He just shouted himself out and saved Dems the time and effort to figure out his motives. Enjoy being primaried ya friggin crum bum.

I know we won't get a Sanders or Warren type from W Va, but Sessions is as bad as DeVos. Maybe worse since he will likely have power to do more harm. No Democrat should have voted for someone with such a bad record on civil rights.

I honestly don't know but a vote for Sessions is ugly as hell. I'm sure some of the more knowledge(d) folks know more about it than I do.

Hopes for the coal industry limit who can be elected there. But a vote against Sessions can be defended! Manchin's vote should not have happened.

and now I do. I wasn't thinking progressive just something more along the line of an old discarded mattress. Anything at all. rained on, stains, whatever, but I guess we're already there.

I was just chomping at the bit and ended up as the first poster. I've been a cursory follower of politics for a bit and still swimming in the shallow end. I vote when it's time but the sheer insanity of what's going on has my hackles up and interest even more so.

I get what you are saying. It is important to keep the Democratic seats in red states. But voting for Sessions is wrong anywhere.

He could have just as easily not voted for the guy. It's not like the Republicans needed his vote to get Sessions over.

And if we could lead with a program to immediately transition miners into sustainable jobs at good union wages.

They vote for Presidents and incumbent Congre$$ people - unless it's a 'throw the bastards out' campaign. People aren't likely to give a shit how their reps vote

But Democratic politicians always use this excuse

consistently fail - utterly - to understand the political realities on the ground in such places.

it's about the fact that Joe Manchin and West Virginia are pretty much lost causes. We stand a better chance of flipping Arizona at this time than West Virginia.

The state's economy is overwhelmingly dependent on energy, especially coal and the Dems are perceived as hostile to coal while Republicans are seen as coal friendly which has caused a huge chunk of the voting population to flip. Until we find a way to change that perception we will continue to be shut out of WV politics.

Ol' Joe sees the big neon writing on the wall. Most likely one of the following scenarios will happen: he'll get booted in 2018 or suddenly decide to "retire" or he'll switch parties. Either way I don't see him toting that "D" for much longer.

That much is certain.

There are no far-left, solid, reliable liberals from states that are not blue or leaning blue. Now, why do you suppose that is?

Being even more conservative than Manchin didn't save Mary Landrieu from being sent packing in Louisiana. It didn't help conservative Dem Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas.

Joe isn't daft. He sees the big neon writing on the wall.

As stated before I don't see him carrying that "D" much longer.

should certainly avoid enlisting ourselves in the Republican effort to squash them from existence.

Corker or Alexander in the Senate from my backward TN. Lots of blue staters don't realize how few Dems can win statewide elections in red states