One senator from West Virginia does not encompass all that is wrong with the Democratic Party, writes RossBarkan
Manchin on his way to a morning session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 7 in Idaho. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Joe Manchin, West Virginia Democrat, makes the easiest of villains. A senator and former governor, he is wholly beholden to the fossil-fuel industry, Big Pharma, and just about every pernicious lobby imaginable. Manchin has been credibly accused of coddling right-wing Republicans and killing efforts to save America’s fragile democracy.
Manchin left the door open to further negotiations on a reconciliation package, claiming he wants to see if inflation worsens in the next months. After voting for a $1.9 trillion package last year, Manchin is leery of any new spending, even though tax hikes on the very rich would be a deflationary tactic. Manchin would rather not anger his moneyed donors.
What makes Manchin a lousy senator is his utter inability to deliver for West Virginia. His remarkable leverage in the Senate has not been used to deliver generation-defining funding for a desperately poor and environmentally ravaged population. A different kind of senator, even a so-called centrist, could hold Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Democrats hostage for a New Deal for West Virginia, revitalizing the state with green manufacturing jobs and sweeping anti-poverty programs.
Beyond Maine, Democrats’ missed opportunities in Florida and North Carolina will probably haunt them for years to come. While Florida has become, since 2020, a foreboding state for left-of-center candidates, 2018 was a rare opportunity for Democrats to at least defend their gains. As Republican Ron DeSantis very narrowly defeated Andrew Gillum, Florida Senator Bill Nelson fell to Governor Rick Scott, a GOP arch-conservative. Nelson lost by just 10,033 votes, an absurdly close margin.
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