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A second round of federal COVID-19 relief money, more than $900 billion, may be on its way to Americans soon.
Thank U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and like-minded lawmakers.
Manchin is unlike many politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who seem to have forgotten that the people want results, not rhetoric. Fiery, emotional appeals to "the base" may work during election campaigns, but they divide rather than uniting.
For months, tens of millions of Americans have been engaged in a futile wait for Congress to approve a second round of assistance to those suffering from the COVID-19 epidemic. Leaders of the two parties have failed to agree on a formula.
Last week, with Manchin in a leading role, a small group of U.S. senators and representatives -- both Republicans and Democrats -- revealed they had agreed on a framework to provide $908 billion in new relief funding. It will help businesses, the unemployed, schools, health care providers, and local and state governments struggling to cope with the epidemic.
How was it possible that the bipartisan group could break a deadlock so severe and long-lasting? As Manchin explained it, the new plan "proves that we can reach across the aisle and create meaningful compromise …"
There are indications the relief bill may be approved by Congress. It should be -- soon. Too many Americans need help for left- and right-wing lawmakers to be allowed to block the plan.
What they seem to have missed is something Manchin recognized -- and has stood for -- for many years. It is that most people are moderates or centrists, not extremists. They would rather not have to choose between hard-line liberals and hard-line conservatives.
Manchin's strength -- and quite possibly his opportunity to do good things for both West Virginia and the entire nation during the next few years -- is that he has not had to re-invent himself. He has always been a centrist, with leadership in organizations such as "No Labels" and the "Third Way" to prove it.
In fact, earlier this year, the respected publications "Congressional Quarterly" and "Roll Call" analyzed voting records of all members of Congress --and found Manchin to be the most bipartisan of all. He has voted with Democrats 50.2% of the time and Republicans 49.8% of the time. Several others involved in the relief bill coalition also rank high in bipartisanship.
Clearly, their approach is important. It recognizes lawmakers should serve the people, not political parties, to get things done.