So, another Republican senator after next election cycle. Never understood how Manchin was able to get himself elected as a Democrat in WV. Connections to coal mining, I guess.

He is a DINO.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
He is a DINO.

Manchin's ability to get himself elected as a Democrat in West Virginia is crazy interesting politically.

I like him. I shall miss him and Romney.

Our perspective of centrist has been thrust in our face, thanks to Trumpism.

Little did we know.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...3b889a377c8a38&ei=42

Republicans’ Path To Flip the Senate Just Got Easier
Story by Sophie Tatum •
2h

He isn’t running mainly due to the path to re-election looks impossible this time to even he.

The truth be known is that WV used to be a Blue State and Manchin was an old school conservative Democrat.

It looks like he is exploring a 3rd Party run.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
Our perspective of centrist has been thrust in our face, thanks to Trumpism.

Little did we know.

You are such a vapid old asshole.....always ready to bash but never admit to or acknowledge the luncy in the Democrat party like the "squad" or Sheila Jackson lee, or Adam schiff.....etc...

The are real centerists, thanks to liberalism lunacy...

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
He isn’t running mainly due to the path to re-election looks impossible this time to even he.

The truth be known is that WV used to be a Blue State and Manchin was an old school conservative Democrat.

It looks like he is exploring a 3rd Party run.

Yes, he is going to run for President. But, he won't do it unless he gets the Dem nomination. Running as an independent hands the WH to trump and Manchin isn't going to do that.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Mitchell:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
He isn’t running mainly due to the path to re-election looks impossible this time to even he.

The truth be known is that WV used to be a Blue State and Manchin was an old school conservative Democrat.

It looks like he is exploring a 3rd Party run.

Yes, he is going to run for President. But, he won't do it unless he gets the Dem nomination. Running as an independent hands the WH to trump and Manchin isn't going to do that.

Maybe…maybe not.

The reports are that he is allying with a 3rd Party organization.

Manchin's retirement is a real disappointment. I am a dedicated centrist/pragmatist with the very odd -- for this day and toxic political climate -- view that getting work done to advance the affairs of the Republic is infinitely more important and valuable than serving the narrow interests of the extremists on both ends of the spectrum.
For all those to whom "RINO and DINO" are epithets, never lose sight of the fact that they represent the MAJORITY OF AMERICANS and this is where our nation's strength lies.
To hell with political parties and especially platforms and litmus tests. Get the damned work done and let us move forward.

Those who seek government not to work. Those who forlorn at the thought of compromise are not the solution.

My dream ticket is Sen. Manchin with Sen. Romney with a GOP that embraces their public policy positions.

quote:

For all those to whom "RINO and DINO" are epithets, never lose sight of the fact that they represent the MAJORITY OF AMERICANS and this is where our nation's strength lies.

I called him a DINO sort of as a compliment, not pejoratively. I probably shouldn't have used that term as it is normally negative.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...336332288389d8&ei=39

Outgoing Senators Joe Manchin, Mitt Romney Introduce Fiscal Stability Act To Tackle Skyrocketing National Debt
Story by Benzinga Neuro • 8h

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...336332288389d8&ei=20

Manchin decision hurts Democrats' Senate hopes and sparks new speculation about a presidential bid
Story by By STEVE PEOPLES, AP National Political Writer • 7h

Sounds like a man entertaining a third party run to me. More power to him. His comments about political tribalism and monetizing anger are spot on.



Why I Won’t Be Seeking Re-Election to the Senate - WSJ

So last year I pushed for a bill that would have codified the 1973 ruling into law. At the time, Democrats controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress. We should have had the votes to pass the bill.

But the Senate Democratic leadership and the majority of the caucus refused to allow a vote on the floor because they wanted to expand abortion rights beyond Roe v. Wade. They put politics over the will of the people.

