West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has lamented how Joe Biden has moved to the left since taking office and hopes he can become more moderate soon.
“Since his election, Joe Biden has been pulled further to the left and I’ve continued to say that he’s not the Joe Biden I’ve known for so many years. I hope that the friend I know will return to where he’s always been, the center where he feels comfortable,” Manchin said. The New York Times Sunday.
Manchin was one of many senators who called on Biden to step down after the first debate with former President Trump in June. While he has criticized Biden’s political shift, Manchin has praised his decision not to run again.
Senator Manchin criticised Biden for moving away from his moderate roots. (Left: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“But I am glad that he is at peace of mind, healthy and happy. I believe he will do great things. He has a chance to get something done here in four or five months. I believe the presidency should be a six-year term,” he said.
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Manchin, a former Democrat and now an independent senator, cited frustration with both the far-left and far-right leanings in Congress and described himself as trying to be a voice for moderates.
“I’m asking people for an explanation. They come to me and I say, ‘Do you understand that only 23 percent of Americans identify as Democrats, only 25 percent identify as Republicans and 51 percent identify as independents, like me?’ I said, ‘You can’t win without the middle class. Why keep throwing meat to the extreme? They’re fine. They’ve had enough. But you’re not going to win that way,'” Manchin said.
Manchin has criticized the Democratic Party for moving leftward. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
He continued, “I just don’t get why we can’t find that golden middle ground where people can say, ‘Yeah, that’s how I live my life and I want you to do it too.’ And it’s not inspiring. They want us to do the right thing. If someone says something common sense, nobody gets excited. No one’s going to send money to a fundraiser. But if you say something stupid and crazy, you’re going to get a flood of people.”
As a former Democrat who has sometimes broken away from party lines in the deadlocked Senate, Manchin argued that other politicians from both parties privately agree with his views.
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“There are a lot of Democrats who feel to some extent the same way I do, and they need to speak out more. And there are a lot of Republicans who are not Trump supporters but need to speak out more, and I hope they will,” Manchin said.
Manchin has previously called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 election. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
Manchin announced in November that he would not run for reelection in 2024.
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