Many comments here are complaining about Manchin without taking the time to consider the political acrobatics necessary to win a statewide office in West Virginia as a Democrat. Yes, he’s been a pain in the ass but a Republican in that seat would be much, much worse. If nothing else, he’s a point towards control of the chamber. Sinema is a different story because she ran as being more progressive than she ended up being and because Kelly is proof positive that an actual Democrat could have won on Arizona. Manchin has never shied away from what he stands for and is probably the only person who could keep the seat blue. So yeah, hate his politics all you want but recognize that him leaving the party would be a terrible thing.
IMO the difference between Manchin and MOST GOP Congress members is that since he’s wearing a blue tie, he’s allowed to do things that are commonly believed, but against the GOP groupthink. Outside of the “freedom” caucus and the political stunts and cultural war red herrings, I’d reckon Manchin agrees with more Republicans than Democrats.
Agreeing with is not the same as voting or publicly campaigning for. These are all things that happen within the political theater, where of course it’s hyper divided.
If you had a conversation with Manchin or many a Republican, you’d most likely find they agreed on most things, but since they’re both bound by playing a political game the outcomes are vastly different.
Have you actually read my first comment? Who said anything about prioritization? The only thing I’m arguing is that outside of the political theater and political tribalism that causes all politicians to act and vote for things that aren’t aligned with their own beliefs, that Manchin agrees more with republicans than your average Democrat.
You’re reading a lot into my comments, but not disputing any actual points.
Seriously. I get being frustrated with him and wishing for someone better, but that’s just not realistic. There are pathways to reduce his power by supporting candidates that can flip a seat in other states, but his seat is only ever likely to get more red.
I’m a politics junkie and have seen many posts like this on Reddit. If anything I’d say up to now the fediverse has been farther left leaning in my experience.
That Republican in a blue suit has stopped a lot of terrible decisions and enabled us to make strides in improving our country. We would be a hell of a lot worse off without him.
"Robert Carlyle Byrd served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A Democrat, Byrd also served as a U.S. representative for six years, from 1953 until 1959. He remains the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history"