Why isn't Manchin a Republican?

[windjammer]

Because he's a democrat.

He sides with the Dems on economic purposes. And economy is the most important.

Do most Dems actively pursue a balanced bipartisan budget and a CAREFULLY planned stimulus instead of throwing money and hoping it does something? Oh and he actually supports cutting corporate taxes, a big Democrat no-no.

Honestly he won't fit perfectly anywhere. He'd be called a RINO as much as he is currently called a DINO.

He mostly sides with the Dems on economic issues if you prefer: pro union, voted the Murray budget, pro medicaid, pro medicare, against repealing health care.

He probably sides with the other democrats like 75-80% of the time.

[dmmidmi]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Because he's a Democrat.  Susan Collins is a Republican.  John Barrow is a Democrat.  Andrew Jackson was a Democrat.  Abraham Lincoln was a Republican.

Throughout history, they've been two rival teams.  Period.  You pick your team, and most politicians remain with that team for life even if some members of the team's coalition changes.  I'm guessing Manchin's father and grandfather were Democrats, and that's reason enough for him.  Good for him, because that's how I feel about being a New England Republican.

This.  He strikes me as more of a Reagan Democrat, or even someone who voted for Clinton twice but has voted for Republicans ever since.

[dmmidmi]

Because he's a Democrat.  Susan Collins is a Republican.  John Barrow is a Democrat.  Andrew Jackson was a Democrat.  Abraham Lincoln was a Republican.

Throughout history, they've been two rival teams.  Period.  You pick your team, and most politicians remain with that team for life even if some members of the team's coalition changes.  I'm guessing Manchin's father and grandfather were Democrats, and that's reason enough for him.  Good for him, because that's how I feel about being a New England Republican.

This.  He strikes me as more of a Reagan Democrat, or even someone who voted for Clinton twice but has voted for Republicans ever since.

I'm guessing Manchin has never cast his ballot for a Republican in his life. He knows which team he plays for.

[IceSpear]

West Virginia is currently shifting from Democratic to Republican, but Manchin's rise came in the tail end, so his political career came at a time when conservative Democrats routinely held political office. This was how he was elected to the state legislature in 1986.

And he has done well as a Democrat, elected Secretary of State in 2000, Governor in 2004 and Senator in 2010.

He's now in his late 60s, so why he would want to switch to the other party?

He also likely agrees with Democrats on many economic issues. He might have switched if recent years had seen the rise of big government Republicans, but that's not what happened.

No.

WV Senate: 27 Democrats, 10 Republicans
WV House of Delegates: 53 Democrats, 47 Republicans
A Democrat has occupied the Governor's mansion since 2001, both US Senate seats since the late-1950s (though this is likely getting ready to change), the AG office from 1933 until last year, and save for the four years between 2005 and 2009, the SOS office since 1977.

Yes, Obama lost the state twice in huge landslides. And no, I'm not from West Virginia. But from the information we have available to us, Democrats still run things.

Joe Manchin's political views likely accurately represent the political views of most Democrats in West Virginia. And that is why he's a Democrat.

The WV House and Senate were much more Democratic a few short years ago, and the HoD is widely expected to flip this year.

You just stated yourself the Republicans are likely to gain a Senate seat, recently won the AG race, and that Obama lost the state in a landslide twice. Furthermore, the only Democratic representative from the state (Nick Rahall) is in real trouble this year. In addition, polls show Hillary Clinton losing WV (and it's not particularly close, except against Cruz) despite the fact that polls show her leading in Arkansas and holding her own in other parts of Appalachia.

I'm not sure how anyone could possibly deny that WV is trending heavily Republican.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Don't forget that even most Democrats in West Virginia are more conservative than the national party.  Manchin is an excellent example of this.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Don't forget that even most Democrats in West Virginia are more conservative than the national party.  Manchin is an excellent example of this.

Just as Republicans in Maine are more liberal than the national party, but they're still Republicans and are no less "Republican" than a conservative from Utah.  Republicans more or less unite on pro-business fiscal policies and Democrats generally unite on fiscally populist policies; other than that, there's a wide range of views, and that's been the case for several decades ... actually pretty much since the 1850s...

[IceSpear]

Just as Republicans in Maine are more liberal than the national party

[International Brotherhood of Bernard]

Just as Republicans in Maine are more liberal than the national party

But he didn't even discuss having Democratic leaders in the state executed, that clearly makes him a moderate.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Just as Republicans in Maine are more liberal than the national party

Are there exceptions?  Sure.  I'm not immature enough or bored enough to counter your picture with one of Susan Collins or Olympia Snowe, though.

[NHLiberal]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

[Timothy87]

If the Republican retake the Senate the chances of Manchin swathing parties are at least 50-50.  Senators like to be in the majority.  If the senate is a 50-50 tie, he will remain a Democrat

[dmmidmi]

West Virginia is currently shifting from Democratic to Republican, but Manchin's rise came in the tail end, so his political career came at a time when conservative Democrats routinely held political office. This was how he was elected to the state legislature in 1986.

