Former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin Slams ‘Toxic’ Democrats For Progressive Views

In his preparation to leave Congress after almost 15 years, independent West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has condemned Democrats, specifically progressives, for their “toxic” party.

A long-time Democrat, Manchin registered as an Independent earlier this year.

In an interview with CNN that aired on Saturday, Manchin claimed, “The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic.”

He went on to blame progressives for trying to control what people can and can’t do, stating, “They have basically expanded upon thinking, ‘Well, we want to protect you there, but we’re going to tell you how you should live your life from that far on.’”

Manchin explained that he used to support Democratic views back when the topics of focus were issues such as “good job, good pay” – but as the party has shifted to social issues, such as transgender rights, they now take “no responsibility at all” for the federal budget during the election.

He called the progressives out of touch and remarked, “This country is not going left.”

However, Manchin stressed that Republicans don’t take the responsibility of America’s national debt seriously either and criticized the right party for their lack of awareness regarding gun control.

“They’re too extreme, it’s just common sense…I’m not going to ban you from buying [a gun], but you’re going to have to show some responsibility,” he said. “The Democrats go too far, want to ban you from buying it. The Republican says, ‘Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have anything they want.'”

Manchin blamed Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump on her dedicated stance on progressive politics and her failure to appeal to more moderate Americans.

Although he did not answer who he voted for in November, Manchin said that he “[gets] along fine” with Trump, and asserted, “Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you vote for him or not, whether the same party or not, whether you like him or not.”

Manchen began his political career in the early 1980s serving as a state delegate and was eventually elected as a state senator until the late 90s. He went on to serve as Secretary of State for four years, and in 2005 he was elected as governor of West Virginia. He has served 14 years in the Senate.

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