Later that year, the same thing happened on the other side of the aisle with a bill to reform energy permitting. America’s energy security is and will continue to be threatened without such a law, and passing one has long been a Republican priority. This time the Republican Senate leadership and the majority of their caucus killed the bill because they were angry that I had helped pass an energy-security bill they didn’t like. Again, they put politics over the will of the people.

Like the Democrats on abortion, Republicans refused to take yes for an answer. Both events demonstrated the kind of self-defeating political tribalism that has become all too common in Washington.

The U.S. has a lot of problems that desperately need solving. Our economy isn’t working for many Americans, who face rising costs of food, fuel and everything else. There are immigration and border crises with drugs illegally entering our country and killing Americans every day. Our national debt is out of control, and Americans don’t feel safe in their own communities.

We are providing critical aid to two of our allies fighting wars for their survival, and we must avoid being pulled into a major war ourselves. These aren’t Republican or Democratic challenges. They are American challenges. They affect every one of us, and we need to face them together.

There are enough votes in Congress to solve or at least make headway against every one of these problems. A genuine commitment to legislating would put America on firmer footing for the next 20 years. But the Democratic and Republican machines have no interest in solutions. Instead, they stoke outrage because doing so brings them fame and funding. Today, the business of politics is about monetizing anger and getting paid for it. And business has never been better.

Not for me.

After months of deliberation and long conversations with family, I believe I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia. I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I won’t run for re-election to the Senate. I will finish my term while traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is interest in building a movement to mobilize the middle, find common ground and bring Americans together.

Serving the people of West Virginia as a state legislator, secretary of state, governor and U.S. senator has been the honor of my life. I am proud of having worked every day of the past 42 years trying to make things better in the Mountain State.

But this moment in the nation’s history is so filled with peril and political dysfunction that I want to work not only for my beloved West Virginia but for all Americans. Working together, I want to eliminate what is standing in the way of so many obvious and popular solutions. While the Democratic and Republican parties increasingly cater to the extremes, most Americans are moderate, levelheaded folks, and they are plain worn out.

We need to reaffirm that country should always come before party, but there are real structural issues to get there. Today, the incentives in politics reward bad behavior and demand party purity at the expense of problem-solving. Too much money flows to too few candidates, who stay so long in their offices they are no longer responsive to the people. We have primaries that limit who can participate and elections that are almost never competitive anymore. Democracy is supposed to give the people a voice, but Citizens United v. FEC, toxic gerrymandering, closed primaries and the lack of term limits are silencing that voice. It’s time to give power to more people and hold our elected officials more accountable.

I know our country isn’t nearly as divided as Washington wants you to believe. We share common values of family, freedom, democracy, dignity and a belief that we can overcome any challenge together. We want leaders who will fight to unite Americans instead of fighting each other. It isn’t too much to ask for.

I don't know how he thinks that he's going to solve our problems by getting trump re-elected.

Not sure I would handicap it that way. Think about electoral college votes. States like Ohio and Michigan would be hungry for an option other than Trump in a Trump versus Biden contest. I can see that in some critical swing states he would pull more voters off of Trump than he would for Biden. While I still idly hope the GOP will see the light in the primary, if it comes down to Trump and Biden I would welcome a credible option to vote against either.

Many many people will vote in the middle if we have younger less power hungry candidate no matter what party
But if it is between Biden and Trump, I’ll choose Trump, he is definitely lot better choice then Biden

Ha ha! Spoken like English is a second or third language! But you are getting better, troll, being well-coached to be more "reasonable" to gain legitimacy when you of course have none.

And you being centrist and pragmatist is a real treat

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...fptaskbarhover&ei=28

A Romney/Manchin presidential ticket? There’s a new group that says the ‘political heavyweights’ can win the White House
Story by Lisa Riley Roche • 17h

Should Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney run for president again as an independent with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on the ticket?

Yes, say backers of a new Boston-based “Draft Romney Manchin Committee” that filed with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday, who believe the pair can beat the frontrunners, Democratic President Joe Biden and former GOP President Donald Trump.

