I can’t understand why Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia remains a Democrat. Ideologically, he is far closer to Mitch McConnell or even Ted Cruz than he is to the Schumer-Pelosi Democrats.  His constituents in the Mountaineer State (“Mountaineer” is the polite word for “Hillbilly”) gave President Trump overwhelming support in 2016, and remain loyal to him.

 When it doesn’t matter to the outcome, he can break with the Dems to support the GOP in Senate votes. But when push comes to shove, he is a Party Man.

During the State of the Union Address, he visibly surrendered to the party leadership and handed the GOP a hammer to use on him when he is up for re-election this November. Don Surber, a West Virginian himself (and a must-read blogger for me every day), spotted Manchin’s embarrassing submission to the power of Schumer:

Sen. Joe Manchin almost ap plauded the president but Chuck Schumer won't let him.

Why do we West Virginians -- the Trumpiest people in the USA -- have Manchin as our senator?

Manchin showed at the State of the Union address last night whom he works for.

It's not us.

Watch for yourself:

Omg @ComfortablySmug, you see Manchin??? pic.twitter.com/gP1LQgpzBQ

— Charlie Cafazza (@Cafazza) January 31, 2018

If you live in West Virginia, don’t worry: You will be seeing this video countless times in TV commercials prior to November.

Unless, that is, President Trump tells Manchin that unless he switches parties and explains to state why he can no longer be a Democrat, President Trump will be campaigning for his opponent, with visits to rallies in the state’s principal cities.