In a new column published in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced his opposition to the For The People Act, a bill that would protect voting rights nationwide. His arguments echo
Envision a place where dragons are eating people. There’s a law that can be passed to stop it but there’s one person in your group who thinks we should talk to the dragons first to make sure they do their part…. That’s Manchin’s reasoning for not supporting the Voters Bill. 🤦🏼♂️🙄
Unfortunately, you can use this analogy to the whole d/Democrat vs GOP relationship for the last 30 years where the GOP are clearly dragons and the d/Democrats think they can reason with them.
I can’t help but wonder, is Manchin going about it all wrong, or are Democrats going about this all wrong? Nothing in Washington gets done without manipulation and influence. Clearly Manchin and Sinema are being influenced in ways that are to their advantage. Democrats need to do some digging and find out what is influencing them. Only then will they change the course of their votes.
I’ll go even further. The Democratic leadership has been, for a very long time, ineffectual. Sure they have great ideas that they put forth but they don’t effectually sell them. There is little to no effort to convince Republicans to join them in these ideas beyond the attempt at guilt. Republicans, and Manchin, have shown repeatedly they can not be shamed. Democrats had better learn that quickly or we’re all in trouble.
The handicap for d/Democrats is trying to analyze or appeal to reason in a completely unreasonable conflict. It's naked self-interest and blatant lies against a belief that we can talk like caring adults.
As we've seen for decades now, d/Democrats are bringing a knife to a gun fight against sociopaths.
The problem for the Democrats is that Manchin and Sinema represent Red states. If they were primaried and lost to a more liberal opponent, a Republican would almost certainly win in the general election.
As bad as the situation is, the Democrats need Manchin and Sinema, otherwise, Mitch McConnell would be the Majority Leader.
Which doesn’t address my point. “Manchin and Sinema are being influenced in ways that are to their advantage” Democrats need to find out what’s important to them and turn the screws
Manchin tries to use rhetoric to elevate bipartisanship over the Constitutional principle of equality found in the post-Civil-War amendments. We must expose that directly. The framers of the Constitution feared parties, but "bipartisanship" is just another way of saying that the parties are more important than the Constitution.
We must continue to work hard for this legislation and not be discouraged. Contact For West Virginia's Future to get in on their phone banking. Keep up pressure on your own senators and thank any of them that support the necessary rule changes. Keep up pressure on Schumer and Biden. Don't give in to propaganda.
I become increasingly angry every day with Senators Manchin (and Sinema). Pardon my language, but on what f’ing planet are they living? You have Mitch McConnell openly saying that his only aim is to prevent President Biden from accomplishing anything. He’s quite honest about that. That’s it--McConnell has no policies of his own. His sole goal is to obstruct, and yet Manchin thinks that Democrats can work with him? How will he feel come the next election when Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression result in the Democrats losing control of both houses? Does he think that either McConnell or (puke) House Speaker McCarthy will have ANY interest in “bipartisanship”? I don’t know whether he is naïve, stupid or a combination of the two but regardless of the reason, his intransigence is absolutely infuriating.
He is a Republican, and needs to be treated as such. His attempt at reaching across the aisle is all about what the founders wanted, yet, when the other sides ONLY goal is to block everything, when do you say ENOUGH!!!
A more liberal primary challenger in WV would lose, and Manchin knows it. It becomes a question of, do you try and punish Manchin and lose the seat or let it go? If the Ds do the former, the Senate will flip to the Republicans and McConnell will be Majority Leader.
This deserves to be publicized, but I can't imagine there will be any serious blowback for Joe Manchin, electorally or otherwise. Democrats, absent a cohesive agenda, seem to have thrown up their hands in red West Virginia and declared Manchin the best they can do there. Sometimes it feels like they can't do worse, though.
Who besides me would obtain a Manchin doll to stick pins into? He is a train wreck and how that guy gets so much power is beyond me. Gov. Jim Justice and his backers pull on Manchin's strings as well. The mantra of the US Chamber of Commerce is the same of course as the GOP mantra. Win win for minority rule.
Instead of sticking pins in a doll, join us in calling WV voters and asking them to pressure Manchin. He has a history of doing 180s and will respond to his constituents at times. Go to For West Virginia's Future and pitch in.
Based on Manchin's logic, if a bipartisan group of legislators drafted a bill where everyone jumps off a bridge, he'd support it simply because it's bipartisan? I get that voting laws are a highly emotionally charged issue today but either support it on its substance or offer a solution but doing nothing is unacceptable.
I hope the pressure and backlash is severe against Manchin for this. Couldn't Biden try and persuade Romney or Susan Collins to come over to their side to circumvent Manchin's opposition?? The Senate GOP doesn't give a shit about bipartisanship, why should Manchin (I know he doesn't but is using it as his excuse)??
I fear that a sizable number of Americans truly do not want voting rights protected and would willingly trade democracy for some form of fascism that props up traditional American white supremacy. Joe Manchin apparently represents a state that approves of Biden's actions, but for some reason, he seems adamant about avoiding an up or down vote on voting rights. Because sensible folks recognize the demise of democracy that comes with the permanent empowerment of one political party via altering election laws, do we not have to consider the possibility that a small number of Democrats and nearly all of the GOP want that outcome? Only a fool would ignore the GOP filibuster to prevent a bipartisan investigation of January 6 and still believe that 10 GOP senators remain open to supporting voting rights legislation. Joe Manchin is not a fool, and therefore don't we have to conclude that he supports the GOP effort to degrade and ultimately destroy the two-party system, and thus our form of democracy?
