicans, but I don’t think he is even voting for what those Republicans want. He’s managed to find a position that Republicans, independents, and Democrats all oppose.

[Tree Lady]

14. He is representing the hard core republicans

And the well off in his state. Looking at how his daughters company was with the epi pen he obviously doesn't care about the poor at all except to make them continue to mine coal.

[radius777]

20. +1. Manchin is to the right of his state on economic values.

WV is only 'red' due to social issues like abortion, guns, immigration, etc.

But it is a historically a New Deal Dem state that is poor and would benefit greatly from Biden's economic plans.

[quakerboy]

13. Problematicly, with his determination to scupper democratic policy wins

Mitch Mcconnell will likely be in charge of the senate again tomorrow.

[Celerity]

24. he is blocking BIDEN, not the progs on these things, he and Sinema are blocking 99% of our caucus

on massive issues, and I have yet to have a person adequately explain how something like fucking his voters out of 8000 USD per annum (the full time wage difference between 15 and 11 usd per hour) helps him get re-elected.

I also really tire of people tossing out the left end of the party as the manifestation of what they (Manchin and Sinema) are blocking on these big ticket items.

They are blocking the entire party basically, Biden included. They are really hurting our prospects for 2022 and 2024.

What good does him getting re-elected in almost 4 years if he and Sinema's actions play a part in costing us control of the House and the Senate in 2022, and then quite possibly pay a part if we also lose the POTUS in 2024?

Manchin's 2024 odds of winning are not a lock at all, in fact they are probably less than 50%, especially if Governor Justice runs against him, as (an actual West Virginian posted this on another thread) Justice has outflanked him on the left ('go big or go home' on the COVID bill, and also Justice says no strings attached on the cheques, plus he also says increase the minimum wage) AND the right (Justice is a Rethug Trumper after all).

[msfiddlestix]

7. I've been suspecting he's going to jump ship any minute now.

I suspect it's happen fairly quickly. Might even happen before this bill goes through.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. I bet he likes being the proverbial big fish in a small pond ...

This whole situation is a dream come true for a lot of politicians.

I kinda doubt he cares to go to back to a position of little relevance.

This is guessing on my part though, I don't know the man's heart.

[stillcool]

9. My husband's with you...

he just had a meltdown about Manchin playing both sides. He's like Cinderella at the ball, meandering around to see which Prince has his shoe....but then the ego issue is so prevalent in politics. Hard to know what his game is.

[Mabadi]

16. Manchin is doing what he always does

If he had been a liberal before I would believe that he is setting up a ramp exit to switch parties. but he has always been a very conservative Democrat.

[Blue Owl]

17. Centrists are so last century

[bottomofthehill]

19. No reason to draw it out

He has the most currency to switch now. Mitch would give him anything short of being Majority Leader

[applegrove]

21. He should vote for ending the filibuster and retire with his head held high.

Teach his grandkids about integrity. He could take ownership of new voting rights laws and better healthcare and a new deal for americans, especially the middle class the GOP is trying to decimate.

[RandiFan1290]

22. after all the Lieberman ass kissing

He still left the party.

[Darwins_Retriever]

25. He's looking for a deal to save coal industry and workers

He wants something that is so contrary to the current Dem platform, saving coal. He would be WV greatest hero if he saves coal. Give him that and he will support almost anything. He'd kill the filibuster without remorse.