CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) released his own statement Sunday regarding the shooting that occurred Saturday at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania.
“Our nation stands at a critical point in our history. I love my country, and I cannot stand by and watch these events unfold without speaking out. The horrific acts of yesterday were the actions of one man, but they should come as no surprise to anyone in the toxic political environment we find ourselves in today.
“On both sides of the political spectrum, politics has become a race of extremes. Although it takes different forms on the right and the left, extremism is now the driving force in both parties. As each party seeks to serve its side’s most ideologically powerful interests, America’s reasonable majority is alienated and left behind.
“Every day we see increasingly brutal language being used to demonise and vilify the other side. There is no room for discussion or debate. Love of country has been replaced by hatred of anyone who claims to support the other party.
“But nothing good has ever come from hate. Sadly, an innocent protester is dead and others injured because we allowed hate speech to become a rallying cry for political violence. We are fortunate that former President Donald Trump was only injured and will recover.
“This should be a wake-up call for all of us. This is a moment when Americans must come together to support the ideals that make our nation great. It’s time to put country before party. On both sides. It’s time to focus on what we are for, not who we are against. It’s time to recognize how close we are to tearing this country apart, and acknowledge how much worse that will be for all Americans.
“I am enraged, and I know others are, that we are in this situation. We must recognize that both sides have responsibility for where we are and where we go from here. There are groups on both sides that are trying to impose their own morality on everyone else, as if there is no place in America for people with different values ​​to live together. There are forces on the right that would undermine our democracy to stay in power. They have already identified a hazardous agenda that they will pursue if they gain control of all three branches of Congress. And on the left, their actions could make this one-party Republican rule a reality. It is becoming increasingly clear that extremists have taken over the party and are trying to pursue policies that are not in line with the majority of Americans, but at their expense.
“At a time when the Democratic Party must realize that in addition to the presidency, they risk losing the Senate and even the House of Representatives, they are doing nothing to expand their tent and appeal to more Americans. Instead, they are pulling the party further to the left. Unfortunately, their vocal support for President Biden, given his irreparable debate performance, is just proof of how much control the far left has over the current administration.
“The main reason I became an independent is because I saw that both parties were failing the reasonable majority of people in our country and that is why America is losing. I believe our political system is broken and I will continue to find solutions to fix it.
“We cannot solve the problem by looking only to our own advantage. Today we are playing a zero-sum game in which one side can only win if the other loses. But that is not a path to progress or prosperity. It is a path to more of the darkness we saw yesterday in Western Pennsylvania.”
“Our nation has succeeded when we have come together to make reasonable compromises and move our country forward. I hope we can learn that demonizing each other only leads to more division and that hatred only leads to more violence. I hope both parties can remember that each is here to serve America, not themselves. We all deserve better.”
