Think of Joe Manchin as a Republican who somehow votes with Democrats most of the time

[Tom Rinaldo]

Only a Republican can win a state wide office in West Virginia. Joe Manchin won a state wide office in Virginia. Hence, Joe Manchin, essentially, is a Republican. Probably the last of the so called Liberal Republicans to still sit in the U.S. Senate. Except he has a "D" next to his name, and he votes for Chuck Schumer to be the Senate Majority Leader. The hard sad truth is that Joe Manchin is no more blocking Joe Manchin's legislative agenda than is Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, or Lisa Murkowski. Actually less so than any of those.

We need more Democratic Senators

[jimfields33]

1. He hasn't voted no on anything in the biden administration at all!!!!!

At least from what I see. One bill has been voted on. When another bill come to vote, we will see. But so far there has only been talk about how Joe will vote. Media talk. Lots of it.

[dsc]

2. He did tank Neera Tanden

but other than that, he hasn't voted no on anything Biden wanted.

[jimfields33]

3. Honestly I forgot about that. But still he really hasn't stopped any policies at this point

[dsc]

4. To be fair, I suspect that more than a few other Senators were glad he did it

because I think she was unpopular with more than just him. But that said, women, particularly women of color, have a right to be infuriated at the clear double standard in regards to tweets.

[mucifer]

5. He waters down bills. he already has watered down the infrastructure bill by lowering the

tax increase for the wealthy.

he has way too much power. It sucks!

[jimfields33]

16. Not really. It's all talk.

The administration can still put up the taxes they want. Infrastructure bill won’t even go up for vote till august at least speaker pelosi mentioned that or earlier of course.

[hlthe2b]

14. He tanks by announcing he has no intention of even considering certain legislation...

not to mention the filibuster. That said, I don't think he's a R--just a very conservative DEM trying to appeal to both sides (and pleasing none) to remain viable in WVA.

[Polybius]

19. True but he watered down a Hell of a lot so far

For example, enhanced unemployment was supposed to be extended until the end of October, and at $400 a week. Now it's $300 a week till early September, all because of him.

[jimfields33]

20. That's a valid point. You are right.

I guess I just think vote which is as all part of the big picture.

[calguy]

6. I think of Manchin as a democrat from a very, very red state

Like it or not, senators are supposed to represent the people in their state. Manchin represents a very red state. He walks a fine line line trying to represent his constituents and supporting liberal issues.

[brooklynite]

7. No: think of Joe Manchin as a Democrat who doesn't always vote the way left wing Democrats want...

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. While true that is a distortion. He often doesn't vote the way most moderate Democrats want either

Manchin is not in the left wing of the Democratic Party, but he isn't in the center of the Democratic Party either. He is by most every account the most conservative Democrat in the U.S. Senate, which puts him in the "right wing" of our Party. As such he disappoints many centrist Democrats on occasion also, just less regularly than he does leftists.

Of course he is a Democrat albeit a conservative one. My OP was only meant as a frame of reference for those who want to blame Joe Manchin for standing in the way of progressive parts of President Biden's agenda, rather than looking at the composition of the Senate as a whole and the electorate in West Virginia.

[brooklynite]

13. I don't find that moderate Democrats tend to criticize his voting record.

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. Whether you call him a moderate now or not, Biden doesn't either

But there is a difference between disagreeing with someone regarding some of their votes on the one hand, and being publicly critical of them because of them on the other. It is possible to feel the former and refrain from the latter. Some of that is due to natural inclinations, some due to political strategy. Regardless, Manchin breaks ranks with the vast majority of the Democratic Caucus far more often than any other member of it. It is what it is, and not surprising from a Senator elected from West Virginia.

[Elessar Zappa]

11. He's a conservative Democrat.

[Freethinker65]

8. If Manchin was a Republican, McConnell would still be Senate leader.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

9. Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/joe-manchin-iii/

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/

Manchin has called himself a "moderate conservative Democrat" and is often cited as the most conservative Democrat in the Senate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Manchin

The following is a long read about who Manchin is.

Joe Manchin wants to save Democrats from themselves

But is his love for the filibuster dooming the country to dysfunction?
snip----
Some filibuster reformers hope that, as the year goes on, the reality of Republican obstruction will become clear to Manchin and he’ll be driven to change his mind — that Senate rules will in the end be just as negotiable to him as the details of Biden’s stimulus bill. For instance, reformers hoped a GOP filibuster of Democrats’ big voting rights bill, the For the People Act, could spur holdout senators to change the rules to pass it, because it’s so important.

Manchin recoils at the very idea. “How in the world could you, with the tension we have right now, allow a voting bill to restructure the voting of America on a partisan line?” he asked. He says that 20 to 25 percent of the public already doesn’t trust the system and that a party-line overhaul would “guarantee” that number would increase, leading to more “anarchy” like that at the Capitol on January 6. He added: “I just believe with all my heart and soul that’s what would happen, and I’m not going to be part of it.”

https://www.vox.com/22339531/manchin-filibuster-bipartisanship-senate-west-virginia

[comradebillyboy]

12. Manchin is a Democrat. Some Democrats are

more conservative than others. He just doesn't do what you want him to do.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. I'm glad we have him. I've said so frequently on DU

Actually I am tired of those here who constantly complain that Joe Manchin is singlehandedly blocking Joe Biden's agenda in the Senate when there are 50 Republicans in the Senate doing so with far more consistency than Joe Manchin. And were it not for the fact that Joe Manchin has remained a Democrat even as his state swings ever further to the right over the years, there would be 51 Republicans in the Senate blocking virtually everything that Joe Biden is attempting to accomplish.

There is a history of Southern Democrats defecting to the Republican Party. Richard Shelby was one of those who changed their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1994 while serving as a U.S. Senator. Louisiana's John Kennedy was elected as State Treasurer as a Democrat in 1999 and 2003. In 2004 he endorsed John Kerry for President. In 2007 he defected to the Republican Party.

[mcar]

15. No, I won't

Manchin is a Democrat. Period. We might not agree with some of his stances, but he's a Democrat. I don't agree with the stances of some other Democrats, but they are Democrats.

We do need more Democratic senators.