Posted on 12/30/2021 4:46:42 AM PST by Kaslin
Washington -- I have been thinking about who my Man of the Year might be this year. And, by the way, who my Woman of the Year might be also. Of course, times are changing fast. Possibly I should be thinking about who my Transgender Person of the Year might be. It has been a complicated year. What with COVID-19 and not one but two Cuomos out of action and, finally, all the geniuses that the Biden administration has brought to Washington. Why not just lump all genders into one category? How about the Prodigy of the Year?
Consider a Prodigy who has monopolized the news and the headlines from the year's beginning to the year's end, without doing any harm to anyone? The Prodigy comes from a small state. One might say an out-of-the-way state, and the Prodigy's timing was perfect. The Prodigy waited until the very end of the year to make a decision that could have been made at any time in the year. Who is the Prodigy? My Prodigy this year is Sen. Joe Manchin III. By the way, he is a very nice man. He is a regular guy, as they say. How many Democrats are regular guys?
Manchin fills my protocol for the political candidate you would most like to have move into your neighborhood. You would not want Congressgirl Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez moving in next door. She might bring along members of her social set, the Squad. They might terrorize your children. The Congressgirl might even terrorize your pets, if you have pets. Nor would you want Hunter Biden to move in next door to you. He might invite his father over for a Diet Coke. Joe Biden, you might recall, does not drink alcohol, but he does drink Diet Coke, and as for Hunter, he has been accused of drinking the real coke. The one that is prohibited by law. Actually, there are scores of politicians whom you would not want as neighbors. Remember the Clintons. Remember the Kerrys.
Manchin is not one of them. He is a perfect gentleman. I had him as our special guest at an American Spectator monthly dinner, and though he did not agree with everything that was said that night, he was perfectly cordial and displayed splendid manners. That is something that could not be said about all of our guests. That evening at the American Spectator dinner, the name of the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency came up, Gina McCarthy. She was then touring the country for some environmental enthusiasm of hers. I think it was the gasless automobile. She has been making it clear that she would not be touring Manchin's state of West Virginia. Manchin dismissed her as obnoxious and an elitist. He was not alarmed by her, and he was reelected in 2018.
Most of my guests that night were Republicans, but all agreed. Manchin seemed to be, as one of my guests said that night, "one of us." He was fiscally conservative in those days, and he is fiscally even more conservative today. In fact, it was over profligate spending in face of roaring inflation that caused Manchin to reject Build Back Better. Now people are asking why Manchin does not cross the aisle. Manchin's state, West Virginia, is now more Republican than Democratic. Manchin is the outlier in his state today.
In fact, last week Sen. Mitch McConnell, the minority leader in the Senate, began in a subdued way to ask Manchin to cross the aisle. It makes perfect sense. His power in the Senate will only increase. His popularity will increase, and his value to West Virginia will multiply.
Though I am reminded of a statement made years ago by a man struggling with the same problem as Manchin is today. That was the former Democrat Ronald Reagan. He said changing parties was one of the most difficult things he ever did. But he did it. My guess is that if Manchin crossed the aisle, he would not be alone. How about Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona? How about a half-dozen members from the House of Representatives?
Moreover, Joe Manchin, I just made you the Prodigy of the Year. Could bigger things await you as a Republican?
Stay under p-lousey or go under the yurtle.....both sucky propositions imo
No, he won’t. If he becomes a Republican then he knows he’ll get primaried out of office in 2024. He’s won all his elections as a Democrat in a Red state but that’s becoming more difficult. If anything he’ll declare himself an independent, probably continue caucusing with the Democrats since he’ll keep his committee assignments, and then hope to win a three-way race for another term.
Manchin will not change while the Senate is 50-50.
He knows it would infuriate the left to destroy him more than they currently are trying to destroy him.
I think Manchin retires at the end of his term and sails into the sunset.
Manchin votes 99% with Schumer. He’s a whore like Lindsey Graham, just not as faggy.
That POS voted to convict Trump. Pump sunshine up his ass all you want if it keeps him from voting for this POS deal, but don’t make that pile of human garbage out to be some kind of man.
#HopeThisHelps
Really? I've seen it written that the promise of a committee chairmanship can be very enticing!
The repercussions from the left would outweigh the benefits of having a committee chairmanship under the GOP.
The only way I see this happen is if the GOP takes solid control of the Senate AND Manchin decides not to run for re-election. Then, he faces no repercussions for switching.
Nope.
The guy is winning in a very deep red state as a Democrat. So how the heck does he lose as a Republican then? He will win by bigger margins as a Republican after easily winning the Republican primary.
That's not to say he will switch parties, but he should.
Better off as a Democrat. Comes to our side he instantly becomes a RINO. No thanx.
R Emmett’s rump kissing in public is not a sight for sore eyes.
Thank you.
What “repercussions” are those? Does Manchin strike you as a shrinking violet? I'd say he is about the toughest of the Dem US Senators.
Because primary elections are base elections. Manchin would attract actual conservative opponents who will be more attractive to the base than a born-again RINO would be.
Let me be a “maverick” headache for the Democrats. We don’t need another RINO.
You wouldn’t want Hunter Biden to move in next door to you......all those laptops, messy paints and coke....the illegal kind.
Besides, he might invite his father and mother over. Yuck.
Actually, there are scores of Dem/prog/lib pols you would not want as neighbors. AOC and the Squad, the Clintons, the Kerrys, Adam Schiff, Piglosi......too numerous to mention.
My pleasure!
The same case who voted for Manchin in the general, after voting massively for Trump?
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