Manchin Says Any Overhaul of Voting Rights Must Have GOP Support

[demmiblue]

Source: Bloomberg

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said any voting-rights legislation must be bipartisan to be accepted as legitimate by U.S. voters, complicating the path to passing a bill that is a top goal of Democratic leaders but opposed by Republicans.

At issue is S. 1, the Senate counterpart to a House-passed bill that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said is crucial to counter efforts in Republican-led states to set new limits on voter access.

While some Democrats say the Senate bill is so essential for American democracy that they are willing to force it through on a party-line vote, Manchin said any overhaul of election laws should be limited to what at least some Republicans also support.

“We should not at all attempt to do anything to that will create more distrust and division,” Manchin told reporters on Wednesday. “So I think there’s enough good that we can all come together. That’s what we should work on.”

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-24/manchin-says-any-overhaul-of-voting-rights-must-have-gop-support

[PoliticAverse]

1. "Here we go again." n/t

[hlthe2b]

2. If my thoughts have any power telepathically....

His nether regions are going to be mighty sore. Yeah, he's ours, but damn... I'm so tired of the games.

[EndlessWire]

69. He's a closet Repub

who is so worried about their poor widdle feelings that he is crippling the Biden administration in McConnell's place.

[rickyhall]

3. 'Cause he is one.

[MOMFUDSKI]

4. Just fuck Manchin

The word is that we NEED a dem in that wacko state so keep him happy. I say we have a better chance with a rethug. This guy sucks.

[groundloop]

49. He votes with Democrats 75% of the time.... which at least is better than 0%

As much as I despise Manchin and his ego right now, he IS better than a GOPer. Hopefully President Biden and Leader Schumer can figure out how to persuade Manchin to see the light on voting rights.

[Celerity]

59. he voted with Trump almost 61% of the time in the 115th Congress, highest of any Dem Senator

[ColinC]

5. This guy just likes getting attention.

Last edited Wed Mar 24, 2021, 06:54 PM - Edit history (1)

I think it's clear though, that if the GOP refuses to negotiate in good faith and vote for the changes they propose, he will probably support the Democrat's version.

Also, maybe it isn't too far fetched to think Romney, Collins or Murkowski would support a good bill.

[sdfernando]

6. That is too funny!...is he trying to be funny?

doesn't matter if its bi-partisan or not. the MAJORITY of the U.S. population supports an overhaul of voting rights. Its the GQP politicians and racist a-holes that will never accept it as legitimate.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

42. No, he's trying to be an asshole.

He knows he's sitting in the catbird seat, and that he can do whatever he wants for any reason he wants -- or no reason at all. He might have been beaten up on the playground as a kid and now he's getting revenge. Who knows what's going through his mind. All we know is he has the power to sabotage Biden's entire agenda, and thus the well-being of the entire population of the United States. How many people are going to die because of this asshole's intransigence?

[brush]

7. Why is this alleged Dem always putting up roadblocks to Democratic...

Party agenda items? It's always him with this BS.

[agingdem]

41. Manchin and McConnell sitting in a tree...

K-I-S-S-I-N-G...they are the living embodiment of "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"...

[DENVERPOPS]

57. Ha, absolutely correct...........

and what a couple of quasi "bipartisan" pricks. One RepubliCON and One Democrat...........

[liberalgunwilltravel]

8. The Confederacy must support freeing the slaves!

Manchin declared that the Emancipation Proclamation can only be observed if slave states agree.

[HUAJIAO]

10. Good one !!!

[royable]

14. D-Day can only proceed with the approval of the Nazi Party! n/t

[onecaliberal]

39. 👆🏻👆🏻

[Celerity]

60. +10000000000000000

[msongs]

9. so is Manchin speaking on behalf of republicans besides mitch nt

[maxsolomon]

11. Dems MUST increase their majority in 2022.

Nothing is going to get done as long as Manchin controls that 50th vote.

