When it comes to politicians, it’s essential to look at those on the other side of the political aisle and decide with whom we can agree — or at least admire — for various reasons other than the policy proposals they put forth.
Those who first come to mind include Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), both members who have spent much of the past year making members of their own party unhappy in order to uphold their principles.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Manchin recently discussed his legislative record with co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
“I’ve always been very moderate, very centrist. I tell people, I’m fiscally responsible and socially compassionate. And I want to find that middle. And I think there’s always a middle to find,” Manchin said.
Regarding Manchin’s position in the senate, Karl called him “the man with the leverage,” to which Manchin responded, “I don’t wish this on anybody.”
“It’s the way I’ve basically been in public life, and I’m not changing. I’m sorry that this 50/50 worked out and people were unhappy with it, but it is what it is. And if they think that I’m going to change and be something that I’m not, I won’t. And I’ve been very clear. I’m willing to meet everybody halfway,” Manchin said.
Senator Sinema has shared a similar burden, pushing back against her Democratic colleagues who want to take the radical position of dismantling the filibuster. She has repeatedly stressed the point that her position on the filibuster is due to her view of democracy and rests on philosophical convictions rather than political sides.
As The Daily Wire reported, Sinema wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post offering a strident defense of her support for maintaining the filibuster.
Sinema wrote that we “have more to lose than gain by ending the filibuster,” adding that the “best way to achieve durable, lasting results” is “[b]ipartisan cooperation.”
She added, “I understand bipartisanship seems outdated to many pundits. But the difficult work of collaboration is what we expect in Arizona. And I still believe it is the best way to identify realistic solutions — instead of escalating all-or-nothing political battles that result in no action, or in whipsawing federal policy reversals.”
On the topic of getting rid of the filibuster, Sinema was blunt: “It’s no secret that I oppose eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. I held the same view during three terms in the U.S. House, and said the same after I was elected to the Senate in 2018.”
She said that sometimes the filibuster is needed — “as it’s been used in previous Congresses” — in order “to protect against attacks on women’s health, clean air, and water, or aid to children and families in need.”
She added that her “support for retaining the 60-vote threshold is not based on the importance of any particular policy,” but rather “on what is best for our democracy. The filibuster compels moderation and helps protect the country from wild swings between opposing policy poles.”
The idea of moderation and finding common ground seems outdated to some, but there are still a few legislators who think it is possible.
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Manchin’s friendship is one which seems to have stunned members of the media, and perhaps members of each party, as well.
In an interview with Politico earlier this year, the two discussed their longtime friendship and stressed the importance of finding common ground. When common ground is not possible, however, they noted how it is important to still treat one another with kindness, dignity, and respect.
The notion might seem unrealistic to many in the political sphere today who carry out most of their interactions via Twitter, putting out quick one-liners aimed at their opponents. The passive-aggressive act of sub-tweeting is commonplace and the political environment might very well be turning into one similar to a high school hallway where words are whispered behind the backs of “frenemies” and there is little understanding, much less respect.
If Americans want our politics to more accurately represent our nation, then we must be the electorate that we wish politicians to portray. If we show up in online forums ready to throw a written spear, we should not be surprised when we are verbally stabbed in the back before we get the chance to convey our own message.
When we take the time to celebrate those on the other side when they do the right thing, we place another rock in the river we’re trying to cross together, knowing the whole time we still risk falling in.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.