Our friend TokyoSand has given us an overview of Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia. She reminds us that he is a Democratic Senator from a heavily Republican state, and as such, he cannot be expected to vote favourably on legislation that will be unpopular with the people in his state (he’s a politician, not a philanthropist). Take a look at her post for a better understanding of Senator Manchin …
Senator Joe Manchin is in the news a lot now, because he represents the key 50th vote in the Senate. Let’s look at Manchin’s background to see what clues there are for how he might operate under President Biden.
When we won the two Senate seats in Georgia and made the Senate 50-50, it was inevitable that Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia was going to start getting a lot of press. Which he has.
To put it mildly, Manchin is a rare bird when it comes to politics today. And I want to see the Democrats pass a lot of important legislation, and getting Manchin on board will be crucial to that goal, so I set out to understand him a bit better.
It’s About West Virginia
To say that Joe Manchin is a West Virginian politician is an understatement. Unlike those Senators who have an eye on the presidency, Manchin is about West Virginia, and West Virginia only. He was born there, raised there, got his college degree there, and has spent a lifetime in politics there, starting as a state representative and rising through the ranks up to the governorship, prior to becoming the Senator in 2010 in a special election. He is not interested in what the rest of the country thinks of him, he is only preoccupied with his own state and its voters.
Filosofa's Word 
Manchin thinks for himself, and does not just sign onto the party line. I’m okay with that. Maybe that’s why I consider myself an independent rather than a Democrat.
Fifty years ago, there were quite a few Republicans who would think for themselves. These days, they all toe the party line. There are still some independent thinkers among the Democrats, and I see that as a good thing.
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Agreed, and for the most part I’ve agreed with him. I, too, am an Independent, though of late I’ve been considering registering as a Democrat, for I cannot imagine voting for one of today’s Republicans.
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A fascinating piece by TokyoSand. Manchin has become rather reviled among many of my liberal friends, seemingly forgetting that he is representing a state that Trump carried by nearly 40 points and therefore can’t afford to look too liberal in the grand scheme of things. If Dems want to move Manchin left, they need to find a way to make that state a little less red, plain and simple.
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Good point! I suspect Manchin won’t survive his next re-election bid otherwise, and he is likely all too well aware of that.
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I’m sure he’s aware of that. And for that reason, a lot of his positions (at least publicly) come down to how it would affect West Virginians. So maybe the second thing Democrats should do when convincing Manchin of something is to think about how such and such thing might affect West Virginians specifically.
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Sigh. It seems the “Us vs Them” mentality is expanding rather than figuring out that we’re ALL in this boat together.
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But, shouldn’t a politician ought to have to think at least a little bit like a philanthropist? After all, despite the fact that he represents one constituency, he also must think of the body to which he has been sent by those constituents: the federal body to which he must contribute. A Rep, perhaps, has the luxury of thinking only of his locals, but a Senator should think of the wider picture, no?
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What they ‘should’ do and what they actually do are worlds apart, my friend. Sure, they should think along the lines of philanthropy and be looking out for the greater good. But, they are humans with human frailties and the reality is that they will look out for their own careers and financial future before they will give a passing thought to the people who pay their salaries. I’ve long said that members of Congress do not and should not represent only the residents of their own state, but the entire nation, for it is the entire nation whose lives are at stake every time they make a bad decision.
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Very true, and also very true.
So,
What if we trained and gave employment leave and salary for a rotation into the House of Reps using Sortition/Demarchy, as the ancient Athenian democracy did?
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Hmmmm … that’s not a half bad idea! Keep them from resting on their laurels and letting the power go to their heads!
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I’m writing it up as the last part of my 4 phases, if you ever want to know more, or you happen to notice it on my blog.
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I’m so sorry I haven’t been ’round to visit your blog of late! I promise I will drop in soon, though! I know you have some great ideas that deserve a wide audience … I seem to be continually strapped for time (not to mention energy) these days.
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No worries, Jill, I know that you are busy, and I appreciate your time! Energy is a limited resource, so thank you so much!
Rest up,
Stay safe,
and
Keep Fighting!
-Shira
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“he’s a politician, not a philanthropist” remarkable. 😉 Will head over to read, Jill! Honestly, i am knowing very less about politicans in the USA. But it seems to be very interesting. Enjoy your week! Michael
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I have friends in the UK and Canada who, I think, understand more about U.S. politics than about half the people who live here! Have a great week, Michael!
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🙂 Most times its more interesting getting information from outside, and also other countries. Very often its showing why the own politicans acting like they do (or dont ;.)) Have a beautiful week as well, Jill!
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