Joe Manchin Is Down In West Virginia Saying Manchin Things That Mean Nothing

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:38 pm

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said that the Senate should hit the pause button on the reconciliation bill in comments that mean nothing.

Joe Manchin Is Manchining Again.

In comments back home in West Virginia, Sen. Manchin said:

The Media Will Twist This In A Thousand Different Ways, But Let’s Look At What Sen. Manchin Said.

Sen. Manchin’s comments were a classic example of Manchining, which is defined as implying negativity toward a Democratic proposal but not actually opposing it.

It seems like Sen. Manchin has done this roughly 6 billion times since President Biden is taking office. Manchin is the only statewide elected Democrat left in West Virginia, so he knows that he can’t sound too far to the left. He has mastered the political art form of sounding like he opposes something without actually opposing it.

Manchin never took a position on the bill itself. His point was that the Senate might need to slow down because there is a lot going on. That doesn’t mean what many people, including some in the media, will take it to mean, but the corporate media loves DRAMA, so they will run with it and frame it as a new “Biden crisis.”

Joe Manchin Never Said That He Would Vote Against The Bill

The reason why Democrats in Congress and the White House don’t worry about Manchin’s comments is that they know what’s going on. Joe Manchin isn’t going to sink an infrastructure bill that his state desperately needs.

Sen. Manchin will vote for the final bill.

Manchin is likely looking for some cuts in the bill that he can take back to voters in West Virginia as proof that he isn’t like those “liberals” in the Senate. His ads will say that Joe Manchin is an independent voice for West Virginia, and people need to keep voting for him.

Democrats will shave a little bit of the cost off of the bill and allow Manchin to take credit.

Unless Joe Manchin says that he won’t vote for the bill, Democrats have nothing to worry about.

Everyone needs to realize that the secret to Joe Manchin keeping his seat in West Virginia is Manchining.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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