Maybe Joe Manchin Really Does Want to Represent West Virginia Voters

[JoeOtterbein]

And, if that is what he really doing, maybe Manchin simply knows what his voters really want.

Sure those voters might want infrastructure spending too, and even support raising taxes on the wealthy and big corporations to pay for it. But that is beside the point, at least as far as WV voters are concerned.

Manchin knows why he is able to get elected as a Democrat in a state that voted for Trump in 2020 by almost 40 points.

It's fine to support nice things as far as most of WV voters concern. And most of them would even actually enjoy "sticking-it-to-the-rich" to pay for it all.

So why the big difference between those WV voters for Manchin, and voters in other states? And why would voters in WV never vote for any other Democrat?

Maybe Manchin knows that many WV voters are racist bigots. And that acknowledging and accepting that simple fact, is the only way a Democrat can be elected to the Senate in WV.

Like Joe Manchin, any other Democrat just needs to learn to tolerate racist bigots.

The problem for us is that doing that seems impossible for any other Democrat but Manchin.

In the end, every other Democrat needs to learn to tolerate Joe Manchin.

[Hoyt]

1. Nails it. Thanks.

Heck, Manchin took the seat of an honest to dog Klansman, who did apologize and repent as best he could.

[onecaliberal]

2. Yes, Manchin was talking about the Byrd rule

Ironically it doesn’t mean what he thinks it does.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

3. I wont "tolerate" upholding racism, sorry.

Manchin Is Unmoved On The Voting Rights Bill After He Met With Civil Rights Groups

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/08/1004341661/despite-constructive-meeting-manchins-mind-is-made-up-on-voting-rights-bill


This is not to be tolerated by anyone who isn't a racist.

[JoeOtterbein]

4. We are not the problem.

WV and Joe Manchin are.

[Metaphorical]

5. It's easy to hate Joe Manchin

but, there will always be someone there in the middle. The reality we face at this point is that we might, possibly, carve off 2 or 3 other states from the GOP in 2022, but the states that we carve off are going to be similarly gerrymandered, with conservative voters who are frankly skeptical of big government and who continue to live in the RW echo chambers. Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are not going to switch to the Democrats or even become independents, as much as it's a nice fantasy. I'd say it's possible that Sinema might get primaried, but even in Arizona, the state is still very purple.

What that means is that, in order to get things done, Biden will continue needing to thread the needle, and it is likely that there will be setbacks. Trump was elected at least in part because many conservatives didn't see the gains that were being made as applying to them with Obama, who was a fantastic president but not all that great at communicating what he was doing to those who were already inclined to distrust him. Trump was a shitty president, but he was world-class when it came to self-promotion, and there are a lot of people who had trouble seeing past the paper-thin glitz to see the ugly man underneath.

Trust Biden. He understands the reality of the situation very well.

[lame54]

6. Or maybe Manchin will lose to a repug the next time around...

Because what's the difference

[PortTack]

7. Maybe you didn't see the poll done in WV about the various aspects of Biden's plans

They overwhelmingly support them. Rachael Maddow had it on her show..couldn’t find it right off hand, but the margins of favorability were quite high

[Nexus2]

8. Its fine that he has a differing opinion on the Act, but it doesn't come across as reasonable.

He hasn't brought up specific issues or problems he has with it beyond it being 'non partisan'. It makes it difficult to grasp or be sympathetic to his POV (He's been silent on other significantly less than bipartisan legislation before).

And these are normal times. It really looks like a serious existential threat to our way of life is building which make Manchin's vague objections more frustrating. Its like someone wanting to argue about the composition of the committee that chose the color of the deck chairs while the ship is sinking.