BILLBOARD News Now
Dead Center
Senator Joe Manchin’s book “Dead Center” provides an insight into his thought process, his life, how he approaches politics and his service in the U. S. Senate. West Virginians like us will find many familiar names and stories. More important Joe makes clear his philosophy of “Dead Center”.
He writes about what it was like going from Farmington, a small West Virginia town. Manchin served in the West Virginia Legislature, Secretary of State & the state’s Governor (twice). After Senator Robert C. Byrd passed away, as the sitting Governor he had a tough decision facing him as he was not interested in going to Washington.
Senator Manchin after arriving in Washington, he was asked what happened to the Democrats in West Virginia. He replies “nothing” and asked his colleague…”what happened to the Democrats in Washington”? At that point he realized he was expected to vote the Democrat party line.
Manchin makes it clear in the book that his philosophy is the political center is necessary and not a weakness for governing. To him “common sense” means listening before shouting, valuing solutions over ideology and remembering that political opponents are still fellow citizens.
Manchin tells what it was like when he & President Biden were alone in the White House living quarters…with Biden wanted his vote on the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better bill. Readers will also get an insider look at how the Senate works.
When he arrived in Washington, he was looking for any sign that bipartisan cooperation wasn’t dead. Then he found “No Labels” which he describes “like an oasis” in the middle of a political desert. Then after the 2020 election, Joe wrote “the political environment grew even more toxic”.
No Labels started having conversations about what could be done to not face another Biden-Trump rematch. Manchin said he listened and thought seriously about running. In a recent interview about his book, he revealed it was not being on the ballot in all 50 states that kept him from running.
What’s in his future could be determined by the success he and his daughter (Heather) have in the organization they formed “Americans Together”. They recognized a growing majority of Americans – whether center-left, center-right, or independent – are fed up with politicians scoring political points instead of solving people’s problems.
Finally, if you agree with Joe Manchin or not, “Dead Center” is worth a read. It’s part history, part philosophy and very much a reminder of what politics might look like if people tried to work together.
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