BREAKING...Sen. Manchin not running for re-election

[mystery-ak]

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection to the Senate in 2024, almost certainly handing Republicans a seat in next year’s elections in a deep red state

“After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia. I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for re-election to the United States Senate,” Manchin said in a statement. “But what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together.”

DEVELOPING.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/IAPolls2022/status/1722699620755652916

[mountaineer]

Good riddance. I agree with this:

Steve Milloy
@JunkScience
Recall @Sen_JoeManchin sat on his hands while Obama wrecked 50% of West Virginia’s coal industry.  That is his legacy.
5:10 PM · Nov 9, 2023

[libertybele]

..hmm... perhaps he plans on running for the WH.

[LMAO]

This is an opportunity for a GOP pick up

[Wingnut]

He's running from something.

[LMAO]

He's running from something.

Not at his age

This seat will go GOP. And we’re going to need the Senate because I suspect that the Democrats will keep the White House, but also either they’ll take back the House or  shrink the GOP’s lead

[mountaineer]

Which presidency does Joe Manchin want more?
November 10, 2023 | 2:00 pm

... Which presidency does Joe Manchin want more: USA or WVU?

With yesterday’s news that Joe Manchin is abandoning the Senate, pundits sprinted to proclaim — based in large part on his own words — that he’s set to run for president. As Cockburn’s colleague Ben Domenech pointed out earlier this morning, he has every reason to do so.

But there’s another presidency that Manchin may have his eye on, as Cockburn first reported earlier this year: taking over West Virginia University.

The school’s aging president is on the outs, and Cockburn checked in with a series of West Virginia veterans to see if Manchin still wants to run his alma mater as he heads into the twilight of his career.

“Joe wants that job real bad,” one told him. With President Gordon Gee leaving next year, it’s possible Manchin could ever still mount his quixotic presidential quest and have time to take over his state’s flagship institution before the 2025 school year kicks off.

A lot of the DC press corps views Manchin through a DC lens, but most Charleston observers have known about his WVU yearnings all year long. With one domino out of the way, Manchin may be closer to the job he’s actually wanted this whole time…

The Spectator

What a cluster. Gordon Gee has spent WVU into a deep financial hole. It's in precarious shape. So, sure, let's replace him with a Democrat who has spent his entire political career being fiscally irresponsible. Plus, Manchin has only a Bachelors degree. Really? I can't imagine any major university - one with a law school, med school, etc. - having a president without a doctorate. It would make WVU more of a laughingstock than it already is, thanks to Gordon Gee and the whole debacle around Manchin's daughter Heather.

[mountaineer]

Joe Manchin’s quest
By Hoppy Kercheval
November 13, 2023 - 12:53 am

Joe Manchin is looking for something.

The Democratic Senator from West Virginia said he is going to travel around the country in search of the Great Middle, which he says is missing from divisive and tribal Washington politics.

“I know our country isn’t nearly as divided as Washington wants you to believe,” he said last Thursday as he announced he’s not running for re-election. “We share common values of family, freedom, democracy, dignity and a belief that we can overcome any challenge together.”

Is Manchin at the point of the spear of change or was he born 60 years too late? ...

In the coming months, he will be running… to see if he should run for president. His planned outreach is an attempt to gauge the political dissatisfaction in the country and see if it can be mobilized and monetized to support a realistic third party/independent campaign.

A recent Gallup Poll found that 63 percent of adults agree that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing the American people that “a third major party is needed.” And polls show a high level of dissatisfaction with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

But does dissatisfaction translate into action?  ...

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/11/13/joe-manchins-quest/

Give me an effin' break. Joe Manchin - who never held a real job in his life but became a multimillionaire in politics - couldn't care less about the public's dissatisfaction, its satisfaction or the heartbreak of psoriasis. He's all about Joe Manchin. Nothing more.

[mountaineer]

Look in the dictionary for "pathetic." You'll find a picture of Joe Manchin.

Sen. Joe Manchin says he 'absolutely' would consider a presidential run
Rebecca Shabad
November 15, 2023 at 1:14 PM

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., inched closer Wednesday to confirming that he could run for president.

"I will do anything I can to help my country, and you're saying, 'Does that mean you would consider it?' Absolutely," Manchin said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker.

"Every American should consider it if they're in a position to help save the country," he added.

Manchin said he first has to explore whether there's an appetite among voters for a moderate candidate like him. ...

https://www.aol.com/news/sen-joe-manchin-says-absolutely-175743374.html

Save the country, huh? You're one of those who got us in this awful situation, Joe. I don't think you can save us from anything.