Say it ain’t so, Joe
I just thought it was a chance meeting at the time.
I鈥檇 never expected to come face-to-face with a U.S. senator while waiting to get my car fixed.
That happened nearly a decade ago just outside of Pittsburgh.
I was in the waiting room of a local Meineke Auto Car Care Center, holding my breath while awaiting the verdict on my malfunctioning Buick.
Some familiar looking guy walked into the waiting room. He went to the service desk and asked if he could get an oil change.
No luck.
He was told he鈥檇 have a long wait.
Upon learning he鈥檇 not be able to get his car worked on, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin headed for the door.
I headed right for him.
It was my golden opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the 鈥淲orld鈥檚 Most Deliberative Body,鈥� from one of its participants.
I followed him outside, introduced myself to him, then asked him what a U.S. senator from West Virginia would be doing in the suburbs of Pittsburgh on a Monday morning.
No mystery.
His daughter lived in Pittsburgh, and he came to visit her and her family over the weekend.
I then proceeded to pepper him with the kinds of political questions that must be annoying to politicians returning to Washington, D.C., with anxieties about needing an oil change before getting on the road.
But Manchin was surprisingly open about his political philosophy.
He had only been in office a few months since he assumed office in November 2010.
He expressed some apprehensions about being in the Senate.
For him, being one member of a body of 100 people hadn鈥檛 been as meaningful as when he had been the governor of a state.
He told me he had felt more comfortable being able to have a direct influence over projects and policies than when he was part of a group.
To him, it was the stuff that directly affects people鈥檚 lives.
That was understandable.
In fact, I once had a conversation with Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites in which he told me he and another commissioner (Joe Hardy) flew down to Charleston to have a face-to-face meeting with Manchin in his office.
The issue was the completion of a segment of the Mon-Fayette Expressway.
Vicites and the other commissioner broached the plan.
According to Vicites, within a week Manchin held a news conference to announce the deal.
Done, and done!
By 2018, in a comprehensive article about him in GQ Magazine, he proudly said, 鈥淢y worst day as governor, is better than my best day as senator.鈥�
In Charleston, he鈥檇 gladly engaged in retail politics.
Nowadays, though, he鈥檚 gone full wholesale.
He might be the most powerful man in Washington these days 鈥� including Joe Biden.
He鈥檚 standing firm against the removal of the filibuster that may enable President Biden to advance his agenda including the 鈥淔or the People Act鈥� (a voting rights bill), a massive infrastructure bill and, police reforms.
Of course, some of his fellow Democrats are furious. They鈥檙e claiming Manchin is immobilizing Biden鈥檚 agenda with his notions of wanting bipartisan legislation.
Republicans shouldn鈥檛 take delight in any of this.
Democrats may shout their disapprovals at Manchin鈥檚 actions, or inactions. But unlike Republicans, there aren鈥檛 any Democrats calling for Manchin to be removed from the various committees he either heads (Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee) or he鈥檚 a member of.
By contrast, Wyoming鈥檚 Liz Cheney used to be the third highest ranking among Republicans in the U.S. House.
That is until she voted to impeach Donald Trump, and she鈥檚 consistently told the truth about his claims of widespread voter fraud.
One of her colleagues, Florida鈥檚 Matt Gaetz, boldly traveled to Wyoming and held a rally against her in January.
That sort of thing won鈥檛 happen to Manchin.
He鈥檒l stand firm. But there probably won鈥檛 be many recriminations against him from his fellow Democrats.
Nor will Biden speak ill of him.
Unlike Trump, who still calls his fellow Republicans 鈥渓osers,鈥� and 鈥減olitical hacks.鈥�
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.