Jennifer Rubin: Time to call Manchin's bluff

[Nevilledog]

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Ronald Brownstein
@RonBrownstein
Exactly right: "Manchin’s bland platitudes suggest he prefers stalemate to taking hard votes. The status quo leaves him with latitude to make holier-than-thou pronouncements to decry both sides."

Opinion | Time to call Manchin’s bluff
Show us 10 reasonable Republicans. We'll wait.
washingtonpost.com
2:49 PM · Jun 7, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/07/time-call-manchins-bluff/

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) declared in a Sunday op-ed that he is against the For the People Act because it is not bipartisan. “I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For the People Act,” he wrote. “Furthermore, I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster.”

Let’s take H.R. 1 first. He does not state what provisions he likes or doesn’t, nor does he suggest what compromise bill might reach 60 votes. So his objection is that Republicans object? Many bills that he supported came without Republican support — the American Rescue Plan, most recently, and of course, the Affordable Care Act. The notion that Republicans win simply by refusing to agree to any of the majority’s legislative proposals makes a mockery of democracy, and specifically of the Senate. Indeed, Republicans’ filibuster of the Jan. 6 commission legislation showed that we lack 10 Republicans willing to operate in good faith.

Manchin also states that he prefers H.R. 4, which addresses only reauthorization of preclearance provisions. He argued, “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would update the formula states and localities must use to ensure proposed voting laws do not restrict the rights of any particular group or population. My Republican colleague, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has joined me in urging Senate leadership to update and pass this bill through regular order.” But where are the 10 Republicans to support that measure? Manchin is “encouraged by the desire from both sides to transcend partisan politics and strengthen our democracy by protecting voting rights.” Yet when 10 Republicans do not emerge for cloture on that either — just as we saw on the Jan. 6 commission bill — does Manchin simply give up?

It’s time for Manchin to put up or share blame for Republicans’ subversion of democracy. Let him come up with 10 Republicans for H.R. 4 and for a slimmed down H.R. 1. Let him find four more Republicans to support the Jan. 6 commission. If he cannot, then his thesis that the filibuster promotes debate and makes way for compromise collapses and his role in promoting the tyranny of the minority is laid bare.

*snip*

[gratuitous]

1. Manchin Country: The province of yellow lines and dead armadillos

That's what's in the middle of the road.

[SergeStorms]

16. You won't find any Armadillos in W. VA.

Plenty of Opossums and Racoons for road-kill stew, but yeah, I know exactly what you mean.
I believe Manchin will be the last Democratic Senator elected in West Virginia, unfortunately.

[argyl]

29. That's Texas. The 'Dillo is a much loved animal closely associated with Texas.

About 50 years ago the students made a serious push to change the football team name from Longhorns to Armadillos.
Needless to say it's still "Hook 'em Horns."
This little project was originally whipped up by some students who loved their bud. There was some publicity about it but no one seriously thought it would pass.
But it was fun to kick around.

[brush]

2. Agreed. Time to call Manchin out, make him find 10 republicans...

on all these bills he's demanding bipartisanship. There are of course no 10 republicans so Manchin has to explain his obstruction to his own party's agenda and the resulting tyranny of the minority.

[TheBlackAdder]

27. He's taken over the Susan Collins position and he is flexing his power and seeking attention.

[WHITT]

3. Sing It Sista, Sing It

I've been advocating that for months. CALL HIS BLUFF.

There are 49 Senate co-sponsors for H.R. 1. Does he really want to be the only Dem to vote against?

[The Wizard]

4. He'll do Putin's bidding.

[Goodheart]

5. I really don't think President Biden is doing enough right now.

If I were Joe I'd give a prime time national TV address on the urgency of the infrastructure situation, and I'd include lines like:

"Good infrastructure doesn't just mean good jobs, it means ongoing national prosperity and strengthens our national security. Republicans right now are obstructing jobs, prosperity, and security"

"My infrastructure plan includes tens of millions of dollars in projects for places that desperately need it, LIKE WEST VIRGINIA AND ARIZONA, and we need to rid ourselves of politics that deprive West Virginians, Arizonans, and other Americans of the help they deserve. Republicans, Democrats, please heed the call... don't stand in the doorway don't block up the hall... the times must be changin'."

[scardycat]

30. I agree with you...

I always thought President Biden should take it to the American people and get on tv and really explain what is going on and call out the Republicans more. Most people dont pay that close attention to what is going on unless they see it on tv. And tell Joe Manchin to stick it where the sun dont shine.

[Lonestarblue]

6. Manchin and voting rights legislation are now a lost cause.

It’s time for Plan B, or maybe it’s C, to deal with the 2022 election. Democrats need to mobilize an army of lawyers to be election observers and to make sure that voter registrations and voter processes are perfect in Democratic precincts. In addition, if your registration signature is thirty years old, update it if you plan to vote by mail. Don’t give Republicans an excuse to discard your vote. Our only approach at this point is to make sure that Republicans have no excuse to declare voter fraud and overturn the vote. I have no ideas about voting machines without paper backup because they are vulnerable to tampering. We have to fight this precinct by precinct in the states that are swing states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. Plan B is democracy dies. Plan A is take to the streets and airwaves and make Manchin's life hell.

