Joe Manchin, the longtime West Virginia senator, has dropped a political bombshell with his upcoming book, aiming at Democratic heavyweights for what he sees as a dangerous erosion of democratic norms.
New York Post reported that in “Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense,” Manchin, a former Democratic senator and governor, unloads on leaders like Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, for prioritizing partisan agendas over institutional safeguards.
Serving over 14 years in the Senate, Manchin carved out a reputation as a centrist, often locking horns with his party’s leadership over their leftward drift and obsession with progressive social policies.
“I don’t say this lightly, but under the leadership of President Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid, and later President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats have systematically tried to weaken the very guardrails that have protected our democracy for generations,” Manchin writes. Well, that’s a gut punch to the party he once called home, and it’s hard not to nod along when you see how far some leaders will go to ram through their vision, no matter the cost to tradition.
As governor and senator, Manchin styled himself as “fiscally responsible and socially compassionate,” a balance he felt the Democratic Party abandoned with its focus on what he calls “woke ideology” and DEI mandates. These buzzwords, he argues, push away everyday Americans who just want common-sense governance, not endless culture wars.
“When the party pushes hard on woke ideology, DEI mandates, and other social agendas, it creates unnecessary divisions,” Manchin contends. And let’s be honest, he’s got a point—when politics becomes a lecture hall for progressive ideals, it’s no wonder folks in the heartland feel ignored.
One of Manchin’s sharpest critiques lands on President Biden, whom he accuses of having a “very bad temper” during heated policy debates. That’s not the sunny, empathetic image the White House likes to project, and it raises questions about how decisions are made behind closed doors.
Take the 2021 negotiations over the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan—Manchin clashed hard with Biden over its massive scope. He called the idea of “sending a f—ing check to everyone” outright “reckless,” a jab at what he saw as fiscal irresponsibility. No surprise, then, that the plan was later tied to inflation spiking to 9.1% in June 2022, the worst in nearly four decades.
Manchin’s frustration wasn’t just with Biden but with the broader Democratic push to sidestep Senate rules, like the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Alongside Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, he stood firm against scrapping it, even under pressure from Schumer to pass election legislation in 2022.
“Schumer wasn’t interested in debate or persuasion. He wanted a spectacle,” Manchin writes of the Senate Majority Leader’s tactics. If that doesn’t sum up the theatrical mess of modern politics, what does—turning serious governance into a partisan circus?
Manchin’s defense of the filibuster wasn’t just public posturing; privately, he hoped for a Republican Senate majority to preserve this check on runaway legislation. That’s a stunning admission for a Democrat, showing just how deep his rift with the party ran.
Looking back, Manchin even muses that he should have jumped ship to the Republican Party after Donald Trump’s 2016 victory. “What I failed to recognize at the time is that there were enough reasons to change my political affiliation to Republican right then and there,” he reflects. It’s a candid regret, highlighting how out of step he felt with a party veering too far from the center.
Despite his frustrations, Manchin didn’t leave the Senate on a whim—he opted against seeking a third full term, joining other centrists who exited earlier in the year. Even then, Schumer reportedly urged him to run again to keep the seat Democratic, a plea that fell on deaf ears.
Now, with his book set for release on a coming Tuesday, complete with a foreword by Nick Saban, Manchin is making one last stand for what he sees as the “commonsense middle ground.” It’s a message that might resonate with Americans tired of polarized shouting matches, even if his old party isn’t listening.
