It’s lonely being a moderate on Capitol Hill
It’s not easy being the man in the middle.
Joe Manchin will be the first one to tell anyone that.
The US senator and West Virginia Democrat is so frustrated with the toxicity of Washington, he told his colleagues “this place sucks” just before filing for re-election in this year’s midterms two weeks ago.
He hasn’t changed his mind.
“I am trying to hang in there, but it is getting tougher every day,” he told me. “You know why I say it sucks? Because it doesn’t have to suck. It doesn’t have to be an unfriendly, hostile work environment. The reason I say hostile is the way things are set up on both the Republican and Democrat side, you are supposed to come to work every day and work against the person on the other end,” he added, referring to his GOP colleagues, many of whom he is close to.
Manchin is a self-proclaimed moderate, a rarity on both sides of the aisle. Evidence of our politically polarized times are everywhere — especially at Tuesday’s State of the Union address, where Republicans spent the majority of their time standing and clapping while Democrats looked sullen and unhappy.
Meanwhile, there was Joe Manchin, standing like a sentinel of reason among a sea of stone. His Democratic colleagues refused to show any sign of approval during President Trump’s speech, even for things they had previously supported.
Several times Manchin stood alone applauding the president’s remarks on infrastructure, rebuilding Detroit, opioids, paid family leave, amnesty for Dreamers, the American flag and low black unemployment.
Twice the camera caught him about to rise to applause only to be given the stink eye by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and he awkwardly stayed in his seat, forcing Manchin to appear to choose party over his state.
It was only an appearance.
“Oh, you missed the look I gave back to him, I was like, ‘Come on,’” he said.
Within moments after the speech was over, Manchin walked over to the president, a relationship that runs hot and cold, and let him know exactly what he thought of his words. While they chatted, his Democratic colleagues bolted from the building.
“You know how bad that looks when you just leave?” Manchin said. “I went over and shook his hand and thanked him. Why? Because he talked about things that the people in my state need, like clean coal and research and development and the opioid crisis. And infrastructure. We need infrastructure. We need that kind of investment in our state if we want to attract outside businesses,” he said. “Potholes aren’t Democrat or Republican. We have to fix this stuff. Both parties are responsible for that, not just one.”
Manchin continued: “Applauding the president when he says things that made sense not just for my state, but for the country, is basic common courtesy.
‘What happened Tuesday night was disrespectful’ - Sen. Joe Manchin
“I was raised in West Virginia. We have respect. We have civility there, and we should have civility when the president of the United States is speaking. I said the same thing for President Barack Obama,” he said of the former president who was not very popular in his state.
“What happened Tuesday night was disrespectful,” he added.
Our two parties are so divided there’s very little room for moderate elected officials. According to a Pew Research Survey, the polarization of American politics started in 1970 and has widened ever since, with record levels now being reported in the Trump era. This division has seeped into our personal lives on social media and in real life.
Today, to score a nomination, candidates need to bring a lot of heat to win over the true believers at the extreme end of either party.
As a result, some elected officials no longer reflect the values of their constituents and state, but the radical, strident platform of their national party. We are left with few members in either party who are willing to compromise for the greater good. Manchin, in fact, is taking hits from both sides: In the same week he was chided for applauding the president, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a flood of criticism at him for not voting to defund Planned Parenthood or to fund the wall, among other stances.
But the senator keeps on ticking. “Look, it’s tough, but I remind myself it’s worth it. Yes, sometimes it really gets to me, but I can’t let it beat me down,” he said as he headed into another meeting on Capitol Hill.
“I just keep reminding myself this is a small price to pay for this wonderful life I have had and the ability to represent my beloved state. I keep repeating that over and over again. When things get unbearable, it’s a small price to pay.”