Manchin: Atmosphere right for ācomplete tsunamiā in midterms
Joe Manchin calling for a "complete tsunami" is worth paying attention to, if only because he spent years as the Senate's most cautious Democrat. He doesn't reach for dramatic language lightly, and he knows West Virginia voters better than most national strategists ever will. When he says the atmosphere is right, he's reading the same polls and the same mood that has Republicans bracing for a difficult November.
The GOP's House majority is thin, and midterms usually punish the party holding the White House. Add in an unpredictable president and a base that's restless, and the ingredients for a wave are there. But I'd want to know what Manchin means by "complete tsunami." Does he mean Democrats pick up a dozen seats, or does he mean the kind of wipeout that reshapes the conference entirely? Those are very different outcomes, and the difference matters for how the next Congress actually functions.
I lean toward thinking the Democrats gain ground, but "tsunami" is a strong word. Manchin has been wrong before, and he's also been deliberately provocative when it suits him. Still, when a centrist from West Virginia starts talking like this, Republicans have reason to pay attention.