"Former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III says that, at a time when political polarization is the norm and violence against public officials and figures is happening more often, both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the "visceral hatred" felt today. "Basically both parties are guilty of a and I say it's a business model," Manchin said in an interview with Morning Edition. "This is a duopoly of [the] Democrat and Republican Party. That's why I'm a fiercely proud independent right now, that I can work with both sides.""
"In his new memoir titled, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, Manchin explains how a boy from a small coal mining community in Farmington, West Virginia became a significant figure in U.S. politics. In the book Manchin details private conversations, including a tense, expletive-laden back-and-forth with former President Joe Biden in 2021, who was, at the time, trying to pass the Build Back Better Act. Manchin refused to support Build Back Better, though a renegotiated version called the Inflation Reduction Act eventually passed with his support in 2022."
""Joe Biden, whom I've known for quite a while, and I think the world of him, we just disagreed," Manchin told Morning Edition. "I just never knew him to be that far left as his administration had moved.""
Joe Manchin attributes rising political polarization and increased threats against officials to both the Democratic and Republican parties, calling their tactics a business model and a duopoly. Manchin became an independent in 2024 and emphasizes working with both sides while criticizing extremes. His memoir, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, traces his upbringing in Farmington, West Virginia and recounts private political conversations, including a tense 2021 exchange with Joe Biden over Build Back Better. Manchin declined to support the original Build Back Better, later backing the Inflation Reduction Act, and retired from the Senate in January 2025 after more than 14 years of service.
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