Is he poised to switch parties?
It would sure make a lot of sense for him to. He could make the Republicans the majority before next year, and get plum committee assignments. And it wouldn’t matter if it upset some of his constituents, because he’s probably not running again. It would be a nice Christmas present to the Republic.
Then again, the guy has voted the Party line on just about everything else, giving Harris that 51st vote in a lot of cases, especially in judicial appointments.
Like Moynihan, Lieberman and others before him, low-info conservatives swoon over these fake mavericks without seeing them as the opportunistic apparatchiks that they are. He should not be rewarded for this one high profile vote.
One assumes a party switch means he would vote party line once again in trade for some mavericking.
I have become so cynical that I don’t even think we have two parties anymore, only a single party of big government and self enrichment with two primary factions. Manchin, at his advanced age, likely is doing this only to secure his own self enrichment at this late stage in his political career.
I get annoyed at Kentuckians for continuing to send McConnell back to the Swamp term after term, yet voters everywhere re-elect leadership time after time.
“only a single party of big government and self enrichment with two primary factions”
Same here in Australia with our two main parties. They have been called the “Socialist Progressive Uniparty” (SPU) pronounced “spew”.
Well if he flipped it might (hopefully) permanently end for the foreseeable future the chances of the “For the People Act” passing. The one where I believe the Dems in Congress would among other things set the rules for both national & state elections including drawing the post census redistricting lines. The expected Republican ’22 election tsunami is predicated on the assumption of said lines being drawn as the Constitution currently mandates, by the State legislature. Also the drastic curbing of mass mail in ballots; many states have greatly restricted them after last election. If said “People” act were to pass all bets are off.