Sen. Manchin: Extremist Democrats and Republicans threaten America's future

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Throughout my career in public service, especially as West Virginia’s governor and U.S. senator, I have looked for every opportunity possible to change my state and country for the better by bringing everyone to the negotiating table, no matter their political beliefs. As part of that mission, and for more than a decade, I have fully embraced the unique role I play as a centrist because, like so many Americans, I believe that our partisan politics are tearing this nation apart at the seams.

And like so many Americans, I’m sick and tired of it, and it's why I spoke at a No Labels event last week in New Hampshire.

Let's be brutally honest about the political reality we live in today. The extremes on the left and right now control the Democratic and Republican Parties, defining our politics and policy debates. These partisan extremes are in the business of feeding political division and dysfunction everyday – and their business is booming.

Extremists in both parties benefit from Americans' division

They want America divided – because they benefit greatly from it. They want us to see each other as enemies because they feed off of it. They attack our institutions, whether it is our Capitol, our elected leaders or our justice system, without caring about the lasting damage it does.  

In America, leadership is not a birthright but instead it’s the choice of voters after respectful debates of ideas. And partisan leaders on both sides of the aisle are increasingly threatened by the growing desire for debate.

But I am not threatened by debate. Instead, I believe America is stronger when we are provided forums that invest in the discussions surrounding the most important issues facing us. What is clear to all those who wish to listen is that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe in unity. We are stronger as a nation when we embrace compromise, common sense and common ground. So why is common sense absent from our policy debates? 

For starters, our national debt has reached crisis proportions. We have amassed more than $32 trillion in debt, failed to pass a budget for almost 10 years and spent more than we raised for 21 straight years. This is not a strategy for success – neither your home nor business would survive if operated that way.

Then there’s the issue of chronic inflation. The American people continue to struggle with rising utility and food costs. Yet the response from both parties is to gaslight the public by deflecting blame to the opposing party. 

Our nation’s energy security or lack thereof is one of the most significant issues facing us. Last year, Congress passed and the president signed a law that was truly an all-of-the-above energy bill ‒ requiring increased fossil fuel leasing on federal lands and historic investments in energy technologies that will ensure America is leading the world.

Despite that, this administration refuses to implement the law as intended because officials are more concerned with pleasing the far left of the Democratic Party. The consequences of their poor implementation play right into the hands of China and other adversaries while driving up energy costs for American families, jeopardizing our energy independence and ultimately our ability to remain the greatest superpower that has ever existed. 

Americans deserve a different choice: Do we really want Biden vs. Trump again? Americans need a third choice for president.

Finding common ground to these problems will not be easy or simple. But the alternative is no longer sustainable because partisan battles will not solve our nation’s problems; they will only feed these problems. And though the extremes of the two major political parties may be the ones that benefit each of them politically, it will be the American people and the coming generations who will pay the ultimate price. 

For the sake of this generation of Americans and the next, our national politics must change.  If that does not happen, and if we continue to pursue a path that feeds off our present national divisions, we will destroy this nation’s future.

America's political leaders must find better way to govern

I will forever believe in the promise of America, not the promises of any political party. I believe there is a better way to govern and lead this nation forward that embraces respectful discourse, debate and discussion.  

Given the plague of issues we now confront, as well as the moment of history we find ourselves in, I sincerely believe there is no greater threat to the soul or success of America than those – from the extreme left and right – who seek to profit from these toxic political divisions that are tearing this nation apart.

Being a Republican, Democrat or independent does not make you my enemy, nor should it define whom I can work with. The path to solving our nation’s biggest challenges does not lie in us screaming at each other, belittling the other or threatening those who may disagree with us. 

Some will argue that such a movement is doomed to fail or that two parties have too much power. Would you expect those who could lose their power over the political system they have broken to say anything else? While I can’t change them, I will continue doing everything I can to  help build a commonsense movement that will usher in a new, more hopeful and optimistic era for American politics. 

Sen. Joe Manchin is a Democrat from West Virginia.