GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – Can Washington become a place where people work together despite their differences? One of the most influential recent members of Congress believes it is possible and has established an organization toward advancing that goal.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) was at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP) at Saint Anselm College on Friday on behalf of his new non-profit organization, Americans Together. According to the group’s website, Americans Together seeks to empower “the moderate majority” and support politicians who stand up to partisan extremists.
Manchin told the crowd at the New England Council’s Politics and Eggs event at NHIOP that morning that he went to Washington in 2010 to help make the country a better place. Instead, he said that he found a dysfunctional political climate where no one was interested in solutions.
Manchin also criticized U.S. President Joe Biden, expecting that he would be a moderating influence like he was as a U.S. Senator from Delaware, but instead has been pushed to the far-left. Specifically, Manchin criticized Biden’s Administration for only touting certain aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act, which he praised.
While Manchin has become known in recent years as a key vote on legislation given close margins in the Senate and his reputation as a moderate, he said that his approach toward governing came to his obligations to the people of West Virginia as well as a feeling of unease at speaking against colleagues across the aisle that he worked with on bills.
“Can you imagine going into work every day and trying to get your co-worker fired?” he asked regarding the practice of campaigning and fundraising against fellow elected officials from other political parties.
Instead, he hoped for an atmosphere comparable to when he grew up with recently retired University of Alabama Football Head Coach Nick Saban where the two competed with each other but their goal was to “beat” each other and make each other better in the process rather than “defeat” each other and cause irreparable harm.
Manchin felt that change would not come from Washington, but places like New Hampshire where citizens are seeking honesty and solutions-based governance.
“Here, people can shake your hand and look you in the eye and see into your soul,” he said. “You can’t BS them.”
Regarding the role of Americans Together in the 2024 election cycle, Manchin said that he was not in New Hampshire to campaign and was seeking a “long game,” stating that some things that could help reduce partisanship at the national level included eliminating gerrymandering and introducing ranked choice voting or other newer voting systems such as in Alaska and Maine.
Manchin also declined to elaborate on his role this year with the group No Labels, which some see as a possible spoiler in the Presidential race, only stating that the organization has provided him a forum for cooperation since arriving in Washington and he expects more news will come from that group around Super Tuesday.
He also demurred on stating whether he would leave the Democratic Party, instead looking to focus on his goal of pursuing solutions.
“I’m the most independent Democrat you’ve met in your life,” he said. “(But) if the identification changes who you are as a person, maybe you’re in the wrong profession.”