“Wouldn’t it be great to go to the polls and actually feel good about the choices that you have instead of the lesser of two evils,” an adviser close to the committee with direct knowledge of their internal planning told the Deseret News Friday.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MJines:
Not sure I would handicap it that way. Think about electoral college votes. States like Ohio and Michigan would be hungry for an option other than Trump in a Trump versus Biden contest. I can see that in some critical swing states he would pull more voters off of Trump than he would for Biden. While I still idly hope the GOP will see the light in the primary, if it comes down to Trump and Biden I would welcome a credible option to vote against either.[/QUOT

Amen to that!

I would walk across a desert to vote for them.

My issue I hope they would maintain their independence from the platforms of the two parties; especially, in selection of Federal Judges.

Instead of barring Trump, they all should work on term limits for themselves

Term limits would require an amendment to the Constitution. One that I support.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Term limits would require an amendment to the Constitution. One that I support.

Nah, just a rule change

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Not sure I would handicap it that way. Think about electoral college votes. States like Ohio and Michigan would be hungry for an option other than Trump in a Trump versus Biden contest. I can see that in some critical swing states he would pull more voters off of Trump than he would for Biden. While I still idly hope the GOP will see the light in the primary, if it comes down to Trump and Biden I would welcome a credible option to vote against either.

Mike, the flaw in your analysis is that you are a sensible republican. How many times has Lane Easter posted up here that no matter what happens, he pulls the "R" lever in the general election? The history of third party candidacies is abysmal in the US. They never win although they can influence the outcome. Ask Bill Clinton and GHW Bush.

The numbers right now show trump and Biden neck and neck or Biden behind. Manchin stands zero chance of winning but he has a terrific chance to throw the election to trump.

I have always qualified that^^^with a “if a ‘viable’ conservative 3rd party comes about…I will give them a look.”

Viability is hard to prove with an 0 for umpteen thousand tries. It is going to take a win.

quote:

Originally posted by jeffeosso:

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Term limits would require an amendment to the Constitution. One that I support.

Nah, just a rule change

No, the Constitution sets the rules for who can serve and how long.

It will take a constitutional amendment.

Congress by rule or simple legislation cannot prevent someone from serving unless the Constitution says so like expulsion.

oh, i think there's miles of opinion on defining the term of an elected office, which the constitution does, and the house and senate having rules for the maximum time an elected official can serve - i believe the constitution is actually silent in art 1,2 on tenure, and only art3, clause 2 discusses tenure of judges.

I do realize we did pass an amendment to limit the terms of office of a president

I don't believe one would be needed for house/senate or at a state level, but i could be wrong

It will take a constitutional amendment.

Nothing in the Constitution imposes term limits on members of Congress.

Congress cannot change that through legislation or rules of the chamber.

Is there anything in the constitution about insider trading? there is in the house rules, and while the "fine" is trivial, it's a change to conditions without an amendment

if a state said "you aren't eligible after 2 terms in the house to run for the house again" would that require an amendment -

That has nothing to do w the terms of office.

This was debated and rejected by the Founders.

The Constitution is going to have to be amended, changed, to add this restriction on serving in Congress.

okay - let's start a petition

Well, you send it to me I will sign it.

Sen Rand Paul when he first ran went around KY liking about how we needed term limits. When he was elected he refuses to sign a pledge not to seek more than 2 terms. Next, he quit talking about it all together.

Give the Devil his due.

Sen. Cruz proposes amendment to the Constitution to impose term limits upon members of Congress.


https://www.cruz.senate.gov/ne...-limits-for-congress

Thanks
Here's the link to joint rez
https://www.cruz.senate.gov/im...tional_amendment.pdf

Try’em both right? Only the S. Ct., can actually tell you, you are wrong. A Joint Resolution would be simpler. Whether a J. R., is actually easier, I am skeptical.

The reason I say skeptical, constitutional challenges notwithstanding, I doubt Congress would do it to themselves. However, if the matter to get through amendment process to the states for ratification, I believe 2/3rds of the states would approve.