Manchin calls for more independents in Congress: ‘People want a little bit more normalcy'

Joe Manchin discovering the two-party system is a problem now that he's out of office is one of those things that would be funnier if it weren't so predictable. This is a guy who spent years as the deciding vote in a 50-50 Senate, cashing in every ounce of leverage that came from being a Democrat willing to break ranks. The independence he's selling now is the independence of someone who no longer has to answer to voters in West Virginia every six years.

The "normalcy" line is doing a lot of work here. What people actually want isn't a third bucket to sort politicians into. It's leaders who say what they mean and vote like they meant it, instead of triangulating for cable hits and book deals. Manchin built a career on being the last no vote everyone had to court, and it worked great for Manchin. Whether it worked for West Virginia is a separate question.

There's a real conversation to be had about a system that punishes anyone who won't march in lockstep. But that conversation should start with the people still in the arena, not a retired senator doing a press tour for his own legacy. Independents aren't a magic fix if they still show up in Washington and get absorbed by the same committees, the same leadership deals, the same donor class. The two-party system has plenty of real problems. Manchin, of all people, benefited from every one of them.