Posted on 12/01/2016 12:44:37 PM PST by SeekAndFind
President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is considering Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia for the energy secretary job, according to three sources close to the discussions.
The conservative Democrat “is being considered to show the coal people how serious Trump is about coal,” one source said.
Manchin told POLITICO Thursday afternoon that he and his staff haven’t been contacted by Trump’s transition team and he didn't have any trips to New York City on his calendar. But Manchin, who is up for reelection in 2018 in a state that has become increasingly more Republican over the past decade, also didn’t dismiss the notion of taking DOE’s top job in the Trump administration.
“If I can do anything that would help my state of West Virginia, and my country, I would be happy to talk to anybody,” he told POLITICO. “Other than that, I haven’t heard anything ... I have nothing scheduled.”
Just last month, Manchin was named the vice chair of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.
Earlier Thursday the Trump transition announced that North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, another Democrat, would be making a trip to Trump Tower Friday.
Manchin is a more reliable than Lindsay and McCain
manchkin is a fair-weather loser. He has taken his West Va constituents for a ride many times. His lies about his positions are many.
Good, good, good, good, GOOD!!!
“AND it opens a WV seat to be filled by a Republican!”
Trump is going to pick a Democrat for a cabinet position, that is traditional. He might as well pick a Democrat from the Senate (like the woman from North Dakota or Manchin) where the move will add one to the Senate Republican Majority.
Adding one to the Senate Majority will help a great deal when you realize that two of that majority are the complete jerks Graham and McCain...and a third is another jerk Flake. The Senate needs some cushion. This will help.
I get the feeling that a Manchin consideration is more a trial balloon to gauge the reaction and see what other names get bandied about in a positive way. He may get a trip and a lunch out of it, but I doubt he gets a formal offer.
Because he chained himself wrist-and-ankles to a party that vowed to destroy the coal industry. He is liable to get his head handed to him in the next election no matter what happens.
Yup. If he is a loyal trooper with Trump, he rehabilitates himself and gives himself a new lease on his career, plus a cabinet position on his resume!
Bet he doesn't.
Heitkamp?
Bad points:
She’s tied to Ed Schultz. Her brother Joel took over Ed’s local show after Ed went national.
They are socialists. The run under the banner of Dem-NPL.
NPL is socialist.
This website shows she’s Dem-NPL
http://demnpl.com/project/heidi-heitkamp/
This website shows NPL is socialist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpartisan_League
My personal knowledge from history of the area, is that the commies actually had communes set up in ND during the Depression.
Good points:
But she has favored ND’s energy, to include coal, where she served at the coal gasification plant as external director for a number of years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_Gasification_Company
So I think she is qualified, and likely do a good job since the Dem party is fading. The best upside, is a Republican would fill her Senate slot.
I personally trust her more than Hoeven, who is a RINO.
Considering all, I think she’d be OK.
Anti-Second Amendment Congresscritter!!!!!!!
Both have terrible voting records and will be targeted, I believe in '18.
We’ll soon find out if he gets the chance to be smart or stupid.
Please clarify “targeted”
The VW gov is a Democrat so he will not appoint a Republican. In fact, he'll probably get pressure from the DNC and Schumer to appoint someone worse than Manchin knowing it'll be temporary.
And Manchin is not some Republican in waiting. He's a Dem that happens to like guns but knows that if he didn't start to distance himself from Reid & Co. he'd get bounced next cycle.
For crying out loud, not every move Trump makes is some stroke of genius with an intelligent backdrop that has some clandestine ending to advance the party. His putting up that Munchkin guy and giving a kick back to McConnell with his wife are proof that sometimes he's playing politics. Pure and simple.
Independent thought, try it.
Manchin would be replaced by another Democrat, because the governor of West Virginia is a Democrat.
Considering that Manchin's office has said that neither Trump or anyone from his transition committee have contacted him about the Energy position or any other position I'd say this is internet rumor/wishful thinking.
Good choice.
I don’t understand where people are getting the idea that he would be replaced in the senate by a Republican....
Would they have to stand for election next year?
I`m from West Virginia and Joe Manchin is self serving sellout. His endorsement of Hillary was a total betrayal to the people of this state. He is not to be trusted and really brings no particular skills other than being a political hack that says whatever he has to to get elected.
Trump should avoid this backstabber at all cost.
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