If you thought President Joe Biden's inflation crisis was bad, some believe if it wasn't for certain politicians intervening, it could have bee much worse.
While that's difficult and scary to imagine, given how bad it already is, New York Times columnist David Brooks said during a recent PBS interview that moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) was key to preventing even higher inflation under the Biden administration.
That's because Brooks said Manchin, not always popular with his own party, blocked the Biden administration from even greater spending ambitions that would have likely completely tanked the economy with unprecedented inflation.
Brooks added, "and the Biden administration would be in much worse shape if our inflation had hit like double digits, which it could have [been] overstimulating to that degree."
The discussion came in the wake of Manchin's bombshell recent announcement that he will not seek reelection next year, essentially handing Republicans a Senate seat in deep-red West Virginia.
Brooks was asked by "PBS NewsHour" co-host Geoff Bennett, "What’s the legacy that Joe Manchin leaves behind?"
The NYT columnist held nothing back as he credited Manchin with "saving" the Biden administration from even more political pain.
"He saved the Biden administration. And so, the Biden administration, and — if you remember, a few years ago, wanted to spend $4 trillion to pump up the economy. And he said, no way, no way. It was more like 1 trillion," he said.
Brooks added, "And, as a result — if we had spent 4 trillion, instead of 1 trillion, the inflation — which we really suffered from — would have been astronomical, and the Biden administration would be in much worse shape if our inflation had hit like double digits, which it could have [been] overstimulating to that degree. So, Democrats don’t like Joe Manchin, but he did save their bacon."
Manchin might be retiring from Congress, but many believe his announcement is a precursor to a potential centrist presidential run, especially given recent polling numbers that show President Biden is in increasingly rough shape for his 2024 campaign.
Joe Manchin will NOT seek reelection.
— Lawrence Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) November 9, 2023
"Joe Manchin didn’t simply announce he wasn’t running for re-election. He really announced he’s launching a presidential exploratory committee as a centrist third party candidate. That’s the news," Ari Fleischer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Joe Manchin didn’t simply announce he wasn’t running for re-election. He really announced he’s launching a presidential exploratory committee as a centrist third party candidate. That’s the news.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) November 9, 2023
Biden is already facing the prospect of losing votes he can't afford to lose with his current challengers. If Manchin ultimately ends up in the race, Biden's chances against former President Donald Trump will absolutely plummet overnight.
