OPINION: Let the blue dogs bark
“Senator Joe Manchin speaks after winning the 2018 midterm elections in Charlestown, West Virginia, November 6, 2018” Photo by Joshua Roberts of Reuters.
Zach Donaldson is a freshman studying political science and an opinion writer for The New Political.
Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.
In the early days of October, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont made several remarks that succinctly portray how far detached the Democratic Party is from political reality. He repeatedly stressed the idea that a minority of representatives and senators should be able to override the majority's will to pass broad, sweeping legislation.
Well, Senator Sanders, there is some pretty simple arithmetic that should settle your concerns on the matter.
In proclaiming that "two senators cannot be allowed to defeat what 48 senators and 210 House members want," Sanders alienated two of his most important colleagues, Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. He also blatantly disregarded the entire other half of Congress that does not concur with his sentiments.
If Democrats continue their bitter infighting and hyper-focused anger towards two of their own, Republicans will laugh and stroll idly by into a midterm takeover. Their cognitive dissonance and misplaced attacks are a result of two simple facts that they wish to ignore: One, Democrats did not win big enough in 2020 to have the mandate to lead, and two, Senators such as Manchin and Sinema are not only advantageous, but necessary if they wish to govern in the future.
First off, it would be easy for an observer to deduce why the Biden agenda has not marched through Congress with flying colors. Democrats won back the smallest possible majority in the Senate with a 50-50 split and lost seats in the House in 2020. If there were overwhelming electoral support to constitute the 3.5 trillion dollar reconciliation bill, their hopes would not have to ride on the will of a conservative Democrat from a state Trump won by 38.9 points.
It is better to come up short than with nothing at all. While Democrats may not be able to reach their lofty agenda goals in full vigor, governing is the art of compromise. It would be more productive for Democrats to continue negotiations with Sinema and Manchin and take what they can get instead of pounding the wall as the days pass.
Furthermore, Manchin and Sinema are not liabilities for the Democrats, rather their greatest assets. Simply put, if said Senators were not in office, Democrats would not be allowed to jest the spending plans proposed. For the time being, Manchin and Sinema might be the mold necessary to take back crucial seats. In a body such as the Senate, where an emphasis on state representation tilts its balance red, winning in battlegrounds is absolutely crucial.
Arizona could debatably nominate a more liberal candidate than Sinema, as evident by the election of Mark Kelly, but unquestionably, her maverick style of voting could resonate with the state's massive 1.3 million independent population.
This is not up for debate: Joe Manchin is an anomaly and political miracle for the Democrats. While his antics may be much to their chagrin, West Virginia has been a reliably red-state for two decades. It is conceivable and plausible that blue-dog style candidates may be the necessary elixir to continue competing in midwestern states that are trending red like Ohio.
As a young Democrat, would I love to see Manchin and Sinema back every initiative on the party's wishlist the minute it rolled up to the Senate floor? Sure. But more than anything, I would like to see my party live in reality, play competitively and pass some level of change rather than feigning moral superiority.