Envision a place where dragons are eating people. There’s a law that can be passed to stop it but there’s one person in your group who thinks we should talk to the dragons first to make sure they do their part…. That’s Manchin’s reasoning for not supporting the Voters Bill. 🤦🏼♂️🙄
Unfortunately, you can use this analogy to the whole d/Democrat vs GOP relationship for the last 30 years where the GOP are clearly dragons and the d/Democrats think they can reason with them.
I can’t help but wonder, is Manchin going about it all wrong, or are Democrats going about this all wrong? Nothing in Washington gets done without manipulation and influence. Clearly Manchin and Sinema are being influenced in ways that are to their advantage. Democrats need to do some digging and find out what is influencing them. Only then will they change the course of their votes.
I’ll go even further. The Democratic leadership has been, for a very long time, ineffectual. Sure they have great ideas that they put forth but they don’t effectually sell them. There is little to no effort to convince Republicans to join them in these ideas beyond the attempt at guilt. Republicans, and Manchin, have shown repeatedly they can not be shamed. Democrats had better learn that quickly or we’re all in trouble.
I agree with you.
The handicap for d/Democrats is trying to analyze or appeal to reason in a completely unreasonable conflict. It's naked self-interest and blatant lies against a belief that we can talk like caring adults.
As we've seen for decades now, d/Democrats are bringing a knife to a gun fight against sociopaths.
The problem for the Democrats is that Manchin and Sinema represent Red states. If they were primaried and lost to a more liberal opponent, a Republican would almost certainly win in the general election.
As bad as the situation is, the Democrats need Manchin and Sinema, otherwise, Mitch McConnell would be the Majority Leader.
Which doesn’t address my point. “Manchin and Sinema are being influenced in ways that are to their advantage” Democrats need to find out what’s important to them and turn the screws
Manchin tries to use rhetoric to elevate bipartisanship over the Constitutional principle of equality found in the post-Civil-War amendments. We must expose that directly. The framers of the Constitution feared parties, but "bipartisanship" is just another way of saying that the parties are more important than the Constitution.
We must continue to work hard for this legislation and not be discouraged. Contact For West Virginia's Future to get in on their phone banking. Keep up pressure on your own senators and thank any of them that support the necessary rule changes. Keep up pressure on Schumer and Biden. Don't give in to propaganda.
I become increasingly angry every day with Senators Manchin (and Sinema). Pardon my language, but on what f’ing planet are they living? You have Mitch McConnell openly saying that his only aim is to prevent President Biden from accomplishing anything. He’s quite honest about that. That’s it--McConnell has no policies of his own. His sole goal is to obstruct, and yet Manchin thinks that Democrats can work with him? How will he feel come the next election when Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression result in the Democrats losing control of both houses? Does he think that either McConnell or (puke) House Speaker McCarthy will have ANY interest in “bipartisanship”? I don’t know whether he is naïve, stupid or a combination of the two but regardless of the reason, his intransigence is absolutely infuriating.
He is a Republican, and needs to be treated as such. His attempt at reaching across the aisle is all about what the founders wanted, yet, when the other sides ONLY goal is to block everything, when do you say ENOUGH!!!
A more liberal primary challenger in WV would lose, and Manchin knows it. It becomes a question of, do you try and punish Manchin and lose the seat or let it go? If the Ds do the former, the Senate will flip to the Republicans and McConnell will be Majority Leader.
You’re right, It could always be worse.
This deserves to be publicized, but I can't imagine there will be any serious blowback for Joe Manchin, electorally or otherwise. Democrats, absent a cohesive agenda, seem to have thrown up their hands in red West Virginia and declared Manchin the best they can do there. Sometimes it feels like they can't do worse, though.
Who besides me would obtain a Manchin doll to stick pins into? He is a train wreck and how that guy gets so much power is beyond me. Gov. Jim Justice and his backers pull on Manchin's strings as well. The mantra of the US Chamber of Commerce is the same of course as the GOP mantra. Win win for minority rule.
Instead of sticking pins in a doll, join us in calling WV voters and asking them to pressure Manchin. He has a history of doing 180s and will respond to his constituents at times. Go to For West Virginia's Future and pitch in.
10-4.
Based on Manchin's logic, if a bipartisan group of legislators drafted a bill where everyone jumps off a bridge, he'd support it simply because it's bipartisan? I get that voting laws are a highly emotionally charged issue today but either support it on its substance or offer a solution but doing nothing is unacceptable.
Sad hypocrisy
During Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors Sen Munchkin sang "We Shall Overcome" along with Emmylou Harris in tribute to Joan Baez.
Didn't see him singing but Munchkin sat behind Garth Brooks when Gladys Knight sang "We Shall Be Free".
Apparently those words mean nothing to him.
Is there a list of chamber members somewhere?
I hope the pressure and backlash is severe against Manchin for this. Couldn't Biden try and persuade Romney or Susan Collins to come over to their side to circumvent Manchin's opposition?? The Senate GOP doesn't give a shit about bipartisanship, why should Manchin (I know he doesn't but is using it as his excuse)??
Joe 'Munchkin' shouldn't call himself a democrat! What an absolute hypocrite!
I fear that a sizable number of Americans truly do not want voting rights protected and would willingly trade democracy for some form of fascism that props up traditional American white supremacy. Joe Manchin apparently represents a state that approves of Biden's actions, but for some reason, he seems adamant about avoiding an up or down vote on voting rights. Because sensible folks recognize the demise of democracy that comes with the permanent empowerment of one political party via altering election laws, do we not have to consider the possibility that a small number of Democrats and nearly all of the GOP want that outcome? Only a fool would ignore the GOP filibuster to prevent a bipartisan investigation of January 6 and still believe that 10 GOP senators remain open to supporting voting rights legislation. Joe Manchin is not a fool, and therefore don't we have to conclude that he supports the GOP effort to degrade and ultimately destroy the two-party system, and thus our form of democracy?