National Democrats have abandoned Joe Manchin; he should formalize the split

If Republican leaders are smart, they will start a concerted effort, right now, to entice Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to leave the Democratic Party.

Manchin may not become a Republican (although he would fit in well as an “independent who caucuses with Republicans”), but he would better represent the values of his West Virginia constituents if he no longer affiliated himself with the increasingly radical-leftist Democrats who run the White House, the Senate, and the U.S. House. As a Republican or as an independent caucusing with Republicans, Manchin could retain a maverick persona while doing both his state and country the favor of forcing policy back to a sensible center.