Man For No Season

(Man For No Season)

There was once an English Lord Chancellor named Sir Thomas Moore. Moore was executed by King Henry VIII because he would not intercede with the Pope Clemet VII to grant Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Also, Moore refused to assent to Henry's Supremacy Clause that placed the Church of England as the supreme Faith in the land.


Unlike Sir Thomas Moore, who was "Man For All Seasons," outgoing West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, (D), is a man for no season. Manchin is one of those rare creatures that tried to straddle the fence in both directions and, in both cases, generally falling short. Fundamentally, Manchin failed to take note of the changing political environment in the Mountain State as a state that would elect him Governor and then Senator then is voting for Donald Trump now, by a lot. The one who replaced him in Charlston's Executive Mansion, Jim Justice, who became a Republican and is Manchin's GOP challenger, is endorsed by Trump, and is leading Manchin. As the West Virginia Democrat is looking at his prospects, withdrawal would seem the best course. With Manchin's departure and the likely seat flip to Red, he might be free to start his own Presidential effort.


It must be remembered, however, that it was how Manchin that forestalled Shumer's Senate rule changes that would have ended the filibuster, added statehood to DC and Puerto Rico and four additional Democrat members, a permanent Democrat Majority. Elections would be nationalized with the ability of Republicans to win severely limited. The Supreme Court would be expanded to include more liberal members. Senator Manchin, however, was not interested as he was confident that his constituents would not be enthusiastic either.


When the time came, however, Senator Manchin did plat ball, eventually to his chagrin. Manchin had been promised a pipeline over his state, if he voted for President Biden's Green New Deal and the Inflation Reduction Act. Even with Manchin's vote, the promised pipeline never materialized.


Manchin, like Governor Justice, could have switched Parties, That, would have made the Senate 50-50, however. Senator Manchin believed that the preferences of his State were that he remained a "Moderate" Democrat. With Manchin's departure from the Senate, that species will probably finally be going extinct. That being said, what effect could a Manchin third party Presidential run ? Throughout, Manchin has labored under the illusion that there is a wide-spread sentiment that the constant partisan paralysis is over blown. Manchin's is being called the "No Labels" or the "Middle Way."


Manchin found religion and then lost it again. 



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