This is an opinion cartoon.
Sorry, kids. Thanks to the guy from West Virginia who wants to get re-elected, you’re all getting coal. Lots of coal. Beautiful coal. For Christmas. Forever.
No Build Back Better plan for you!
Related: Manchin says no to $2T social safety net bill - al.com
Related: Joe Manchin Torpedoes Biden’s Economic Agenda: ‘I Can’t Vote for It’
Related: Joe Manchin Privately Told Colleagues Parents Use Child Tax Credit Money On Drugs
Joe Manchin is a Democrat in a red state. He’s trying to give centrists a voice - I appreciate that - while trying to stay electable in a mostly rural Appalachian state. I respect Manchin’s role in trying to bring Democrats to the middle. America’s strength is its center.
In West Virginia, Manchin has to act like a Republican to get elected as a Democrat. That’s a tough sell. Maybe his constituents will re-elect him for his right-leaning efforts, maybe they won’t. In the meantime, President Joe Biden and Manchin’s D-party teammates are always inviting him to go snipe hunting on the weekends. (Any o’ y’all remember snipe hunting?)
Former Alabama U.S. Senator Doug Jones navigated these same waters. Jones was consistently who he was throughout the process: A rational, mild-mannered, straight-talking patriot. An advocate for veterans. A civil rights guy. He served Alabama well. Jones was all about bi-partisan business of the people, getting real things done for real people. No drama. That’s the recipe for a one-term senator in Alabama. Real people like Doug Jones don’t get re-elected. They make too much sense.
Manchin stands in a powerful place right now. If he can bring extremist Republicans and extremist Democrats to the middle, he’ll be a hero. And I’ll be his biggest fan.
Coal miners’ union urges Manchin to reconsider opposition to Biden plan | TheHill
But if Manchin just wants to sell coal, he should buy a coal company. There’s already too many coal-hearted people in politics.
Either way, for this toon post: Joe Manchin is the toughest creepy mall Santa ever.
Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe
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JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.
