The Mighty Achievements of Joe Manchin, Opinion

[appalachiablue]

AlterNet, Opinion by Joe Conason, Nov. 11, 2023. - Ed.

When Joe Manchin announced his plan to retire from the US Senate, he offered the following explanation: "I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for WVa." Manchin added that while serving out the remainder of his term, he will also be "traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in building a movement to mobilize the middle, finding common ground and bringing Americans together."

Which was another way of saying that, although nominally a Democrat, he will consider running as a 3rd -party candidate for president on the "No Labels" ticket.

This move would possibly draw enough votes away from President Biden to return former President Trump to the White House. The supposed purposes of No Labels, which aims to bolster democracy while conducting business behind closed doors, are not plausible at all. The outfit's main figures are Mark Penn, the pollster known for being exiled from Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, and his spouse Nancy Jacobson. It's no surprise that the financiers are the usual GOP billionaires whose real aim is to bring back Trump.

They're the same fat cats who have become the biggest donors to Manchin in recent years. These right-wing funders find the senator, a wealthy coal baron, charming, despite that "D" next to his name. Manchin said he opposed the child tax credit because parents in his state would use the money to buy illegal narcotics - drugs - a very Republican remark. Why No Labels expects Manchin to have any great appeal as a national candidate is puzzling..His beloved state is at 46 in overall livability...
Read More,
https://www.alternet.org/the-mighty-achievements-of-joe-manchin/
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- Expatalachians, 'The Manchin Political Dynasty Started with A. James Manchin, Pleasant Parody of a Politician,' 2021,
http://expatalachians.com/the-manchin-political-dynasty-started-with-a-james-manchin-pleasant-parody-of-a-politician

[Lunabell]

1. I hate it when he is called a moderate Democrat.

Biden is a moderate Democrat. n/t

[appalachiablue]

2. Yep, inaccurate. The Manchins do very well

financially for living in such a poor state. Quite a contrast.

'As Sen. Joe Manchin Fought Federal Spending, His Daughter Helped Shutter A Union Drug Plant,' The Intercept, March 17, 2022,
https://theintercept.com/2022/03/17/joe-manchin-viatris-mylan-union-heather-bresch/