Is Manchin a Republican?

Joe Manchin is frequently accused of being an elephant in donkey’s clothing. Is that accurate?

Consider the following:

1. Manchin clearly rejects the Trump rigged election theme, which is the orthodox GOP position on the issue.
2. He takes mostly unhelpful stances on climate change, but, unlike the average Republican, he does not deny it exists.
3. He supports the dollar store economy, but he will vote for programs which mitigate some of its worst features for workers. The GOP considers any such mitigation to be socialism.
4. He is closer to the GOP than to progressives on some social issues, but his voting record on judges is unremarkable, and social issues rarely figure in Congress in other contexts.

In short, if the GOP were a sane, moderate, constructive party, Manchin would probably be among them, but they aren’t, so he isn’t. And rightly so.