A Joe Manchin Appreciation Thread

[bluewater]

I will start things off:


1. Without Senator Manchin, the Republicans would be in control of the Senate.

2. Without Senator Manchin, Mitchell McConnell would be once again running the Senate and no Democratic legislation would ever be brought to the floor for a vote.

3. Without Senator Manchin, Mitch McConnel would drag his feet and delay all of President Biden's judicial nominees.

[bottomofthehill]

1. Thank you for your first vote to organize the Senate

Now please realize that you have no chance for re-election. You will be the Doug Jones of the 24 cycle. You have the chance to be a historic figure either through your actions or your inactions. Please choose carefully.

[qazplm135]

2. A bad dad appreciation thread

1. Without his sperm, I wouldn't be here at all.
2. Without him, I might have had a much worse dad.

[brush]

3. Ahhhh...FYI: All of that is already happening. Manchin is playing...

McTurtle's obstructionist role for him. He's not doing the Democratic Party any good. Makes one wonder if he's in the Koch organization's pocket.

[CousinIT]

4. He is...

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/08/joe-manchin-is-opposing-big-parts-of-bidens-agenda-as-the-koch-network-pressures-him.html

[NewHendoLib]

5. unrec

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. Without Rev. Warnock, Republicans would be in control of the Senate too.

Manchin deserves none of the credit on your list.

Here’s what Manchin deserves credit for:

1. Manchin is enabling the resurrection of Jim Crow 2.0

2. Manchin is obstructing Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, including the green jobs infrastructure bill, which would have been signed into law by now if not for Manchin’s refusal to vote for reconciliation.

3. Manchin’s obstruction of the For the People Act will result in Dems losing their majorities for a decade or longer, Biden and Harris being impeached after the midterms, and, if he’s still alive and not in jail, Trump being installed in the WH in 2024.

In essence, the dismantling of American democracy is occurring because of the inaction of one single man.

I do NOT Appreciate Joe “you can call me Strom” Manchin for anything.

F.T.G.

Note to jurors:
If this were 1960, would you vote to hide posts disparaging such noteworthy segregationists and Jim Crow supporting Democrats as Strom Thurmond and George Wallace?

[robertpaulsen]

7. I could say that about 49 others. You know what I CAN'T say about the other 49?

That they prioritize the appearance of bipartisanship over the reality of the necessity of strengthening voter rights. Well, maybe 48, still not sure Sinema doesn't feel the same. Either way, I respectfully disagree with your timing on asking DU members to appreciate Manchin in light of his obviously fucked-up priorities.

[bluewater]

10. The problem is West Virginia is the reddest state in the union

Trump won it by +39, the largest margin in the 2020 Presidential election.

https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/state/west-virginia/president

The sad reality is Joe Manchin is the best senator we could get out of West Virginia now and for the foreseeable future.
I wish that wasn't true, but it is.

Here is to getting a majority, a comfortable majority, in the Senate in 2022 so, as a party, we don't get held to what the average West Virginia voter wants done.

Cheers.

[robertpaulsen]

14. Now that I can agree to.

We should have got North Carolina in 2020, but we have another chance there in 2022, as well as a chance for Toomey's seat in Pennsylvania and several others. I really think with all the good Biden has been able to do, we have a legitimate shot to buck the mid-term trend and make some real gains.

[Funtatlaguy]

20. Just FYI, Biden and Collins both won Maine by 9% points.

In NC, we nominated the wrong Dem who couldn’t keep it in his pants.
In Maine, some of the “bipartisan” loving types screwed us over. Also, Susan Rice would have been a better nominee than Gideon.

[Beastly Boy]

8. Without Senator Manchin, many DUers would run the risk of discovering, to their utter surprise, that

there are 50 other Senators who are ACTUALLY obstructing the Democratic agenda. But with Joe Manchin, why bash any Republicans when we have a perfectly good Democratic punching bag!

[FakeNoose]

17. So true, and it makes me sad

[LanternWaste]

24. Who?

"many DUers would run the risk..."

That certainly invites the question: Who?

Let's illustrate the courage of our convictions and avoid excuses.

[Beastly Boy]

25. You are challenging me to test the boundaries of DU's terms of use.

I am not willing to name names, but I will do the next best thing.

Here is a google search of DU's content that includes mentions of Manchin and voting rights bill. Over 550 results. You can go through them and find just how many DUers, and just who, are critical of Manchin just on the subject of voting rights bill:
https://www.google.com/search?q=manchin+voting+rights+bill&sitesearch=democraticunderground.com

And then I would invite you to complete your challenge: how many of these DUers have criticized at least two out of 50 Republican senators as harshly as they did Manchin in the context of the voting rights bills?

If you are sincere about finding the answer to your question, you can certainly help yourself.

[treestar]

26. It was the same in 2009

When we almost had 60, or did for a minute. There was still one person getting in the way. The Senate is set up for obstructionists.

[wellst0nev0ter]

28. The goops are a bunch of apes, arsonists and animals

I consider them nonentities. I don't waste my breath on nonentities.

More productive to pressure Traitor Joe.

[Beastly Boy]

29. Are you saying that the irredeemable "goops" are beyond criticism because they are irredeamable?

And Traitor Joe deserves all the bashing he can get because he is redeemable? This sounds like you are in full agreement with me: if it weren't for Manchin, the task of finding an easy target would have been made a lot more difficult.

BTW, if the "goops" are nonentities, all the more reason to divert attention and effort from Manchin and into replacing them with Democrats. It certainly takes more effort, but it would be far more productive than pressuring Manchin. As a matter of fact, it would make pressuring Manchin a total non-issue.

