Former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) is currently making the media rounds, promoting his new book, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense.
Manchin has ripped former President Joe Biden for overspending, all on bills for which Manchin delivered the deciding vote for Democrats.
The ex-lawmaker has further stated that he wanted the GOP to win in 2024 just to block Dems from abusing majority power, but he cannot be applauded for this, given that he was as big a part of the problem as anyone else within his former party.
Before I started covering politics, like most people, I thought Manchin was a true moderate.
When I started to live and breathe politics, I realized he was a stone-cold liar, conning the American people into thinking he was a moderate when he was just using his position for leverage, usually siding with Democrats.
When Biden first came into office, Manchin promised the American people he would never use the reconciliation process to force through a spending package, yet, when tested, he caved and provided the deciding vote for Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
This is the very same plan that many experts believe triggered the crushing inflation we experienced not long after Biden took office.
When Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act was presented. Manchin again backed the big spending bill, claiming this legislation should get bipartisan support.
At the time, he stated, “They wanted more energy, I want more energy, we’re going to be producing more energy. There’s an agreement that we’re going to be drilling and doing more than we can to bring more energy to the market that reduces prices. They like that.”
First, this bill had nothing to do with inflation and had everything to do with Biden pushing the Democrats' green energy agenda.
Second, Manchin broke his promise again, holding out for concessions for his state. While I truly do respect the fact that he got something for his constituents, that was offset by the fact that he had, again, broken his word to the American people.
Manchin’s book slams Biden for writing all those big checks, but were it not for Manchin, the then-president would not have been able to write those checks.
Now, Manchin is also claiming that he clearly saw the abuses committed by Democrats, stating, "Because of what I knew -- and what I had seen firsthand -- I wanted Republicans to win the Senate majority in 2024.”
He continued, "I believed it was the only hope for preserving the Senate as an institution. I truly believed that, if in power, Republicans would uphold the filibuster, the last guardrail preventing total partisan rule."
Manchin did exit the party before leaving office, finishing out his final term as an independent, but he is not getting a pass from me. He had two chances to stop Biden, and he failed both times. This is akin to spilling a gallon of milk and asking for praise after cleaning it up. I am begging you, my friends, please do not trust this man, as he is one of the biggest snakes in the grass I have ever seen.