[Afrocat]

12. Can we just go ahead and make DC a state so we can tell this toady ass punk to have a nice day?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. How many votes do we need again to make that happen? nt

[Afrocat]

27. Bah, 67. That's right. Welp, can we just win one more seat so we can tell his toady ass to

have a nice day.

[Politicub]

77. A simple congressional majority.

The filibuster is a construct that takes a simple majority to eliminate, so it isn't a constitutional barrier to statehood. Here's the pertinent law from the constitution:

Article 4, Section 3, Clause 1:

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

That's it. That's the law. It would take a congressional Act, passed by both houses of congress (which, again, can be accomplished by a simple majority), to start the process.

The Act would define the process by which the state is admitted. Maybe the Act would require a plebiscite about statehood or the state to have its constitution ready to go. It's really up to the people who write and pass the Act. Here is the text from the Act introduced in the house last year: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4901/text

For Puerto Rico, the path to statehood would be clear sailing.

The difference between D.C. and Puerto Rico is that D.C. is a federal district and not a territory. D.C. is not in the jurisdiction of any other state (the federal government is not a state). This site does a fantastic job of summarizing the constitutional law that enables a D.C. statehood Act:

http://www.dcstatehoodyeswecan.org/j/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202&Itemid=160

[Raven123]

13. Translation: the Senate will pass nothing without reconciliation

[FBaggins]

51. Can't possibly use reconciliation for voting rights legislation. nt

[Raven123]

73. Thanks for clarifying. I was referring to Manchin's repeated comments on GOP cooperation

I do understand the limited use of reconciliation. It just seems that Manchin sings the same song incessantly, so that reconciliation will be the only process by which anything will pass in the Senate. Unless he changes his tune, voting rights legislation is doomed.

[Corgigal]

15. What world does he live in?

I just read that West Virginia has the highest rate of HIV in the nation.

Help your people Senator.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

16. It's NOT an 'overhaul of voting rights', with one minor exception ...

The one about Felons being allowed to vote after serving their obligations to the community.

Everything else? Does not constitute any changes to 'voting rights'.

Sick of this framing.

This bill is in no way changing 'who has a right to vote' (with single above exception) SO STOP CALLING IT THAT.

How about "Protecting Your Right To Vote"?

[NurseJackie]

17. I sure am glad he's a Democrat!

Count your blessings, everyone!

[montanacowboy]

19. Manchin is the

Lindsay Graham of Democrats
What a worthless POS

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. Yeah, just like your failed gun bill, Compromise Joe...STFU. Nt

[Jay25]

21. Seems as if he is trying to sabotage the Democrats. He damn well knows republican led States

are interfering with voter rights, yet he is not addressing that issue.
If Democrats don’t pass a voter rights bill to counter these republicans, we are screwed.

[qazplm135]

22. we twice failed to get Feingold in over Johnson in WI

we've had several opportunities to elect additional, even progressive senators.

We will have another several opportunities in 2022. We can't fail this time. If we succeed, Manchin becomes irrelevant, Sinema too.

[Lunabell]

23. Does Manchin not get that he is in the Democratic party?

What part of him is in the party? A pinky toe? Seriously, why is he here?

[mucifer]

24. who is paying him to do these things?

[DENVERPOPS]

58. He is acting

just like he is yet another Putin Pawn, it seems...........

[Midnightwalk]

25. Republican states are restricting voting rights right now

Doing nothing in the senate means going backwards. Bipartisanship would mean what?

[CaptainTruth]

26. That's it, I've lost my patience with this guy.

He doesn't seem to understand how radical the GOP has become. He doesn't seems to understand the threat they pose to our country.

Saying that you want the support of Republicans before you take action is like saying you want the support of Hitler & the Nazis before you invade Europe.

FUCK THEM. FUCK THEIR "SUPPORT." THEY HAVE DECLARED THEMSELVES THE ENEMY. THIS IS A MATTER OF DEFENDING OUR COUNTRY.

[vercetti2021]

28. Okay I've had enough

FUCK THIS ASSHOLE! I do NOT DO NOT care if this guy has a fucking D next to his name. I'm tired of this fucking asshole and the other asshole from Arizona holding our fucking shit hostage because of their bullshit. GET ON BOARD OR FUCK OFF!