Biden should give him a deadline to find 10 Republican votes for infrastructure and voting rights- say by the August recess, or just before, say July 15. If Manchin can’t produce the needed votes, then he either votes to kill the filibuster and pass Biden’s agenda, or...

Biden and Harris hold a series of televised town halls during the August recess, extolling the virtues of the jobs bill and voting rights, for WV and the nation. Manchin would be invited to present the opposing side of the argument, as in, why shouldn’t WV have good paying jobs, and why shouldn’t all WV adults get to vote and have their votes counted?

This problem, the Manchin problem, cannot be solved using the traditional comfort zone paradigm of “let’s work really, really hard, get out the vote, and flip some seats.” It must be addressed using direct action, politically and in the streets.

[HUAJIAO]

12. August recess,, or July 15....?

Heck no.. NEXT WEEK !! We don;t have time. 2021 is already more than 5 months over...

[calimary]

25. The last thing we need is more delay.

That’s a republi-CON tactic. Drag it out and run out the clock. And as they delay, people get tired and start trying to move on and just forget about it, OR do what the bad guys (ie: GOP) are doing right now: trying to rewrite history and saying either it never happened or it was some nice benign tourist picnic.

[qazplm135]

19. exactly

and fuck all this democracy dies baloney. If folks want to quit when this doesn't pass, that's their prerogative. I'm not doing it.

[Xipe Totec]

7. No manches, Manchin. nt

[Traildogbob]

8. Not just Manchin

One segment on Nicole Wallace had a panel pretty emphatic that Joe is not alone at all. And IF he were to cave, (ain’t gonna happen) 10-12 Dems will NOT kill the filibuster. So we have to get hard at it with voter registration and information to educate every voter how to get past republican road blocks. If the country is worth saving, there needs to be massive turnout to overcome. We HAVE to have more senate to neutralize Manchin and bubblehead. And double the house margins. No amount of whining about Manchin will change a thing. We need a Stacy Abrams on steroids effort and just put the GQP out ot it’s misery, and ours. Curb stomp the MFers!

[Efilroft Sul]

10. Call his bluff, sure, but don't let him drag his feet with the Diogenes act. Because he will.

[UGADawg]

11. Joe wants to be re-elected. Will jump to rethugs if necessary**

*

[SleeplessinSoCal]

13. Can the For the People Act be quickly edited to suit him?

If so, do it. Vote on it. Get it back to the Senate.

[uponit7771]

14. +1, do this and then make him vote against it to see if he has any integrity

[FBaggins]

21. He wouldn't have to vote against it

Since it can't be passed through reconciliation

[Jay25]

24. He has shown that he has no integrity.

Claiming to want bipartisanship is just another way to stop Dems legislation, while playing both sides. If he truly cared he would address the republican voter suppression laws that are being enacted throughout the country.

[czarjak]

15. Wrong has never rescued squat, rubes.

[Faux pas]

17. Kickin'

[Rustyeye77]

18. I totally agree.

[Blue Owl]

20. tRump Munchin

[BobTheSubgenius]

22. I'm not sure that my pragmatism when it comes to Manchin is completely exhauasted yet.

It is, however, becoming more and more frayed. I held the view - and still do, in large part - that having someone from WV vote blue even 50% of the time is better than having an R take the seat and vote blue 0% of the time.

If, however, his intransigence is keeping VITAL legislation from being passed, maybe it will be time to roll the dice in WV and fervently hope for better.

[Withywindle]

31. It depends on what that 50% is

If it's 50% on issues that don't really matter all that much in the long run, then that's really not impressive is it? I'd rather have someone who votes with us 30% of the time on things that really are important like THE RIGHT TO VOTE over someone who votes with us 50% of the time on anodyne stuff while still taking bribes from Koch to derail anything important.

[BobTheSubgenius]

35. I agree completely.

I did qualify my position though - some pretty heavy emphasis on "VITAL."

[LiberalLovinLug]

23. I don't think anything will work. The harder Democrats try the more it emboldens him

He's going to hold his breath until he is blue. Or maybe the right colour is red.

[Lithos]

26. it is easy to get his attention

Make it more painful for him if he screws us than if he backtracks on the Koch brothers who are trying to own him.

[calimary]

28. I have only two words for Joe Manchin.

FUCK YOU.

That is all.

[Withywindle]

32. +1

And the gravy train he rode in on.

[olegramps]

33. Just another slimmy politician whose only concern is reelection.

His concerns are just as authetic as his total disregrade of his claim of adherence to the oath he took when being swore in as a member of congress. He should be kick out of the Democrtic Party and denied any funds for reelection. Let him join the fascists Republican traitors. If you don't support legislation to assist citizens to cast their vote you are in my opinion a traitor to the very reason that the founders of our nation risked their lifes to gain aganst tyanny.

[spanone]

34. Thank you Jennifer