Does anyone know why Manchin identifies as a Democrat?

[MoonRiver]

Are there certain parts of the Democratic platform that he agrees with? I'm not bashing him, I just don't understand his positions.

[jcgoldie]

1. Because it makes him about 100 Xs more important

Nobody would give a shit about him if he were a Republican.

[Celerity]

26. there is another option, the one Corn actually reported on, he could go independent

[budkin]

2. He's an old school "Southern Democrat" that never switched parties like the rest of them?

That's all I got.

[Basic LA]

7. That's what I was thinking.

He's the last of the Dixiecrats. A holdover. Too bad there aren't still any liberal republicans.

[LeftInTX]

19. He's a bit young for that age group, he was first elected in 1982

He's just a conservative Democrat in a conservative state. He was governor and the governor before him was also a Democrat and before that a Republican and before that another Democrat and before that a Republican..

We have some conservative Democrats in the Rio Grande Valley. The author of the abortion pill ban in Texas is a Democrat. Lucio sure ain't a southern Democrat relic, he's a social conservative. Lucio grew up in the Bougainvillea Neighborhood –A Subdivision of the Brownsville Housing Authority- where the challenges of his childhood influenced the cornerstones of his legislative agenda.

[wellst0nev0ter]

24. So he's a Democrat due to inertia

WV used to be a swing state until the 2000s, when people started leaving that underdeveloped place. Robert Byrd persisted because he brought home the pork, but the tide turned when Jay Rockefeller retired amid the teabagger wave

[LeftInTX]

25. Pretty much..inertia sums it up

[Bev54]

3. I think there are many things he identifies with democrats, he votes much more with dems than Sinema

I don't understand why someone does not explain to him that if he votes for voting rights, that the republicans might actually try working with dems more when they realize they can no longer gerrymander and cheat their way to winning elections and they might just have to pass some legislation. Isn't that what he wants, them to work on bipartisan basis, well what best way to do it than to force them to or die.

[Mad_Machine76]

27. Yet

Somehow he believes that he is saving democracy and bipartisanship……by allowing (or not caring) Republicans to destroy democracy.

[Elessar Zappa]

4. He votes about half the time with the Democrats.

So he’d be too liberal for the current Republican party.

[comradebillyboy]

5. Because he's a Democrat. But he's not a progressive Democrat. nt

[Budi]

6. What's the difference?

Pull up the voting records & compare who has been consistantly supportive of our Democratic Caucauses, Party & President.

[Hortensis]

9. I think by progressive more toward the radical left is meant,

rather than the roughly ? roughly 240 mainstream liberal progressives in congress.

Manchin is of course a progressive moderate conservative in the main sense of the word. He and progressive moderate conservative Dwight Eisenhower would probably be able to deal just fine.

As for why, he identifies more with Democratic Party ideals and ethics, of course, which are basically what they've been for the past 100 years, and not with the depraved Republican Party, which has become increasingly RW extremist, corrupt, and purged of conservative ideals. The gulf between the two parties has become huge.

[Budi]

10. Thanks. I see a whole lot of 'noise' without the legislative voting record to match it.

Not quite sure at this point what 'progressive' actually stands for, that the Democratic Party hasn't stood for since their inception.

I see a great deal of hypocrisy in thay 'noise'.

Pull up the legislative voting records & the truth becomes evident.

Until then, Media noise is just noise.

[Hortensis]

16. Oh, yeah. The rhetoric fed true believers is frequently belied

by actions. To be fair, those in congress often couldn't explain to their satisfaction if they wanted to why something was the right thing to do. Even KISS wouldn't do if it involved trying to explain shaking hands with a capitalist slave driver.

[underpants]

8. Until maybe 20 years ago no one in WV Ran as a Republican

Everyone was a Dem from dog catcher up. That’s changed.

[Edwcraig]

11. Because just because Republicans call themselves conservative . . . .

does not mean that the Democratic Party has to be liberal on all issues. Declaring war on Japan was not leftist but it was right. The Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the world because it is a party of process not a party of dogma. We have a big tent. We welcome ideas. We love the heated debate. Out of fire comes steel. Manchin is a Democrat. He listens to and represents his constituency. A democratic concept. Thank God he is the Senator from West Virginia. Without him, we would not have control of the US Senate. We need to to do a better job in changing the hearts and minds of his constituents. If we are successful, he will vote our way.

[LakeArenal]

14. Do we have control of the Senate?

Just like Manchin—- In name only.

[Demsrule86]

18. Do you really think any judges would be confirmed with McConnell in charge?

I fail to understand how some don't realize how valuable the majority is even if it is only by a couple of votes. McConnell will do nothing should he take over. And in all likelihood, we will lose another SCOTUS pick if McConnell takes over.

[Budi]

17. 👍 K & R

Thank you.

[LakeArenal]

12. I think he has stock in fossil fuels.

So he’s really a non party lobbyist money.

[Locutusofborg]

13. I always use the American Conservative Union's Ratings

They rate every member of Congress on how they actually vote on conservative issues. For example, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has 0 rating. No votes in accord with the conservative agenda. Joe Manchin is by far the most conservative Democrat. His rating is 26. But that means he votes against the conservative agenda 74% of the time.
Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mike Lee (R-UT) have 100% ratings. The least conservative Republican is Susan Collins (R-ME) at 35%.

[Walleye]

15. Unions. United mine workers? Republicans hate unions

[ColinC]

20. He's a Robert Byrd protege, and wants to be like him

he never will, of course. For better and worse.

[Patton French]

21. I'm sure it goes back decades.

While the party progresses past him.

[TomSlick]

22. I believe him more comfortable as a Democrat that as a Republican.

At this point, that's a good thing. If he decided he was more inline with the GQP, Moscow Mitch would be the majority leader.

Manchin ain't all that we would like but he's a damned site better than any Republican from West Virginia.

[joetheman]

23. So that the GOP can control both parties in W.VA. and DC

[PoliticAverse]

28. "Manchin is an old-school West Virginia Democrat"...

Why is Joe Manchin a Democrat?
(12 minute audio story)
https://www.wvpublic.org/news/2018-10-12/why-is-joe-manchin-a-democrat