I’m not sure if Manchin ever called himself as such but I always felt he fit that mold.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Retiring U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a frequent thorn in the side of the Democratic Party, on Friday left the Democrats, decrying “partisan extremism”
“Our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said in a statement, adding that both parties had embraced “partisan extremism” and were putting democracy in jeopardy.
Later✌️
I’m glad he left but wonder if that would mean anything in his voting.
Afterall Bernie claims to be an independent.
Manchin was not a blue dog, he was a lib like all the others who picked fights he knew he would eventually cave in on to show the folks back home he was (D)ifferent.
it means he’ll be running for Governor. He can’t run as a democrat because they already have a nominee, he has no more than a few days to get his name in.
Opinions on Manchin are mixed because he both complains and caves and also gets in the way of legislation that ends up weakened or gets dropped. Most memorable is not backing the desire for “filibuster reform” in order to enact more of the democratic agenda.
I’ve read too many comments from the left who took that seat for granted and a lot that understood what having a democratic senator from West Virginia meant.
Manchin was not alone on Filibuster “reform”. There were no where near the votes needed to pass it.
Not for the remainder of his term I would suppose. What it means for 2024 is a rather easy pick up for the Republicans.
This is what he’s doing
Weren’t they also looking at the 50 vote “nuclear option” that Manchin and Sinema would not go along with?
can’t get that without changing the rules.
and it wasn’t just Manchin and Sinema
No surprise. So many of these people pine incessantly for these positions of power and have a hard time letting go.
Manchin like Sinema wil caucus and vote with Dimbulbcrats
Mmmmffff
Apparently, this is all Schumer’s idea. https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/14/politics/joe-manchin-independent-senate-run/index.html
Manchin’s term will end Jan 2025, and he is apparently facing a Republican who would probably beat him, so he decided to retire.
"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently discussed a long-shot idea with Sen. Joe Manchin: Making a late entry into the US Senate race in West Virginia to try to hold on to his seat as an independent.
Manchin, who threw cold water on the idea and is still planning on retiring from the Senate, confirmed to CNN that he’s discussed the last-ditch bid with Schumer. While he said such a campaign is highly unlikely, he pointedly would not rule out changing his mind before the August filing deadline.
“I think that’s a long, long, long-shot scenario,” Manchin said of running as an independent candidate. “So I don’t anticipate that happening. I don’t anticipate running.”
Asked if that meant the door was completely closed: “I don’t know if anything in Washington, DC, is 100%.”
Let’s see how this turns out.
yo quiero taco bell? no! no quiero taco bell…
Chihuahua plays the blues on a harmonica…
if he voted would he be a democratic blue dog?
I don’t think running as an Independent in WV he would have any shot. If anything it would just take away from the 30% that would go to the Democrat candidate.
Last I heard he is very unpopular in WV now any way.
Probably compromised too many times with Shumer and Brandon.
I agree … a Scoop Jackson Democrat.
did scoop fold like a cheap suit too?
Manchin is nothing like Sanders. Bernie is a Communist at heart, although he uses the term Socialist.
Anyone not aligned with the Democrats and/or Republicans (not counting Greens, Libertarians or any of the other fringe parties) is an Independent. They can still lean left or right. I have been registered as non-partisan independent since 1968, but I lean right.
Being Independent frees you from Partisan ■■■■■■■■■ I most often vote for Republicans because they tend to be conservative, but I have voted for Democrats, Libertarians and once, even for a Green Party candidate for Governor. For me the choice was easy … He was the only candidate who I thought was being truthful during the campaign, and his Lt. Governor partner used to buy me beer when I was a teen. 