[progree]

29. Well, I do agree with Manchin that we should do more reaching across the aisle

...
and grabbing them by the throat ...

[BlueJac]

30. What a chicken shit statement...

[ananda]

31. Do his constituents care?

Somebody needs to put pressure on Manchin.

[Harker]

32. We vote, we win.

It's really that easy.

[Baitball Blogger]

33. What a fucking idiot.

He's the Centrist. Why doesn't he stick his neck out there to lobby a cause to the other idiots.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

34. Manchin needs a foot up his ass sideways

Knock some sense into him,and get rid of his rethug fetish.

It's time for Biden to kick Manchin's ass.

[Evolve Dammit]

35. Fuck this stump jumping Republican. He's no Dem. Total bullshit.

[iluvtennis]

36. This is a ridiculous stance. Without changes to voting rights, we lose democracy in this country. nt

[Mike Nelson]

37. Hmm...

... how about Lisa in Alaska... she has benefited from more opportunities to vote. Mitt Romney is another who might be game... may some of retiring Republicans, too...

[flibbitygiblets]

38. Yes, I'm sure his "friends" on the other side of the aisle will get right on that

given that it ensures they'll be voted out, probably forever.

Jackass.

[bucolic_frolic]

40. I don't like what he's doing, but we can't go it alone forever, maybe prodding GQP

will shake a few to their core and convince them to participate in some fashion, even if as opposition minority. We do have to figure out how to win in red states, and for that we must understand how they think and how their twisted supporters behave. This may help.

[Cheezoholic]

71. I couldn't agree more

The good thing is he's walking and talking the same way he has since he came to the Senate. I would be more concerned if he changed course suddenly because of the perceived power he now has. But he's not deviated much from the pain in the democrats ass he's always been.
Yes absolutely, the Democrats need to get their heads out of the large metropolises, go out and regain their original base that they championed for decades and lost touch with in the 90's. Even though most parents want their kids to have a better life than them, they also don't want to be left in the dust. Democrats desperately need to invest in local, county and state level races and bring back those that brought them to the dance in the first place. The right has capitalized on that feeling of abandonment in the smaller population centers.

[marmar]

43. In other news, any fencing around the henhouse must have the fox's support..

[mdbl]

44. what an idiot

does he not see them taking away our voting rights?

[applegrove]

45. I bet the GOP have a whole psy-ops thing on Manchin. The man could save

democracy but just can't get there. McCain saved healthcare and will always be remembered for that above all else. I guess GOP psy-ops didn't work on McCain.

[OMGWTF]

46. Why? The GQP wants to take away voting rights.

Fuck you Manchin you GD traitor. I am sick of your crap. Get off your fking power trip and DO THE RIGHT THING!

[Botany]

47. W.V. politics are way dirty.

The state is owned by coal, energy producers, and chemical companies. My bet is that Manchin
is owned too.

“We should not at all attempt to do anything to that will create more distrust and division,” Manchin.

Distrust and division? See Florida 2000, Ohio 2004, Trump/Russia 2016, 1/6/21, 2018 Florida and
Georgia elections, and so on.

[Gore1FL]

48. It probably does have GOP support.

Neither the U.S. House nor Senate isn't the barometer of bipartisanship.

[ZonkerHarris]

50. The point is we should distrust the GOP. Just look at their state agendas for gosh sake.

Manchin is a gullible idiot or a willing fool.
It's like saying "When Nazi's say they love Jews we can talk about legislation to protect Jewish people"
puleeeeze

[Xipe Totec]

52. ...

[Bristlecone]

53. Showboating as usual.

[world wide wally]

54. So, let me get this straight...

Any Democratic measure to assure voting rights must have GOP support, but the GOP can pass 250 voter suppression laws with no Democratic support?
Sure, Joe.

