Dead Center in Defense of Common Sense

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Memoir / Political Manifesto

• Title

  Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense

• Author

  Joe Manchin

• Publisher

  St. Martin's Press

• Key Argument

  Defense of common sense in politics, advocating for bipartisanship and personal responsibility.

• Core Philosophy

  Centrist, Moderate, Conservative Democrat

• Publication Year

  2025

Timeline

• Approximate publication of the book "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense" by St. Martin's Press. (Source: Web Search)

  2025

• The New York Times publishes a review of "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense." (Source: Web Search)

  2025-09-17

• NPR publishes an article discussing Joe Manchin's memoir, "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense." (Source: Web Search)

  2025-09-30

Joe Manchin

Joseph Anthony Manchin III ( MAN-chin; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. From 2015 until he registered as an independent in 2024, he was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat. Manchin served from 2001 to 2005 as the 27th secretary of state of West Virginia and from 2005 to 2010 as the 34th governor of West Virginia. Before entering politics, he co-founded and was president of Enersystems, his family-owned and operated coal brokerage company. Manchin won the 2004 West Virginia gubernatorial election by a large margin and was reelected by an even larger margin in 2008. He won the 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd's death with 53.5% of the vote, and in 2012 was elected to a full term with 60.6% of the vote. Manchin won a second term in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote. In all his Senate elections, he drastically outperformed Democratic presidential nominees in the state. Manchin represented the most Republican-leaning constituency of any Democrat or independent in Congress during his tenure. Manchin has called himself a "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat" and was generally regarded as the Senate Democratic caucus's most centrist member. He opposed President Barack Obama's energy policies, including reductions and restrictions on coal mining; voted against cloture for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 (not voting on the bill itself); supported President Donald Trump's border wall and immigration policies; and voted to confirm most of Trump's cabinet and judicial appointees, including Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and opposed Biden's Freedom to Vote Act and Build Back Better Act instead supporting the Inflation Reduction Act. On the other hand, Manchin voted against repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, voted against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, voted to convict Trump in both of his impeachment trials, voted against Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court, voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, and was a Senate sponsor of the Inflation Reduction Act. He is among the more non-interventionist members of the Democratic caucus, having repeatedly called for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and opposed most military interventions in Syria. After the 2020 elections, Manchin became a key swing vote in the Senate, which was split 50–50 between Democrats and Republicans but controlled by Democrats because Vice President Kamala Harris was the tiebreaker. Since passing legislation with only Democratic support required Manchin's vote, he wielded a large influence in the 117th Congress. During the 118th Congress, he was again considered a key swing vote in the Senate, alongside Kyrsten Sinema. On November 9, 2023, Manchin announced that he would not run for reelection. In 2024, he left the Democratic Party to become an independent, and later clarified that he would not run for any office, ending speculation that he might be a candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election. As of 2025, Manchin is the most recent Democrat to hold non-judicial statewide office in West Virginia, and the most recent Democrat to serve the state in Congress.

Web Search Results

• 'Dead Center' explores former senator Joe Manchin's centrist politics

  Former West Virginia senator Joseph Manchin III was a gadfly in the ear of his own Democratic party for many years, and a sometime Republican ally. Manchin’s new memoir, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, is packed with stories about his relationships with the likes of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden. In this interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, Manchin explains why this country needs an “American independent party." [...] 'Dead Center' explores former senator Joe Manchin’s centrist politics : NPR's Book of the Day Former West Virginia senator Joseph Manchin III was a gadfly in the ear of his own Democratic party for many years, and a sometime Republican ally. Manchin’s new memoir, Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, is packed with stories about his relationships with the likes of President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden. In this interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, Manchin explains why this [...] St. Martin's Press

• The Illusion of Joe Manchin's “Common Sense” | The New Yorker

  Joe Manchin is as plainspoken as the day is long. He is a serious guy who does not like to waste time playing games. He has spent his entire career in defense of common sense. We know this because Manchin tells us as much on the first page of “Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense,” a new book that is part memoir, part manifesto (Manchinfesto?), part compendium of folksy and occasionally tautological aphorisms. The last of these are scattered throughout the text, in bold font: “You can always [...] In “Dead Center,” Manchin punches left much harder than he punches right. He characterizes President Barack Obama as aloof and recounts furious disagreements with President Joe Biden while broadly chastising the Democratic Party—which he represented for most of his career in the Senate, before becoming an Independent—for having let down and lost working-class voters. Though he criticizes the Republican Party at times, he also paints it as a bastion against the torching of institutional [...] play, but there was still time for Manchin to plug his book one last time. “ ‘Dead Center,’ baby, come on!” he said. “Buy it up today!” At last, he was speaking plainly. ♦

• Book Review: 'Dead Center,' by Joe Manchin - The New York Times

  When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. DEAD CENTER: In Defense of Common Sense, by Joe Manchin [...] Early in Joe Manchin’s new book, “Dead Center,” he describes a “deep, almost compulsive need for order and cleanliness” that was instilled in him at a young age. That urge has stayed with him since, and has led to some unusual behavior: “Every Christmas, after cutting down the tree and tying it to the roof of the car, I’d drive straight to the carwash — with the tree still strapped on top.” Image 3: Dead Center Dead Center Save to your reading list Want to read Have read [...] SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Nonfiction In ‘Dead Center,’ Joe Manchin Says He’s Been Right All Along In a new memoir, the former Democratic senator from West Virginia defends his centrist politics, portraying himself as a high-minded public servant with unshakable convictions. Share full article

• Manchin reflects on Senate career and outlines his vision of ... - PBS

  In his new memoir, he recounts untold stories from the Senate, interactions with the White House, and outlines a vision of leadership rooted in what he sees as principle and collaboration. The book is "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense." Former Senator Joe Manchin joins us now. Welcome back to the "News Hour." Fmr. Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV): Good to be with you, Geoff. Geoff Bennett: [...] The book is "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense." Former Senator Joe Manchin, thanks so much for being here. Fmr. Sen. Joe Manchin: Appreciate you. Thank you. ## Listen to this Segment Play 00:00 … Volume Watch the Full Episode PBS NewsHour from Sep 16, 2025 By — Geoff Bennett Geoff Bennett Geoff Bennett serves as co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS News Hour. He also serves as an NBC News and MSNBC political contributor. @GeoffRBennett By — [...] This book's title, "Dead Center," it struck me while reading this book there are two interpretations of this title. One is the one that you intended, the other being that the political center is dead. It suggests that polarization has hollowed out the middle ground and that there's no room for centrism or bipartisan compromise. Has polarization killed the political center? Fmr. Sen. Joe Manchin:

• Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense - Amazon.com

  In this revealing and entertaining memoir, Senator Manchin combines eyebrow-raising, never-before-told stories from inside the Senate and the White House.