And he has done well as a Democrat, elected Secretary of State in 2000, Governor in 2004 and Senator in 2010.

He's now in his late 60s, so why he would want to switch to the other party?

He also likely agrees with Democrats on many economic issues. He might have switched if recent years had seen the rise of big government Republicans, but that's not what happened.

No.

WV Senate: 27 Democrats, 10 Republicans
WV House of Delegates: 53 Democrats, 47 Republicans
A Democrat has occupied the Governor's mansion since 2001, both US Senate seats since the late-1950s (though this is likely getting ready to change), the AG office from 1933 until last year, and save for the four years between 2005 and 2009, the SOS office since 1977.

Yes, Obama lost the state twice in huge landslides. And no, I'm not from West Virginia. But from the information we have available to us, Democrats still run things.

Joe Manchin's political views likely accurately represent the political views of most Democrats in West Virginia. And that is why he's a Democrat.

The WV House and Senate were much more Democratic a few short years ago, and the HoD is widely expected to flip this year.

You just stated yourself the Republicans are likely to gain a Senate seat,

I did. SMC is an extremely good candidate. They also just sent Joe Manchin to the US Senate. Twice.

recently won the AG race,

One win since early in FDR's administration is indicative of a trend?

and that Obama lost the state in a landslide twice.

Does that have to do with a rightward shift, or something that Barack Obama has in common with Richard Sherman and Kanye West?

Furthermore, the only Democratic representative from the state (Nick Rahall) is in real trouble this year.

I can't argue with that. You are right here.

In addition, polls show Hillary Clinton losing WV (and it's not particularly close, except against Cruz) despite the fact that polls show her leading in Arkansas and holding her own in other parts of Appalachia.

By "polls," you mean "poll," right?

I'm not sure how anyone could possibly deny that WV is trending heavily Republican.

Because that assertion is based on about six years' worth of data, and totally ignores the partisan makeup of their state legislature and the person occupying the Governor's mansion.

[Free Bird]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

Joke's on you.
Collins
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s060_050.gif

Manchin
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_040.gif

Slight, but it's there

[NHLiberal]

If the Republican retake the Senate the chances of Manchin swathing parties are at least 50-50.  

No, they are not.

Senators like to be in the majority.

They like when the party whose ideology they subscribe to is in the majority. You don't see Ted Cruz joining the Democrats so he can be in the majority. That's not how it works.

 If the senate is a 50-50 tie, he will remain a Democrat

He will almost certainly do so regardless.

[NHLiberal]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

Joke's on you.
Collins
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s060_050.gif

Manchin
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_040.gif

Slight, but it's there

This is not nearly as reliable as the links I showed.

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

Joke's on you.
Collins
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s060_050.gif

Manchin
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_040.gif

Slight, but it's there

This is not nearly as reliable as the links I showed.

This is an old article, but it seems relevant here.

[NHLiberal]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

Joke's on you.
Collins
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s060_050.gif

Manchin
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_040.gif

Slight, but it's there

This is not nearly as reliable as the links I showed.

This is an old article, but it seems relevant here.

Thank you. This is what I have been trying to say. People like to say ZOMG JOE MANCHIN SO CONSERVATIVE SUSAN COLLINS LIBERAL HERO without any conception of how ideological scales actually work.

[IceSpear]

West Virginia is currently shifting from Democratic to Republican, but Manchin's rise came in the tail end, so his political career came at a time when conservative Democrats routinely held political office. This was how he was elected to the state legislature in 1986.

And he has done well as a Democrat, elected Secretary of State in 2000, Governor in 2004 and Senator in 2010.

He's now in his late 60s, so why he would want to switch to the other party?

He also likely agrees with Democrats on many economic issues. He might have switched if recent years had seen the rise of big government Republicans, but that's not what happened.

No.

WV Senate: 27 Democrats, 10 Republicans
WV House of Delegates: 53 Democrats, 47 Republicans
A Democrat has occupied the Governor's mansion since 2001, both US Senate seats since the late-1950s (though this is likely getting ready to change), the AG office from 1933 until last year, and save for the four years between 2005 and 2009, the SOS office since 1977.

Yes, Obama lost the state twice in huge landslides. And no, I'm not from West Virginia. But from the information we have available to us, Democrats still run things.

Joe Manchin's political views likely accurately represent the political views of most Democrats in West Virginia. And that is why he's a Democrat.

The WV House and Senate were much more Democratic a few short years ago, and the HoD is widely expected to flip this year.

You just stated yourself the Republicans are likely to gain a Senate seat,

I did. SMC is an extremely good candidate. They also just sent Joe Manchin to the US Senate. Twice.

recently won the AG race,

One win since early in FDR's administration is indicative of a trend?

and that Obama lost the state in a landslide twice.

Does that have to do with a rightward shift, or something that Barack Obama has in common with Richard Sherman and Kanye West?

Furthermore, the only Democratic representative from the state (Nick Rahall) is in real trouble this year.

