Joe Manchin, the former West Virginia senator who broke up with the Democratic Party in 2024 like a guy who finally leaves a relationship he's been complaining about for a decade, is now playing matchmaker for the single life. His target: Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, whom Manchin is practically begging to join the Independent club as The American Tribune reported.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Manchin laid it on thick, telling Fetterman, "Trust me, set yourself free and become an independent. It's liberating." That's the political equivalent of your divorced friend telling you how amazing it is to eat cereal for dinner every night.
Manchin, who also decided not to seek a third Senate term in 2024 (so he's essentially giving career advice from retirement, which is always fun), argued that going independent would let Fetterman "speak as a real, true, free, free broker." He even dropped a Tennessee Ernie Ford reference, saying the move would mean Fetterman wouldn't "owe your soul to the company store, or basically to the parties."
To be fair, Manchin does have a point about Fetterman's trajectory. The guy once called himself a progressive Democrat, then downgraded to just "a Democrat" in 2023, and has since been breaking with his party on border security, support for Israel, and the conflict in Iran. He even wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post accusing fellow Democrats of "catering to the fringe and agitated parts of our base." That's like writing a Yelp review for the restaurant you still eat at every day.
Manchin praised Fetterman's independent streak, saying, "John Fetterman is voting what he believes is right for his people and what he can explain, and I appreciate that and respect it."
But here's where Manchin's sales pitch runs into a brick wall: Fetterman keeps saying no. He has repeatedly shut down the idea of switching to the Republican Party, calling himself a "terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats." When previously asked about changing affiliations, he was blunt: "I'm not changing. I'm a Democrat and I'm staying one."
Fetterman has acknowledged he sides with Republicans on border issues but says there are plenty of other topics where he lands squarely with Democrats, making a full switch a nonstarter. Earlier this year, a Republican reportedly floated the idea to him directly, and Fetterman apparently just sort of absorbed it without accepting or rejecting it, which is the political equivalent of leaving someone on read.
So for now, Manchin is that guy at the party telling everyone how great CrossFit is while Fetterman politely nods and keeps eating his regular gym membership. The Democratic Party may frustrate Fetterman from time to time, but apparently not enough to fill out the paperwork.
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