Cocaine Mitch Dangles the Carrot in Front of Joe Manchin

With Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) continuing to give his own party nightmares as the infighting over President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda rages on with no end in sight, talk on Capitol Hill has (predictably) turned to speculation over whether or not Manchin is planning an eventual flip to the dark side – also known as switching to the Republican party.

The Associated Press floated a story today suggesting that some Senate Democrats were very “concerned he could switch parties and take away their slim hold on power” considering the Senate as it stands now is at a 50/50 split, with Vice President Kamala Harris frequently being the tiebreaker when the voting takes place:

NEW: Dem senators have grown weary of their colleague, whose vote they cannot live without —but whose regular chats with GOP leader Mitch McConnell leave them concerned he could switch parties & take away their slim hold on power. ⁦@LisaMascaro⁩ & me https://t.co/pNuneKj35s

— Farnoush Amiri (@FarnoushAmiri) December 17, 2021

While the tweet teaser from the AP reporter noted that Democrats were worried that all of Manchin’s machinations to date are calculated moves that will eventually lead to him doing what to the left would be the “unthinkable,” that intriguing bit of information didn’t make it into the article. The only thing that made it into the article was a quote from Senator. The Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, discusses his private conversations about the switch with Manchin:

As they do often, Manchin and McConnell met on Thursday.

“As you know, he likes to talk,” the Republican leader told reporters. “It would not surprise you to know that I’ve suggested for years it would be a great idea, representing a deep red state like West Virginia, for him to come over to our side.”

McConnell added, “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

Maybe. Perhaps not. But that’s not stopping McConnell from putting on the pressure in a very public way anyway. He said it again today.

McConnell on Manchin: “I have a lot more in common with him, our states are similars.” He says he has a lot more in common with him than any other Democrat.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 16, 2021

McConnell said he had a cordial and good relationship with Manchin. McConnell also believes it would be a smart idea to switch parties for Manchin because he “represents deep red states.”

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 16, 2021

McConnell rightly states that Kentucky and West Virginia have a lot in common in terms of political philosophy. But someone who knows how to make some pretty big power plays, whether in the minority or the majority, will know that Manchin at age 74 is not likely to switch to another party.

He’s delivered for his state again and again throughout his time served in public office, whether it be as governor or senator, and he’s done it while being a Democrat.

He is, in fact, the most powerful person in Washington, D.C., more so than Biden. The keys to Biden’s perceived “success” in the first two years of his team are almost quite literally in Manchin’s hands at this point, and he knows it.

As far as he’s concerned, there would be no political advantage for him to switch parties right now. He can block Biden’s agenda and he doesn’t need to have an “R” by his name to do it.

However, Manchin’s second term is not yet over. Senator. When reelection time gets close (assuming he runs again), he’ll have some thinking to do on the party flipping thing, because though his first election to the Senate in 2012 for a full term was a cakewalk, his 2018 race was much closer, with the Republican nominee Patrick Morrisey losing by just .3 percent (about 19,000 votes).

Given how much his state becomes redder, he might decide to switch parties one year prior to the next election. Maybe not. We don’t know.

Until then, Manchin will enjoy basking in his role as Democrat party contrarian and all the attention that goes with it, while “Cocaine Mitch” will occasionally dangle the party switch carrot in front of him if for no other reason than to give Senate Democrats including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader (D-N.Y.), will have more sleepless and stressful nights.

Flashback:Joe Manchin causes hurt feelings by stating an inarguable truth about America