In his campaign ads, Joe Manchin often puts a gun in his hand, which he nimbly shoulders to shoot at any bill that he believes threatens West Virginia, his state of election. The use of this type of staging, traditional for many Republican candidates, testifies to the autonomy of this elected official who defines himself as a “Moderate conservative democrat” and who at 73 became the most powerful senator in Washington, due to the division of the Upper Assembly into two perfectly equal camps.
He illustrated this on February 19, by speaking out against the confirmation of the candidate chosen by Joe Biden to occupy the post of budget minister, Neera Tanden, who now pays for an offensive use of his Twitter account. The latter may have erased his most aggressive messages and apologized during his hearing by the senators, Joe Manchin considers that these past messages will have an impact “Toxic and harmful” which will prevent it from fulfilling its functions serenely.
Without her voice, the White House must imperatively find a good Republican soul to allow Vice President Kamala Harris, also President of the Senate, to tip the scales narrowly in favor of this centrist. For the moment lack of volunteers, the candidacy of Neera Tanden, who would be the first person from a minority – her parents were Indian immigrants – to occupy this post, is for the moment compromised.
Joe Manchin obviously has no qualms about taking his side from the rear. It is true that he has a major card in his game: what other Democrat can boast of having been reelected in 2018 in a state won with nearly 70% of the vote by Donald Trump during his two presidential candidacies? If West Virginia is still on the very short list of six states that have senators from both parties, it owes it exclusively to the unique personality of this former quarterback, the master at playing American football teams.
At the crossroads of the two main parties
Descendant of Italian and Czech emigrants, born in a small mining town, Joe Manchin entered politics at a very young age. First elected to the local congress, then governor, after his death in 2010 he succeeded the legendary Democrat Robert Byrd, elected continuously for more than half a century to the United States Senate. Joe Manchin has resisted the gradual shift of his state into the Republican camp, mainly because he defends positions that place him at the crossroads of the two major American parties.
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