Democrats Need To Stop Hating On Joe Manchin

In recent weeks, Senator Joe Machin of West Virginia has received considerable flak from Democrats based on what they perceive as his unreasonable demands on healthcare and climate legislation. Some are going so far as to say he has “sabotaged the president’s agenda.” Such claims are grossly overstated, however. In fact, Democrats should be grateful that Manchin is with them in the U.S. Senate, given that without him they would lack a majority and have no chance at all of enacting their bold agenda. Moreover, they should recognize that Manchin may in fact represent the future of the Democratic Party. He is more in step with the majority of Americans on many issues—including on the economy, but also on some women’s issues—when compared to the party’s more progressive wing.

First, as background, Democrats have been negotiating a reconciliation package, which is budget amendment legislation that only requires a bare majority of votes to pass the Senate. Given the party controls both chambers of the U.S. Congress as well as the presidency, Democratic leadership sees this as an opportunity to ram through an audacious progressive agenda. But with the Senate tied in a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans, and Vice President Kamala Harris as the critical tie breaking vote, Democrats can’t afford to lose a single vote, lest their agenda be stalled. This gives centrist Democrats like Joe Manchin significant leverage in negotiations, since he can credibly threaten to walk away at any time.

Manchin has been the recipient of Democratic ire ever since he was accused of holding back progressive legislation on climate change last winter. Since then, attacks on him have only grown louder and more jarring. However, Manchin is largely used to the attacks by now, since to him they are nothing new, so it is unclear how effective this strategy will be if the goal is changing his vote.

More importantly, are the criticisms even justified? Is it the case that Manchin is to blame for the current Democratic malaise, which may turn into troubles for the party in November? Let’s take a look at the facts.

The main issue plaguing Democrats today is inflation, and it’s far from obvious that Joe Manchin bears much responsibility for that. While he did vote for Biden’s stimulus package in March of 2021, and some blame that for contributing to the ongoing inflation, the causes of inflation are complex and long run. Inflation depends on the public’s expectations, for example, and no single U.S. Senator has control over that.

That said, there is a productive role for Congress to play in the ongoing battle against inflation. Here, Joe Manchin has been a voice of reason when compared to, for example, his colleague Senator Elizabeth Warren, who continues to blame corporations and greed for the problem, despite all economic evidence to the contrary. Moreover, Manchin learned powerful lessons from voting for the stimulus legislation last year. It was likely a political loser for him in his state, as well as an economic loser for the nation. He is unlikely to repeat that error in the future, and that’s a good thing for the country.

The second major issue confronting Democrats today is the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is leading to widespread outrage among the progressive wing of the party. You can likely say that Joe Manchin is a mixed bag on this issue. Manchin says he opposed overturning Roe v. Wade, but he also claims to be a Catholic and to be pro-life in his personal life. Admittedly, this leads him to be somewhat all over the place on the issue. He’s probably been a little inconsistent on Twitter and elsewhere, but is someone’s social media persona really the best gauge of their character?

Manchin’s views on abortion may actually be more mainstream than those in the party leadership. According to polls, a majority of the country—like Manchin—opposed overturning Roe v. Wade. But majorities also tend to support some reasonable restrictions on abortion as well. Thus, Manchin’s moderate stance on the issue seems in line with the political center in America, unlike the abortion-on-demand position taken by the party’s progressive wing.

So on the two major issues facing Democrats heading into November’s election—inflation and Roe v. Wade—Manchin played little role creating the problem, and arguably he has been a voice of reason compared to some of the louder, more boisterous voices within the party. Manchin is someone who understands all sides of the Democratic Party. He hails from a conservative state but is also more than comfortable in the progressive bastion of Washington, D.C. and among the party’s donor base. If anything, he may deserve a greater leadership role in the future, given his willingness to listen to all sides and his careful, methodical style.

Instead, some are calling for him to be purged from the party. Democrats appear to be asking themselves: “Why do we even need Joe Manchin?” But what is their alternative? In all likelihood, the alternative to Joe Manchin is a conservative Republican who is even more hostile to their utopian agenda and more likely to demand serious concessions before signing off on any deal.

Even on the climate change, progressive Democrats largely miss the point. We are all human beings and therefore all on the same side of this issue. We all want to see the environment prosper and humanity thrive in the future. Democrats need to stop viewing this issue through the lens of good and evil, and wake up to the reality that reasonable people can respectfully disagree about the best path forward.

Once again, Manchin may actually offer a more sensible approach to tackling this issue. He supports nuclear power, clean coal, and an all-of-the-above energy strategy. By contrast, the Green New Deal, supported by party members like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, probably requires an act of God if it is to become reality.

Even so, Manchin is willing to respectfully sit down with members of his party like Sanders and Warren and hear them out, but he also embraces pragmatism when appropriate. On climate change, the-all-or-nothing approach of Democratic leaders is a sure fire way to ensure nothing happens, whereas Manchin’s more moderate and accommodating style could at least potentially get the country moving in the right direction.

In short, the question Democrats are asking themselves shouldn’t be, “Is there a deal to be struck with Manchin?” Rather, the question they should be asking is, “How long are we going to play this game of cat and mouse before we wake up to reality and realize Manchin is all we’ve got?”

Democrats can either get busy legislating today with the team they have in place, or they can keep procrastinating and likely get routed at the polls in November. At that point, their agenda will have no chance whatsoever of becoming reality, and the groundwork may well be laid for a second Trump victory in 2024. That may be good politics for Republicans, but it’s bad news for Americans who want to see their president succeed, regardless of whether he happens to be a Democrat or a Republican.