Fuck Joe Manchin

By Michael Kelman Portney

Joe Manchin, the king of bipartisan posturing, has finally found his voice on the Supreme Court—just as he’s walking out the door. What a hero. After years of being the most exasperating member of the U.S. Senate, Manchin now wants to champion Supreme Court reform. He proposes a constitutional amendment to set term limits for justices, arguing that the lifetime appointment system is broken. And you know what? He’s right—it is broken. But here’s the problem: Joe Manchin had years to address this when it actually mattered, and he did absolutely nothing.

Let’s be real: Joe Manchin is a political douchebag. There’s no other way to put it. When he had the power to stand up to the very system he now decries, he cowered behind his “moderate” shtick and consistently played into the hands of the GOP. He voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—two architects of the court’s right-wing supermajority. He even entertained the absurd notion of opposing Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s milquetoast nominee who never even got a hearing thanks to Republican obstructionism. And now, now, as he exits stage left, he wants to drop a truth bomb about how the system is broken? Please.

Manchin’s Record of Political Cowardice

Manchin’s entire Senate career has been a masterclass in political cowardice masquerading as moderation. He talks a big game about preserving norms and bipartisanship, but his record shows a man more concerned with maintaining his own precarious position than actually fighting for the principles he claims to hold.

When the GOP was playing constitutional hardball—blocking Garland, rushing through Amy Coney Barrett, and lowering the confirmation threshold for Supreme Court justices—Manchin was busy pretending the Senate’s traditions still mattered. He voted for Kavanaugh despite credible allegations of sexual misconduct and clear evidence of extreme partisanship. But when Barrett’s nomination came just weeks before the 2020 election? Manchin suddenly grew a spine and objected—not because he truly cared, but because the political optics had shifted.

Manchin’s votes have directly contributed to the mess we’re in today. The Supreme Court’s legitimacy is in tatters, public trust in the institution is at an all-time low, and its decisions are increasingly out of step with the will of the people. But rather than owning up to his role in this crisis, Manchin now wants to ride off into the sunset, pointing fingers at everyone else.

Too Little, Too Late

Let’s talk about this brilliant idea of his: a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices. Sure, it sounds great in theory. The current system is broken, and lifetime appointments have led to the kind of entrenched partisanship we see today. But where was this bold idea when Manchin was in a position to do something about it? He was busy protecting the filibuster!

Manchin’s proposal has zero chance of becoming reality now. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, followed by ratification by 38 states. Good luck getting that kind of consensus in today’s political climate. The real solutions—like court expansion or enforcing an ethics code for justices—don’t require constitutional amendments. They require political will. And that’s something Manchin has never had.

Joe Manchin, Meet the Mirror

Manchin’s late-in-the-game realization that the Supreme Court is broken is a classic example of what psychologists call “too little, too late syndrome” (OK, I made that up, but it fits). It’s the same pattern we’ve seen from retiring politicians for decades. Washington warned us about political parties after he left office. Eisenhower cautioned against the military-industrial complex on his way out. And now Manchin wants us to applaud him for pointing out the obvious as he heads for the exit.

Here’s the thing, Joe: pointing out the problem isn’t enough. You were in a position to do something, and you didn’t. You chose political survival over principle, every single time, and you bullshitted yourself right out of office. And now that your political career is winding down, you want to play the wise elder statesman? Spare us.

Fuck Joe Manchin

Yes, I said it: fuck Joe Manchin. His career is a cautionary tale about what happens when political cowardice masquerades as bipartisanship. He had the power to fight for meaningful Supreme Court reform, to stand up to Republican obstructionism, and to demand accountability from a broken institution. Instead, he played both sides, enabling the very dysfunction he now decries.

So no, Joe, you don’t get a gold star for stating the obvious. You don’t get a pat on the back for proposing a solution that has no chance of happening. And you definitely don’t get to pretend you’re some kind of visionary leader. You’re a political opportunist who wasted his time in office, and history will remember you as such.

Good riddance.