What Will Become of Joe Manchin?
By John Kudla
When last I wrote about West Virginia’s Democrat senator-for-life, Joe Manchin, he had the appearance of a dead skunk lying by the side of the road after being hit by a truck. The look and smell resulted from one of the worst miscalculations of his political career.
By virtue of being the swing vote in the 50-50 Senate, Manchin was able to block much of President Joe Biden’s leftist agenda during his first year and a half in office. This paid political dividends in bold red West Virginia, where Manchin’s approval rating climbed to 57%. But the Senator loves to be seen as a compromiser and deal-maker, especially if he gets something in the bargain. Since the 2022 midterm elections were approaching, meaning that the future composition of the Senate might deprive Joe of his position of power, his time to make a deal was running out.
Enter the truck in my analogy: the Inflation Reduction Act, formerly known as the Green New Deal. A key want for Manchin was permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline that would transport natural gas from the Mountain State to the east coast. Completion of the pipeline had been held up for years by members of his own party.
Manchin reasoned that if he could get the pipeline operational, it would be a big win for the folks back home. That, plus his high approval rating, would make him a shoo-in for re-election in 2024. So, in return for his vote, Joe made a deal with Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to get the pipeline approved along with a few other goodies.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/03/what_will_become_of_joe_manchin.html