[wellst0nev0ter]

30. There is nothing you can say to the goops

Its a waste of time talking to or about a bunch of apes and animals.

Traitor Joe can still be redeemed. Give the devil his due.

[Beastly Boy]

31. I doubt very much that redeeming traitor joe involves

Making him a sole target for the criticism which rightfully belongs to 50 of his colleagues, just because he makes an easier one. Besides, my other point is that the effort is better spent on electing more Democrats, as well as making sure traitor joe is re-elected.

[wellst0nev0ter]

32. Repeating stale arguments from 2009-10

Just elect more Democrats and we don't have to worry about Joe Lieberman

(Democrats lose the House)

Whoops...

[Beastly Boy]

33. Is electing more Democrats such a bad idea?

Your reply sounds like the reason Democrats lost the House back then was Lieberman. Really? Correlation vs causation, please?

Maybe repeating what seems like stale ideas to you, but following through with them is not as bad as you think. Sure beats piling on a Democrat who holds the balance of the Senate, no?

[wellst0nev0ter]

34. Democrats need to learn from their mistakes

Repeating them won't elect you more Democrats.

[Beastly Boy]

35. As a general statement, an admirable sentiment. But what do you consider "mistakes" in the example

you posted? The pursuit of electing more Democrats? Not paying undue attention to Lieberman? How does either one relate to Democrats losing the House? And if you can demonstrate anything in your post to be a mistake, how can we learn from it in dealing with Manchin? I don't get what you are driving at.

[wellst0nev0ter]

36. Biden and Obama have already listed the mistakes

Such as trying too hard to seek bipartisanship with the goops and passing inferior legislation as the result.

I'm not going to repeat them here. You are capable of finding those critiques yourself.

[Beastly Boy]

37. Ok, it looks like your intention is to leave me guessing which m

Or put words into your mouth. I will do neither. If you can’t clarify what you wrote yourself without nebulous references to third parties who have no clue what you are talking about, and if you leave me in charge of deciding what you mean based on these cryptic references, it’s time for me to get out of your way. Have fun.

[wellst0nev0ter]

40. Ooh, sealioning. Haven't seen that before

Not playing that game.

[aeromanKC]

9. +1000

Manchin would be a non-story if blue States would have more blue Senators. I'm looking at you Wisconsin. Johnson reelected. Really!!?? Toomey in Pennsylvania and Collins in Maine. We've had our chance to make Manchin a non story but here we are and I for one am thankful that in a red state where Trump won by 40 points we have a senator who at least caucuses with the Democrats enabling Schumer to have the gavel. If that's all he did it would be worth having him in the Democratic caucus but if you look at his voting record I believe he is 100% with Biden this term including Bidens judges!!

Hopefully in 2022 we can make Manchin irrelevant with electing blue senators in Wisconsin Pennsylvania Ohio North Carolina Florida while keeping those we alrrady have in New Hampshire Georgia and Arizona.

[bluewater]

12. .

[iemanja]

11. It astounds me

That anyone would want to post a thread like this.

He has a D after his name. That's the extent of his accomplishments. Manchin doesn't make any of what you list possible. That was achieved by the citizens of Georgia.

[budkin]

13. NO.

JUST. NO.

[padah513]

15. Welcome back

Hadn't seen you in a while, and no. It was a lot of dedicated people busting their rears in Georgia that gave us control of the Senate. Manchin is one of fifty, and right now McConnell is taking cues from him. He makes a statement, McConnell makes a statement. My focus is on 22. We need to hold what we have and take the open seats, then what Manchin or Sinema think or say or do won't matter.

[jcgoldie]

16. All 3 are the same point

... and it is an extremely important one to be certain. Thanks Manchin for keeping the designation of the party that you ran on...

Now if we could only get Joe Manchin to act like a Democrat who gives a fuck about Democracy and not a Koch dangled puppet intent solely upon obstruction...?

[Lancero]

18. 4. Without Senator Manchin...

Charles Koch would only have Republicans in his back pocket. Yay for bipartisanship!

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/08/joe-manchin-is-opposing-big-parts-of-bidens-agenda-as-the-koch-network-pressures-him.html
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/6/8/2034195/-Who-has-more-sway-over-Manchin-on-voting-rights-the-NAACP-or-the-Koch-network-Silly-question

[bluewater]

19. Whom do you see being elected in West Virginia after Manchin leaves the Senate?

West Virginia is the reddest state in the union.

Trump won it in 2020 by +39%.
https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/state/west-virginia/president

The truth is, Joe Manchin is the best senator we Democrats are going to get out of West Virginia for the foreseeable future.

His replacement will probably be a Trumpist Republican.

[Lancero]

22. And thats the sad reality that few of Manchins defenders admit to.

WV has shifted red, Manchin was going to get replaced either way (Especially considering his impeachment votes...). No one wants to admit it, but WV might as well be a write-off.

About the only way he can hold on to office is by making amends with Trump supporters - A play that seems to be working, considering the recent praise Trump gave him.

[jalan48]

21. Thanks Joe. Without you Koch Inc. would lose one of its most stalwart supporters..

[Lancero]

23. 5. Thanks to Senator Manchin...

Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court was bipartisan.

https://www.businessinsider.com/protesters-lambast-sen-joe-manchin-over-brett-kavanaugh-vote-2018-10

[WarGamer]

27. true.

[inthewind21]

38. News Flash

1. Republicans are STILL in control BECAUSE of Joe Manchin
2. McConnell is STILL running the senate BECAUSE of Manchin
3. If Manchin decides to squawk about ANY nominee those will fall flat as well and McConnell will halt everything.


It amazes me that people don't see what is in plain sight,

[Vinca]

39. Thanks for saving me the time writing that. It is exactly what I think.