When Sen. Joe Manchin was reelected as a Democratic Senator from West Virginia in 2018 to a full senate term, his narrow victory was celebrated by Democrats by and large as a devastating blow to Republicans.
It was believed that Manchin's victory had handed a de facto control of the Senate to the Democrats even though the upper chamber was still evenly split.
However, the vast majority of political analysts who had paced through Sen. Manchin's legislative records throughout the years, including as far back as when he was a state governor, had disagreed that Machin's win was a final victory for the Democrats. To them, the Democratic party had just elected a Republican as a Democratic senator and may have even dashed any hope of maintaining the House majority, the Senate and the presidency in upcoming elections.
Sen. Manchin, whom many had referred to as a "centrist" or "moderate," is, indeed, a Republican, as reinforced by his outrageous positions and regressive ideas that continually follow his persona.
Even Manchin himself hasn't realized that the vast majority of his ideas and positions on a variety of issues, from education, healthcare and the economy are an accurate reflection of the party he represents. That party, of course, is not the Democratic party.
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell chose his words carefully when he invited Sen. Manchin to join the Republican party.
"It would not surprise you to know that I've suggested for years it would be a great idea representing a deep-red state like West Virginia, for him to come over to our side," he said, confirming what everyone had known all along.
Beyond crashing Biden's $1.75 trillion spending bill and his hardened opposition to ending the filibuster and voting rights, Sen. Manchin's latest stunt - announced on Fox news - is likely to turn into a frightening nightmare for the Democrats as the midterm elections appear on the horizon.
