Joe Manchin Lives in the Past and Wants the Rest of America to Follow Him

Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is a perfect example of why electing old, white men is a mistake. He lives in the past, refusing to move the nation forward into the 21st century. When men who fear the future have power in Washington nothing positive and progressive is possible.

Manchin made the following statement, proving that he has no confidence in technology or America’s ability to keep pace with the future.

“I’m very reluctant to go down the path of electric vehicles,” Manchin said at the energy conference CERAWeek, held in Houston. “I’m old enough to remember standing in line in 1974 trying to buy gas – I remember those days. I don’t want to have to be standing in line waiting for a battery for my vehicle, because we’re now dependent on a foreign supply chain, mostly China.”

The truth: Manchin owes his life of luxury and privilege to the owners of coal mines. This says it all and reveals why he continues to fail the people of West Virginia and the nation.

It does not require an investigation or deep analysis about the coming end of the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels that pollute the environment. Just watch an hour of television each day. There are virtually zero ads for gas-powered vehicles. Every car company is focused on producing hybrid and electric vehicles, and this situation is based on the demand of consumers.

Manchin’s thought process is focused on material gain, not building a better future for all Americans. He is a symbol of why our government is dysfunctional. He ran as a Democrat, but is truly a member of the regressive party which calls itself “Republicans.”

This was the Democrats’ response to Manchin’s justification for not doing the right thing.

“There are a bunch of incentives in the package to produce chips and batteries domestically so we don’t trade dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign batteries,” Ashley Schapitl, a spokesperson for the Senate Finance Committee, tweeted.

Gas prices in Northern Nevada have reached $4.59 per gallon. The petroleum industry is blaming the invasion of Ukraine. I call “bulls**t.” I was sitting in my car in those long gas lines in 1974. This was a ruse to simply raise prices. This is happening again.

In that same year, the producers of coffee and sugar claimed shortages. Once again, this was an excuse to nearly double prices. They have never been reduced, instead, when you buy a pound of coffee, you are paying for that pound, but receiving only 12-and-one-half ounces. The same is true for sugar and what once was a “half-gallon” of ice cream. Corporate greed is guilty for today’s fake inflation.

Manchin is wrong and wrong for America. Coal will never be “clean,” and it is inefficient and a danger to miners and our environment. The truth is that the people of West Virginia are switching to natural gas to heat their homes. Coal is on its way out.

I say to Manchin, “get over it, and get over yourself.” You are the past and must be replaced by a younger Independent senator who will faithfully serve the people of West Virginia.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

Business Insider: Joe Manchin says he’s unsure about supporting electric vehicles since he doesn’t want to be ‘standing in line waiting for a battery;’ by Joseph Zeballos-Roig
The Guardian: Manchin ‘very reluctant’ on electric cars in ominous sign for Biden’s climate fight; by Oliver Milman

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Marcy Leigh’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Third Way Think Tank’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License