Joe Manchin, The Make-Believe Mugwump

A mugwump is someone who sits on a fence with their derriere, also known as wumps, on one side and their face, or “mug,” on the other. They have a history of being viewed as politically independent and loyal to neither party.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) wants you to think he’s a mugwump despite voting with President Joe Biden almost 90% of the time, especially on significant issues like the Inflation Reduction Act.

He must, however, persuade his state’s voters—who supported former President Donald Trump by 40 points in 2020—that he is a maverick willing to challenge the Democratic Establishment in order to maintain his political relevance.

Manchin, however, has lamented that the Biden administration somehow tricked him into voting for the Inflation Reduction Act in The Wall Street Journal’s opinion pages rather than speaking his mind. He now claims that by referring to the law as “Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Betrayal,” the Democrats are abusing its intended purpose.

The “Inflation Reduction Act” would not lower inflation, as anyone with a brain could see. The Dems’ special pet projects were crammed onto an overstuffed bill. Even before it was passed, the bill was being marketed as a “climate change” solutions bill. Anyone with any knowledge is aware that when the left refers to “climate change” solutions, they frequently mean attacking the fossil fuel industry, which Manchin’s state depends on for its economy and way of life.

Manchin complained in The Journal that “unelected ideologues, bureaucracy, and appointees seem determined to violate and subvert the law to advance a partisan agenda that ignores both energy and fiscal security.”

That pretty much sums up the Left’s entire repertoire. Whatever can give Democrats more power is the only justification for their legislative objectives. The current problem, which is rising prices and bad weather, is merely a façade for them to grow the government and enrich their friends.

They are redefining “domestic energy” to raise clean-energy spending to potentially deficit-breaking levels, he continued, “in particular, they are disobeying the law’s intent to support and expand fossil energy.”

The national debt serves as the foundation for Manchin’s concerns. He contends that Mr. Biden is the only person who can control this extremism because his coworkers are radical.

His justification is illogical. The law was signed by Biden, along with other significant spending plans that Manchin enthusiastically endorsed. He “rein in” his party, but why? They are carrying out his exact request.

The current Governor Jim Justice, who is Manchin’s viable GOP challenger, is a much more likely scenario. Justice weighs 368 pounds and is 6’7″. or so, and at least $500 million was spent by the richest man in the state.

In other words, he might be Manchin’s replacement.

Manchin may have played his cards right, though, and can now rely on Democratic support to maintain his competitive edge. One can hear him saying, “I vote with you when it matters most,” as he struggles to raise the necessary funds for his party.

Additionally, Manchin has a history of political repercussions. Remember that in 2021, Biden already appointed Manchin’s wife to the cushy position of federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. He cast his 50th vote for Biden’s American Rescue Plan at the same time as that position.

He is currently pretending to be furious that his own colleagues have duped him.

He is not deserving of sympathy. He is either a charlatan attempting to persuade his state’s voters that he is on their side or, at the very least, an idiot for believing the president. It is probably a combination of the two, just like everything else in life. He is the make-believe mugwump who supports the Democrats wholeheartedly.

The author’s opinions expressed in this essay are their own, and they may not reflect those of The Daily Wire.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases