Joe Manchin Throws More Haymakers at His Own Party and Causes Left-wing Heartburn – Opinion

If Democrats thought the holiday season was going to make Joe Manchin more cheerful toward their far-left fantasies, the West Virginian senator’s latest comments will dispel them of any such idea. Manchin continues to throw haymakers, and to the chagrin of his colleagues, his opposition to the “Build Back Better” bill appears to be strengthening.

Manchin may have been mentioned in a report indicating that he might be leaving the Democrat Party some time ago. The report was confirmed by the Senate a day later. However, the senator denied that he had ever intended to follow through.

Now, he’s just openly talking about the idea.

MANCHIN on switching parties: “I’m caught between the two, but the bottom line is you have to be caucusing somewhere… if they asked me to leave, well, I’ll just have to say ‘I guess I’ll have to abide by your wishes’ …”

“I don’t intend to leave. But I intend to be honest.”

— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) December 7, 2021

Democrats are waging a massive pressure campaign to force Manchin to submit to them. That doesn’t appear to be working. Instead, it seems that the harassment of crowds and snarky allegations from House members such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have backfired. Just a month or so ago, Manchin seemed more than amiable to a $1.75 trillion “compromise” bill.

Manchin’s attention has shifted to the inflation woes plaguing middle America as time passes. He was back yesterday, raising the matter again.

Sen. Manchin during WSJ event ripping Biden admin on inflation:
We had many people who believed that inflation was temporary. There were 17 Nobel laureates who said that it would not be a problem. Well, 17 Nobel laureates weren’t right.

— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) December 7, 2021

It is possible to attribute the combative nature of this behavior to only two factors, according my view.

One, when Nancy Pelosi and members of the progressive wing shoved through the current iteration of the “Build Back Better” bill, they included several provisions Manchin said were red lines. He said that he would not vote for climate clauses and federal funding of abortion. It was a strategic mistake that gave Manchin ample reason to reconsider.

Manchin has no incentive to do this. In a state where Donald Trump won by about 40 points, he is an obituary. Manchin has the intelligence to see that his future prospects are restricted in such an electoral context. If he greenlights Biden’s agenda and sends another wave of inflation down on the heads of normal Americans, he’s done for the next cycle. And that’s true whether he’s running for senate or for governor, the latter of which he’s been rumored as wanting to do.

All of this makes it seem like Manchin is slowing down. While he tries to please his party and appears open to them, every time they challenge him to the edge, Manchin finds an excuse to retreat. I think Manchin knows that if this gets into next year that the chance of passage goes down even further, and he’s just fine with running out the clock. I’ve had my doubts about whether he’d hold the line, but I’m starting to believe he knows what he’s doing here.

For Democrats, they should probably learn that trashing the moderates in their midst doesn’t pay dividends. They only give moderates more reasons to serve their constituencies. I think that’s what happened with Manchin. The more his own party has publicly denigrated him, the more hardened in his opposition he’s become, and as a Republican, that’s just fine with me.