Dead Center Quotes

“During all of these moments—the pressure, the backroom deals, the political games—I remembered Papa Joe, Mama Kay, my mom, my dad, and Farmington. I remembered where I came from and the values that shaped me. Hard work. Common sense. Doing what’s right, especially when it’s not easy. That’s all I’ve ever needed to stay grounded in my purpose: To serve the people and put country before party. To stand up for West Virginia, not cave to Washington.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The people of West Virginia—and Americans across this nation—deserve leaders who listen with an open mind, embrace diverse perspectives, and lead by bringing everyone to the table.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“I don’t say this lightly, but under the leadership of President Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid, and later President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats have systematically tried to weaken the very guardrails that have protected our democracy for generations—all in the name of advancing their agenda. Who would have ever believed that I, coming from a small coal town in West Virginia, would be in position to help stop them? When that moment came, I did what I’ve always done. I stood my ground.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The Senate was designed to be a chamber of deliberation and leadership. But far too often, it has been treated as nothing more than a political battlefield where short-term wins matter more than long-term consequences.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“During the 117th Congress, with the Senate evenly split fifty-fifty, Chuck Schumer attempted to cram every progressive wish-list item into a reconciliation bill so that it could bypass the 60-vote requirement and pass with a simple majority. His strategy was to force as much policy as possible into the bill and then pressure my colleagues and me into going along with it. But the parliamentarian ruled that many of these provisions did not qualify under the Byrd Rule. Rather than respect the ruling, Senate Democrats attempted to override the parliamentarian’s decision, but my vote denied the 51 votes they needed.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“Take the Byrd Rule, named after my predecessor, Senator Robert C. Byrd. It was established in the 1980s specifically to close the loophole in the reconciliation process. A reconciliation bill is supposed to be limited to budgetary matters—it must have a direct impact on federal revenue or spending, and it cannot contain unrelated policy provisions. The parliamentarian’s job is to determine whether a bill meets these criteria. This distinction matters because a reconciliation bill needs only 51 votes to pass, while all other legislation requires 60 votes to break a filibuster. The ruling on whether a bill qualifies for reconciliation has massive consequences.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“with representation proportional to the size of each state. That’s why every vote in the House is a simple majority—218 votes out of 435 wins the day. It is the body that initiates tax policy and revenue legislation. The Senate, by contrast, is not about population. It is about balance. Every state, regardless of size, gets two senators, a structure that was deliberately put in place to protect smaller states from being steamrolled by the larger ones. The Senate serves as the jury in impeachment trials and is the body that confirms presidential nominations and ratifies treaties.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“My warning to them is this: Please do not fall into the same trap that consumed Democrats. Do not govern entirely through reconciliation. Do not stretch parliamentary rules beyond recognition. Do not override the parliamentarian when a ruling doesn’t go your way. Do not exploit every loophole just to bypass real debate. That kind of governance is just as destructive as eliminating the filibuster outright.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“But everyone in Washington knows that once the nuclear option is invoked to remove the filibuster for a single piece of legislation, the precedent is set to eliminate it entirely. After that, nothing stops the Senate from descending into perpetual partisan warfare, eliminating any incentive for consensus-building and cooperation. This isn’t about one issue; it’s about preserving the core fabric of our democracy and maintaining a functional Senate that works across the aisle for all Americans.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The Senate is more than just a legislative body. It’s the soul of our democracy. And if we lose that soul—if we let partisanship, money, and power consume us—then we lose everything.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“deliberative body our founders intended it to be. One party would jam through its agenda today, and the other would come back tomorrow and undo it all. That’s not governing. That’s chaos.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The power that once rested in committees and with committee chairs—where real debate and policymaking took place—has all but vanished. Now everything flows through the majority leader’s office, consolidating control and sidelining the very process that was designed to ensure thoughtful, bipartisan legislating.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“Democracy isn’t just about majority rule. It’s about protecting minority rights, about ensuring that every voice has a chance to be heard. The Senate was designed to have senators consider perspectives outside of their own, to build coalitions, and to craft legislation that can stand the test of time.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“At the end of the day, the filibuster is about bipartisanship and finding compromise instead of governing by pure partisan muscle. It’s about forcing us to work together, even when it’s hard. And let me tell you, it’s hard. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on it.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The moment one party uses it, the other side will do the same when they get the chance. And before you know it, the Senate becomes just like the House—purely partisan, with zero incentive to work together. We are dangerously close to this reality.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“a drastic change to the filibuster and lets a simple majority in the Senate—just 51 votes—break a filibuster instead of the traditional 60-vote threshold. In plain English, it’s a way to bulldoze the minority party and force something through without bipartisan support.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“The only way to get around the filibuster is known as the nuclear option, which is basically the doomsday button in the Senate. The nuclear option allows”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“In 1917, the Senate responded by adopting Rule 22, which established the cloture process. Cloture allows the Senate to end debate and move to a vote if two-thirds of Senators present agree. In 1975, that threshold was later lowered to three-fifths, or 60 votes.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“Senators were expected to act with a certain level of decorum and restraint. The idea was that unlimited debate would encourage compromise and ensure that all voices were heard.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“Real strength and real progress come from balanced power, thoughtful deliberation, and a commitment to ensuring every voice—no matter how big or how small—is heard and respected.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

“Put people first and country before party. Be fiscally responsible and socially compassionate. That’s it.”
― Joe Manchin, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense