Former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says the landmark climate bill he authored was sparked by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He also has second thoughts about the name he gave that bill: The Inflation Reduction Act. And he slings arrows at what he calls “political incompetence” from the Biden White House.
Such nuggets can be found in a new memoir published Tuesday by the Democrat-turned-independent. The book, “Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense,” reveals a host of new details about key moments in his years in the Senate.
The former chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee frequently and vocally bucked his party on energy and climate change matters, as well as other issues like federal spending.
The memoir is a celebration of Manchin’s clashes with Democrats and his repeated refusal to go along with some of the top priorities of his party and former President Joe Biden. He argues that his positions are closer to where the American people want politicians to be and where the best answers to the nation’s problems are.
