Joe Manchin 2024? Oh God No!

In 2020, President Joe Biden struggled primarily with convincing young progressives to vote for him. Not because young progressives loved Donald Trump — nor even because the Green Party or some other progressive third party put up a good candidate — but because he was seen as too moderate and had a hard time getting disillusioned progressives involved in the electoral system.

Progressives becoming disillusioned is the death nail for Democratic electoral victories on the national level. In 1968, supporters of Robert Kennedy and Eugenie McCarthy —the second of which infamously rioted at the 1968 Democratic Convention — refusing to vote for Hubert Humphrey is what gave Richard Nixon the presidency. In 1980, Ted Kennedy not making the progressive case for Jimmy Carter — even during his speech at the convention — is cited as one of the many reasons Ronald Reagan won. In 2000, progressives who did not like the actions of Bill Clinton refused to vote for Al Gore — either staying at home or voting for Ralph Nader — costing him the White House. In 2016, Hillary Clinton failed to connect with progressives costing her the presidency for the same reason.

I mention this because Joe Manchin announced on Meet The Press that he has been considering a run for 2024 as an Independent — and I can’t help but wonder “Who’s going to vote for him?” The most he could possibly hope for is…