[GB_RN]

55. Manchin Is Saying

That the GOPQ basically has veto power over any voting rights legislation, because they won’t VOTE for any voting rights legislation. He’s also saying that the GOPQ will have a permanent ability to say who gets to vote (and not vote) for Democrats.

I hate this asshole.

[Hulk]

56. I'm really getting tired of this asshole.

Regardless of the “D” after his name, he is doing his part to screw over much needed progress in this country.

Just who the fuck does he think he is! Wouldn’t it be interesting if gqp’rs cared so much to represent their constituents of the opposing political party!

This guy is a disgraceful power whore.

[caraher]

61. The ultimate in "concern" trolling

I'm perfectly willing to live with feelings of distrust emanating from Republicans if it means preserving small-d democracy.

[czarjak]

62. Dickish Joe Manchin

[DallasNE]

63. Manchin Is Confused

His stance means all Republicans need to do is to sit on their hands and they win. Can Manchin name a single Republican that would agree to a single provision in S-1? I thought so. Fairness in elections is the last thing Republicans want so why would Manchin think one might step forward -- is he that naïve.

[ffr]

64. I hope Joe Manchin enjoys his last term.

Link to tweet

[ZonkerHarris]

65. FYI Senator Manchin, the GOP is trying to change voting rules all over the country without Democrati

c input.

[DonCoquixote]

66. excrement

you cannot bargain with people who itnend to cheat and know that they will be rewarded for cheating.

[Martin68]

67. The GOP? They ae not interested in expanding voter access. They want to restrict it. Fuck that!

[EndlessWire]

68. The Georgia Peaches

didn't work their arses off to get us the Senate majority, just to trade McConnell for Manchin. This just can't be happening.

Someone needs to tell him that the voters are unhappy because of HIM.

[Firestorm49]

70. 253 Republican state bills to suppress the vote

and Manchin wants Republican support?

Am I hallucinating or what! He needs to be primaried.

[SunSeeker]

72. These voting rights do have Republican support, just not Congressional Republicans' support.

Republican voters like voting by mail, and they like early voting. Trump himself did both in Florida.
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/19/903886567/trump-while-attacking-mail-voting-casts-mail-ballot-again

It's just t like the Rescue bill, that had 59% Republican voter support, but got 0 votes from Senate Republicans.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

74. Senator Manchin must stand up for democracy, or he will go down in history

as the evil villain who could have saved democracy in the United States, but instead chose to end democracy in America, and allow fascists to establish permanent minority rule fascist dictatorship instead.

There is no center here. No middle ground. He either stands up for democracy, or deliberately hands our country over to the fascists.

Permanently. Once the fascists suppress voting, through red state Republican legislatures limiting access of everyone but Republicans in those states to the polls, they will stop at nothing to force minority fascist rule upon us.

They are not even trying to hide what they are doing, and Senator Manchin is fully aware of this.

Not allowing HR 1/S 1 to pass is allowing the terrorist insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol to achieve their goal of ending democracy and overthrowing the government of the US, and installing Trump as dictator.

Does Senator Manchin really want to be that guy?

[dlk]

75. Protecting voting rights is not an overhaul

Stopping coordinated and massive voter suppression by Republicans is not an overhaul. Stopping the criminalization of kindness in Georgia, where they want to outlaw giving water or food to voters waiting for hours in line is not an overhaul. To say that any of the voting protections written in the Democratic bills are some type of overhaul is disingenuous, at best. Republicans openly are stealing Americans’ voting rights. If they’re not stopped, our democracy is over. There’s no middle ground to be found here.

[Politicub]

76. Civil rights are not a priority for Manchin. Voting rights, the Equality Act, etc. are not

something he deems as important. The Voting Rights act is a civil rights bill, thus not something worthy, in his mind, to disturb the filibuster.

And it is frustrating as fuck.

He knows that republicans support nothing when it comes to removing barriers to voting. He doesn't care about gerrymandering, either. He doesn't care that his party will be fighting uphill battles across the country to vote.

I don't know why he feels this way. It's clear he wants the bill to die on the vine, though.