'Not the most honorable profession': Joe Manchin complains about lack of 'common sense' in Congress

04 June 2023

United States Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) appeared on two Sunday morning news programs to tease his political ambitions, equate partisan "extremism" within both parties, and complain about being a member of Congress.

First, Manchin was pressed by Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream to reveal his possible desire to run for president in 2024.

"I gotta ask you about this. The No Labels political group continues to fund and organize. They're trying to get in all fifty states. They wanna be on the ballot to run a third-party ticket. New York Times says that's got Democrats very upset and worried it's gonna reelect President Trump. And they say this: 'At the top of the list of potential candidates is Senator Joe Manchin, III, the conservative West Virginia Democrat, who has been a headache to his party and could bleed support from President Biden in areas crucial to his reelection.' I always ask you, you have not ruled it off and taken it off the table. Is a third-party run still in the realm of possibilities?" Bream queried.

"Shannon, No Labels has been moving and pushing very hard of the centrist middle. Making common-sense decisions. People that basically expect us to do our job and not put the political party ahead of the policy in our great country. That's what we've seen happening and there's more noise and more extremism coming from the far left and far right," Manchin replied.

"They've been pushing this middle," Manchin continued. "If the middle's pushed, what, what we saw happen that was the middle pushing. So that's basically a, a movement where No Labels has been proposing or a long time — ten, eleven, twelve years. That middle basically has a voice."

Bream immediately pointed out that No Labels "sounds a lot like what Joe Manchin says, too."

But Manchin nonetheless insisted that "it's always what I've believed. I believe that basically that's where you make the decisions. You listen to the left and the right. You make sure you leave nobody behind and you listen to the different persuasions that they might have and concerns. But when it comes, you've gotta make common sense."

Manchin then gave an interview on Meet the Press, where he lamented to outgoing NBC moderator Chuck Todd the challenges of serving as an elected official.

"You know, it's interesting to me that in many of these bills that you've been in the middle of, right, you've actually been working with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Are you surprised Mitch McConnell's spending so much of his political activity trying to convince you not to run for reelection? Does that, does that make it harder to work with Republicans?" Todd asked.

"It doesn't make it harder for me. I understand at this link. It's a shame to say that, and it's supposed to be the most honorable profession when you can provide services to the people that you represent. But when you have to fight your own colleagues to try to do your job, it makes it pretty tough," Manchin responded.

"When I said people put, sometimes they put politics — I think that Mitch is in the position where it's all about if I've, I've observed — politics first, protecting his caucus. Fifty-one votes is what his determination is. And with that, sometimes policy doesn't get the benefit. Mine's about the policy end of it. If we can do something good, I don't care who takes credit cuz I can't do it by myself," Manchin asserted. "There's no way we could pass any of this without the help of the other side. So I look at it differently. And then also my oath to the Constitution. So my performance from my state and my oath to the Constitution more than takes care of everything I'm supposed to do versus the politics. I can work with fifty-one on either side."

Watch the clips below or at this link.

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