Joe Manchin Calls Democratic Party 'Toxic' as He Resigns from Senate

Joe Manchin Calls Democratic Party 'Toxic' as He Resigns from Senate.

A lifelong Democrat who switched to being independent is sharing some serious warnings with their old party, saying they believe the U.S. isn’t moving to the left.

US Senator Joe Manchin, who has been a Democrat his whole life but switched to independent earlier this year, is now leaving the Senate after 15 years. On Sunday, he shared several warnings aimed at his old party members.

“The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of – it’s just, it’s toxic,” Manchin told CNN, saying he had not been able to consider himself a Democrat “in the form of what Democratic party has turned itself into”.

Manchin, a rich coal magnate, expressed that the party's stance has turned judgmental and authoritarian towards everyday Americans, pointing fingers at progressives for this change.

“They have basically expanded upon thinking: ‘Well, we want to protect you there, but we’re going to tell you how you should live your life from that far on,’” Manchin told the outlet.

Manchin believes the country isn’t shifting to the left and pointed out that a party that used to focus on fundamental issues like good jobs and fair pay is now caught up in sensitive social topics, specifically mentioning LGBTQ+ rights. He noted that neither party is taking responsibility for the federal budget.

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He also criticized Republicans for lacking common sense regarding gun control, saying they haven’t come up with a sensible solution to the ongoing problem of mass shootings.

“They’re just too extreme – it’s really just common sense,” Manchin remarked about both parties. “The Democrats go overboard with bans, while Republicans are like, ‘Let everyone do whatever they want.’”

When asked about comments from Greg Casar, the new chair of the progressive wing in Congress, suggesting that Democrats would have fared better in the election if they were more like progressive congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Manchin shot back, “For someone to say that, they’ve got to be completely insane.”

The senator pointed out that Kamala Harris’s defeat to Donald Trump in November was partly due to her difficulty in presenting herself as a moderate, especially after backing progressive issues during her 2019 Democratic nomination bid.

“If you try to be somebody you’re not, it’s hard,” Manchin remarked. He didn’t back Harris’s campaign publicly and, when asked about his vote in November, he kept it vague. However, he did express his admiration for the president-elect, saying, “I want to help in any way I can” and hopes for his success.

“Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you vote for him or not, whether the same party or not, whether you like him or not”, Manchin added.

But he also said he believed it is time for a third party in the US – called the American party – that would serve as center ground for moderate Democrats and Republicans.

“The centrist-moderate vote decides who’s going to be the president of the United States. And when they get here, they don’t govern that way. Neither side does. They go to their respective corners,” Manchin said.

“If the center had a voice and had a party that could make both of these – the Democrat, Republican party – come back, OK, that would be something.”

In a more policy-focused sitdown on CBS’s Face the Nation, Manchin said Republican House speaker Mike Johnson would need “to come to grip that’s the worst performing Congress in the history of our country”.

Turmoil during the previous session which saw a prolonged leadership battle had tied Republicans “in knots and [they] can’t get anything through”. And he slammed the party for failing to reach out to Democrats “to continue to have a majority with some bipartisanship”.

Manchin stated that Trump would comprehend his role as president “an awful lot better now than he did in 2016 when he won the first time”.

“He’s got some experience under him,” Manchin added. “He understands the process and the power that he’s wielding right now.”

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Joe Manchin’s departure from the Senate and his criticisms of both the Democratic and Republican parties highlight a growing divide in American politics. His portrayal of the Democratic Party as “toxic” and his call for a third centrist party reflect his disillusionment with both sides of the political spectrum.

While advocating for a more moderate approach, Manchin fails to offer a concrete solution to the deep-rooted issues within both parties. His departure and harsh words for his former party leave a sense of frustration and uncertainty about the future of American political discourse.