Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) distinguished himself this week by standing with Democrats in opposition to Obamacare repeal. Having taken such a principled stand, Manchin apparently has make a correction, and stand up as the only Democrat volunteering to help Republicans "repair" Obamacare.
Manchin has told GOP leaders that he's "happy to sit down with you to see if we can find a pathway forward," he told his home state's MetroNews radio station on Thursday. Before his election in 2010, Manchin added, Democrats passed Obamacare "with no bipartisan support. Last night, my Republican friends and colleagues, with no Democrats, voted 51 [to 48] to throw it out. To fix it, it's going to take 60."
As a new member of Senate Democratic leadership, Manchin could face a political minefield in working to secure support among other moderate members of the minority for Obamacare talks with Republicans. […]
"If you don’t have agreement with at least eight or 10 Democrats" on changes to Obamacare, Manchin told MetroNews, "it will be easy to try to throw it out" but "almost impossible" to replace the law.
He's not going to find at least 8 or 10 Democrats to do that. This is clearly Manchin thinking about 2018 in West Virginia, so more power to him in his home state. But he can do that and be helpful, too.
Remember back to 2009 when Sen. Max Baucus, then the Democratic chair of the finance committee, spent month after month after month meeting with and negotiating with Republican Chuck Grassley, trying to find the sweet spot for Republican support of healthcare reform, something Grassley had no intent of helping with? That would be a model for the senator from West Virginia.
Senator Manchin? Be like Chuck Grassley.