Bill Clinton, Oprah and his fellow centrists: Dems go all-out to sway Manchin [View all]
Source: Politico
The strongest voices lobbying Joe Manchin to change Senate rules and advance elections reform aren’t liberal activists or die-hard filibuster opponents. Instead, they're a small group of his friends who once shared his reluctance.
It’s no accident that the same trio of centrist Democrats has nudged Manchin throughout the past month’s flurry of talks about the future of the filibuster. Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Angus King (I-Maine) were all resistant to loosening chamber rules that empower the minority party. Now, they’re leading the campaign to sway the West Virginia Democrat.
Tester, Kaine and King have met at least a dozen times with Manchin to talk about Senate rules, sometimes joined by other Democrats, according to participants. They're the vanguard of a delicate effort to chip away at Manchin’s steadfast opposition to changing the filibuster.
Manchin has told colleagues that his phone line has been lighting up with prominent names outside the Senate in recent days. He’s heard from former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and talk-show legend Oprah Winfrey, plus former staffers to both Manchin and former Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), according to a person familiar with the talks. Manchin's office declined comment on those calls.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/07/clinton-oprah-democrats-manchin-filibuster-526691
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