Liberals, still flush from defeating Trump and taking control of both houses of Congress, are adjusting to the grim reality that the fate of their bold legislative agenda lies with one of Washington’s most conservative Democrats: a pro-coal, anti-choice, Trump-friendly fiscal hawk who voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. As soon as Democrats took control of the upper chamber, Twitter began buzzing with jokes about the money that would flow into West Virginia as Democrats wooed Joe Manchin: Some posted pictures of futuristic cityscapes, others photos of lavish mountaintop research facilities, with the caption, “West Virginia after 2 years of Joe Manchin getting whatever he wants.”
Those jokes may have a grain of truth. Manchin, a former governor who approaches his job in fairly transactional terms, has never been above bringing home the bacon. As his predecessor, the late Senator Robert C. Byrd, used to say, “One man’s pork is another man’s job.” With an economy in deep crisis, the people of West Virginia need help. If Joe Manchin doesn’t deliver, his constituents will know exactly who to blame.
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