In the realm of American politics, the line that separates Democrats from Republicans has become increasingly blurred. One politician who often finds himself at the center of the debate is Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. While he is officially a member of the Democratic Party, Manchin's political opinions have left people wondering where he truly stands on the spectrum. The recent news that Manchin may run for president has led voters to question whether or not he should run as an independent candidate.
Manchin began his career as a state legislator and later served as the Governor of West Virginia. In 2010, he entered the U.S. Senate, representing a traditionally red state, and has since become one of the most influential and scrutinized senators on Capitol Hill. One of the key aspects that has fueled the debate about Manchin's party affiliation is his voting record. While he aligns with the Democrats on several issues, he has also often voted in favor of Republican-backed initiatives. This has led to accusations that he is, in essence, a Republican in Democratic clothing.
Manchin's campaign makes sense considering his political position. According to Wise-voter West Virginia is the fourth poorest state in the US. As fear of climate change is on the rise, non-renewable energy such as coal-fired power plants has been shutting down. Because of this, West Virginia’s economy has been plummeting as, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, it is the second-largest producer of coal in the country. Essentially, the fight against climate change is detrimental to the West Virginian economy. This is the main reason as to why Manchin’s views on climate change are very different from others in the democratic party. Manchin is a strong advocate against climate change and therefore has policies that make sense for who his voters are. However, when going to the national scale, I do not think his opinions would make sense as a part of the democratic party. A Democrat in West Virginia is very different from a Democrat nationally.
In my opinion, Manchin works well as the senator for West Virginia, but could never work as a president. If Manchin runs as a Democrat like he always has, he would likely lose to Joe Biden. Manchin’s appeal may be the fact that he is a centrist which means Republicans who do not like Trump may be more likely to vote for him in the secondary round. However, I don’t think Manchin could ever make it to the secondary round because his more conservative policies are too important to the democratic party for voters to ignore. These opinions include being anti-climate change, pro-life, and being anti-work unions. These are leading issues to most democrat voters, meaning that, even more centrist Democrats, are more likely to vote for Joe Biden than Joe Manchin.
The other option for Manchin would be to run as an Independent, however, this may be an even worse move. In the history of American politics, according to The National Archives, since 1852 there has not been a single president not affiliated with either the Democratic party or the Republican party. One might think that Manchin could be the first to win, however, he is too controversial to make that kind of history. Especially in today's day and age of polarization, where voters no longer vote for a politician but for a party, I do not believe Manchin would have a chance running as an independent.
Ultimately, the political tightrope that Joe Manchin walks reflects the challenges of navigating the current landscape of American politics in an era marked by polarization and party loyalty. The boundaries between Democrats and Republicans have become increasingly blurred, raising questions not only about his future but the direction of American politics and the two-party system as a whole.
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