Joe Manchin Was Right, and Democrats Should Admit It
If the party wants to pass meaningful legislation before November, it will have to work with the senator from West Virginia.
Right about inflation — and what else?
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North AmericaSenator Joe Manchin officially said no to the president’s signature Build Back Better legislation late last year, but progressives remain furious at him. While it is too much to ask them to thank the moderate senator from West Virginia, if they want to get anything done this year, they might acknowledge that he was basically right — about the bill itself and inflation.
Manchin’s behavior during President Joe Biden’s tenure hasn’t been perfect. It’s also true, however, that the bill the House passed was bad. Had it become law, inflation would be even worse today, and most of the money involved would have been wasted on temporary initiatives.