Republicans try sinking Sen. Joe Manchin over his luxury DC yacht

The National Republican Senatorial Committee unloaded its first broadside on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., accusing the Democrat of abandoning West Virginia for a $700,000 dollar luxury yacht anchored on the Potomac.

It is a populist gut punch that hits Manchin where it especially hurts. The candidate cherishes his outsider status on Capitol Hill going to great pains to paint himself as a down-the-middle moderate. Now his fancy yacht could sink that image because Manchin has a long and not-exactly distinguished nautical history.

Manchin doesn’t just live on the yacht named “Almost Heaven” whenever Congress is in session. Manchin has made his house boat into a sort of a floating clubhouse. Powerful senators have been known to hammer out compromise legislation over dinner and drinks aboard the yacht. Those booze cruises, Manchin explained to TIME Magazine, helps bipartisanship happen.

“Like a Tom Harkin and a Ted Cruz – when would you ever get them together in a room, OK?” Manchin explained referring to the retired Iowa Democrat and the current Texas Republican. “And you’d be surprised how much people have in common.”

Once aboard with Manchin, senators have hammered out compromises on everything from student loan legislation to new gun control measures. The boat also helped Manchin score points with Democratic leadership. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., became such a frequent guest, that Manchin worried that “Schumer thinks it’s his boat.”

Maybe Manchin could get away with being a bipartisan good old boy back in the day when senators wore tuxedos and toasted the civility of the upper chamber over cocktails. It won’t go over so well when partisanship has reached high tide. An easy target, the boat gives Republicans an opportunity to paint Manchin as the sort of out of touch elitist that West Virginia loves to hate.

And there is plenty of boat material for Republicans to dive bomb. For instance, Manchin will have to explain his other boat, christened the Black Tie. When he was governor of West Virginia in 2005, Manchin chartered a government plane to fly down to Mobile, Ala. and pickup the yacht anchored there. He reimbursed the state $5,400 for the flight after local press started asking questions.

A lot of this is old information. Manchin hasn’t exactly tried keeping his nautical interests a secret. But that was before a populist wave came crashing down on Washington, D.C. If Manchin can’t come up with a decent answer for his boating, it might sink him.