(February 21, 2010 - Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America)
So the word on the street is that West Virginia Senator-Elect Joe Manchin is mulling over the possibility of caucusing with Republicans once he takes office this January. According to Fox News, Republicans have “sweetened the deal” by pledging support of coal projects near and dear to the West Virginia Governor turned Senator that were held up by Democratic Leadership in recent years.
It’s one of Manchin’s pet projects and could mean big money for the state’s coal producers.
“Republicans believe in an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy,” one top Senate aide told Power Play. “And coal-to-diesel could certainly be part of that.”
Manchin’s switch could mean Republican support for not just $1 billion in seed money for the project but also a deal, much sought in coal country, to require the armed forces to use converted coal for fuel.
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The news of the Manchin switch follows reports that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson (D) may be looking for a party change as well. Couple that with the never-ending speculation about Independent Senator Joe Lieberman officially switching sides and you have a budding 50/50 stalemate in the Senate on the horizon.
So, what should we make of this? First of all, I don’t see this scenario playing out – even if McConnell offers the motherload to Manchin, Nelson, and Lieberman. How could Manchin explain this to West Virginians just days after he got elected as a Democrat? And… how the hell could Republicans explain this when they just ran a nation-wide campaign under the flag of ending big government giveaways, earmarks, and runaway spending?
From a practical standpoint, if McConnell and his gang of fools really think this is a sound decision, the power they gain will inevitably be the power that retires them. There is no way McConnell explains this one away to a Tea Party constituency in Kentucky that just elected Rand Paul. If power is so important to these common senseless morons that they would really go this route, I will personally begin the “Fire McConnell” campaign immediately because he will have clearly demonstrated that he has officially lost his way. We have spent months arguing as Republicans about the role of “RINO’s” in our party; we have debated endlessly the flawed, arrogant, principled, brilliant, and foolish strategy of nominating far Right Conservatives rather than “Electable Moderates”; and now we are supposed to get excited about a couple of Lefties coming over to our team?
How counterintuitive is such a notion? We now want Democrats to caucus with us when just weeks and months ago we were terrified at the thought of “moderate” Republicans infiltrating our ranks? Call me an ideologue; call me foolish; call me whatever you’d like; but there is no way I’m raising a glass to this unholy union should it come to fruition. I can’t wait to see what those who thought Krauthammer had gone off message for being critical of the Palin/DeMint endorsement of O’Donnell in Delaware are going to have to say about this. They were fearful of a “Moderate” RINO Republican – I dare them now to embrace a Democrat with open arms. I dare them.
I can not imagine why McConnell is doing this. Does he not see or care how it looks to the people who just gave the Republicans the majority in the House and nearly gave it to them in the Senate? Also, I don’t think it would be fair at all to the voters in West Virginia. They did choose a Democrat for Senate, so it would be against all things fair play for that Democrat to switch parties after he wins. I don’t see this happening, after reading some of the reports on it, but I can’t see it working if it were to come to fruition.
Yeah I am certainly with you LD on all fronts with this one. I don’t see this happening but I cannot begin to imagine the fallout for all involved should it actually happen. As a general rule, I have never been fond of overnight party shifters ala Specter or Parker Griffith in the last session, but this would take that disdain to an unprecedented level – before you even take office? If I were a West Virginian, I’d go bananas to say the least.
[...] Republican Redefined asks several hard questions about party-switching senators. [...]