I can't argue with that. You are right here.

In addition, polls show Hillary Clinton losing WV (and it's not particularly close, except against Cruz) despite the fact that polls show her leading in Arkansas and holding her own in other parts of Appalachia.

By "polls," you mean "poll," right?

I'm not sure how anyone could possibly deny that WV is trending heavily Republican.

Because that assertion is based on about six years' worth of data, and totally ignores the partisan makeup of their state legislature and the person occupying the Governor's mansion.

Joe Manchin is an outlier, just like Susan Collins is in Maine.

Yes, it is indicative of a trend when it is grouped with all of the other evidence.

Al Gore and John Kerry also lost the state.

I'm not saying West Virginia IS heavily Republican. I'm saying that's the overall trend. Look at all the state's elected officials from 2008 and look at them now. Just an example...the House of Delegates went from 69-31 in 2008 to 53-47 now, and the GOP is expected to gain the chamber this year. Even in races they're still winning (such as the Governor's race), the margins are severely reduced from what they used to be.

[Free Bird]

I can't believe that I'm actually agreeing with IceSpear. And OnTheIssues isn't reliable?

[NHLiberal]

I can't believe that I'm actually agreeing with IceSpear. And OnTheIssues isn't reliable?

It's not unreliable, but you can't really argue that it's anywhere close to as informed and formulaic a source specifically for the task of ideological rankings as DW Nominate and National Journal are. This argument is really over to be honest.

To reiterate, I completely agree with IceSpear that WV is trending heavily Republican (and already has to an extent). All I'm saying is that Joe Manchin is to the left of every Republican in Congress, that he's closer to Bernie Sanders than he is any Republican in Congress, that people who try to depict Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are to Manchin's left are failing to conceptualize ideological scales and relying on appealing narratives, and that Joe Manchin will not be switching parties anytime soon. And that a quick look at voting records and ideological ratings confirms all of this.

[7,052,770]

This is an old article, but it seems relevant here.

While I don't think Manchin is to the right of Collins, I don't think the comparison linked is a very good one. Harry Reid decides what's coming to a vote, and he's not going to bring anything to the floor unless there's enough Democrats to pass it. Thus, of course Democrats will all be highly correlated with each other.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Because he's a democrat.

He sides with the Dems on economic purposes. And economy is the most important.

Do most Dems actively pursue a balanced bipartisan budget and a CAREFULLY planned stimulus instead of throwing money and hoping it does something? Oh and he actually supports cutting corporate taxes, a big Democrat no-no.

Honestly he won't fit perfectly anywhere. He'd be called a RINO as much as he is currently called a DINO.

Yes. RE: the 90s and the rapidly falling federal deficit.

[SWE]

He's more conservative than even some Reps in the senate,  

That is a false statement.

and for all intents and purposes his policies line up more with theirs than the Dems.

That is also a false statement.

if the senate switches, he'll give everything serious thought.

This, too, is a false statement.

But why is Manchin a Democrat in the first place,

Because his political positions have always aligned much more with those of the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and they continue to do so.

and will he switch as the Republican Party's power continues to grow in West Virginia?

No.

That's my only explanation for anything he does.

That's too bad.

Being a Democrat is, for now, still a safer way of being elected locally in WV.

Indeed, but that's not relevant to Manchin's political party affiliation.

1. Kirk, Portman, Collins, Grassley, perhaps McCain - all to the left of Manchin. Granted, it's not as if there are no other senate democrats who are as conservative are almost as conservative as Manchin is - Heidi Heitkamp comes to mind.

Please find one reliable source that ranks any of the aforementioned GOP Senators as more liberal than Joe Manchin.

He won't be able to do that because there aren't any, but here are some that rank Manchin as more liberal!

DW Nominate is considered the top source in ideology rankings:
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT111.HTM
http://voteview.com/SENATE_SORT112.HTM

And here is National Journal's rankings: http://www.nationaljournal.com/free/document/download/5077-1


Bonus: Here is the one incredibly unreliable/discredited source that shows Manchin as more conservative than several GOP Senators. However, those Senators include Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and many others that none of us would argue belong there, so we know it's not legit. It also ranks Begich as more liberal than Sanders, Carper as more liberal than Menendez, Portman as more conservative than Inhofe, and is generally otherwise full of sh*t: http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/

The bottom line is that it's fun to think of Collins and Murkowski as more liberal than Manchin because of where they're from, their demeanors, and all of their willingness to compromise. But the bottom line is that that's just not how it works. Collins and Murkowski nearly always vote with Republicans, and Manchin nearly always votes with Democrats.

Joke's on you.
Collins
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s060_050.gif

Manchin
http://www.ontheissues.org/images/s040_040.gif

Slight, but it's there

lol on the issues

[henster]

Manchin will not flip if the Republicans take the Senate he would be the odd one out in the caucus. He voted for raising the minimum wage, equal pay, funding Obamacare and on most Democratic bills brought up on the Senate floor.