Comments on: Will Joe Manchin run third party?

By: Abraxas

Abraxas — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:04:23 +0000

Huntsman might do better if he ran himself. He’d peel off some of the affluent suburbanites who’ve been voting Democrat. He might top John Anderson’s 1980 6.6% of the vote. But that would benefit Trump, and that’s the last thing No Labels would want.

The thinking may be that a Manchin candidacy would pull some votes from blue collar voters — votes that would otherwise go to Trump — but Manchin’s now a rather shabby, shopworn figure without much appeal to working class voters or anyone else. Admiration for his standing up to Biden and Schumer is offset by contempt for his caving to Biden and Schumer.

Moreover, blue collar voters may not be the factor some observers assume they are. Working class voters who benefited from Trump’s policies didn’t rally to his standard in 2020. I’m not sure that they’ll rush to support either Trump or Manchin in 2024. Ideology, tribalism, and hate have been bigger factors than economics lately. Upper middle class voters are more motivated by those things than blue collar workers.

By: Markie

Markie — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:11:50 +0000

I’ve met Joe a couple of times and he’s a capable glad-handler. He may have been screwed, but his constituents got screwed harder. His political career is pretty much over, so why not give a final middle finger salute to the administration that put the knife in his back. There are just enough die-hard Dem voters who will never vote Republican that may pull the lever for him to dilute the Dem vote to make the fraud too obvious. Don’t worry about Joe, he’s been around long enough that his retirement will be comfortable.

By: Occasional Commenter

Occasional Commenter — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 18:45:42 +0000

Maybe it’s a revenge move to rattle Democrat leadership for screwing him over. Make ’em sweat, perhaps toss him some favors.

By: miguel cervantes

miguel cervantes — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:21:22 +0000

I don’t give a farthing about manchin, he doesn’t give a farthing about his own constituents, but proscription, is something that hasn’t been done since Roman times, and the people who fortified the midterms are not beneath doing that,

By: Bauxite

Bauxite — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:13:53 +0000

Rufus T. Firefly – If Trump does lose the GOP nomination, we would have to hope that he is also motivated by staying out of prison. I can’t imagine that any Republican President would do anything other than dismiss federal charges against Trump. (No pardon will be necessary if there is no conviction.) I also can’t imagine that any Democrat President would do anything other than prosecute him to the fullest extent on all federal charges. They’ll win convictions. Trump will be 78 years old next year. After a decade in prison, there’s not much left for him, if any.

(Aside – I seriously doubt that the NY charges will stand up on appeal. Also, once Trump’s political career is decisively over, I could easily see Kemp granting him a pardon if he ends up convicted in Georgia too.)

By: junior

junior — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 17:10:26 +0000

Manchin wrecked his chance at reelection when he backed the wrong bill in the Senate. Prior to that, conservative WV was happy to keep sending him back.

As for this No Labels thing, a part of me wonders if he’s trying to position himself as a potential VP for RFK jr should the latter win the Dem nomination.

By: Rufus T. Firefly

Rufus T. Firefly — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 16:34:26 +0000

Bauxite,

I agree with you. Trump’s team would almost certainly bungle the details of getting on the ballots in all 50 states, however, Trump’s ego is such that I am fairly certain he would go forward with a 3rd party run with nary a care of who it damages.

Up until a few months ago he was praising Ron DeSantis but now sees the fact that DeSantis entered the primary as unforgiveable treason to Trump and is lashing out at DeSantis illogically, unreasonably and unfactually.

DJT has two, primary motivators:
1. Get as many people saying his name as frequently as possible.
2. Destroy anyone who does not assist him in his efforts.

By: Bruce Hayden

Bruce Hayden — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:23:49 +0000

How does Manchin have a chance at reelection to the Senate? He probably can’t win as a Democrat, given how far WV has shifted to the right, and he missed his chance to jump to the GOP (when it would have given them control of the Senate, during the last Congress). It worked for Murkowski in AK.

By: Eeyore

Eeyore — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:57:32 +0000

The reason Democrats would fear this more than Republicans is obvious.
_______

I don’t see why this is obvious.

By: Bauxite

Bauxite — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:45:07 +0000

miguel cervantes – the 65 Project is trying to deny ballot access to Manchin, or specifically to No Labels. I’m not aware that Trump is even trying to gain ballot access as an independent. So no, I think you are incorrect that the 65 Project is trying to deny ballot access to Trump.

If Trump did try to gain ballot access as an independent, I have little doubt that the leftist front groups, similar to the 65 Project, would work to get Trump on the ballot so that he could play spoiler for the GOP nominee. That has been the Democrat’s MO for the past several years. Spend heavily in the GOP primary to get the MAGA/Trumper candidates nominated and then cruise to victory in the general election. Again, Democrats are fighting ballot access for No Labels because they think No Labels will hurt them in the general election. They would almost certainly support ballot access for Trump on a third party or independent ticket because they think that will help them in the general election, just like they support no-hoper Trump candidates in the GOP primaries.

Someone here is an easy mark, but it isn’t me.