Joe Manchin backstabs the Democratic Party on Fox News

[Straha]

Joe Manchin declared Sunday that he could not support President Joe Biden’s sweeping social and climate spending bill, striking a decisive blow to Democrats' agenda.

The West Virginia Democrat bluntly said he is a “no” on the $1.7 trillion in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”

“If I can’t go home and explain to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” Manchin said. “This is a no on this piece of legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.”

In announcing his opposition, Manchin raised the same concerns about the bill that he’s had all along: inflation, rising debt and a mismatch between the package’s 10-year funding and its shorter-term programs. But until Sunday, Manchin had never taken a hard line on the legislation. In the past week, he’s spoken directly to Biden several times, with the president and other Democrats furiously lobbying him to support the bill.

With an evenly split Senate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer needs every Democrat to go along with the legislation, which only requires a simple majority vote. That dynamic gives Manchin enormous leverage over Biden's agenda, allowing him to single-handedly sink a priority that Democrats have spent much of the year working on.

Manchin’s rollout on Fox News infuriated Democrats Sunday morning. While the centrist senator’s staff informed White House and Democratic aides about his forthcoming blow to Biden’s agenda, some Democrats were steamed that Manchin himself hadn’t called Biden or Schumer.

"Manchin didn't have the courage to call the White House or Democratic leadership himself ahead of time,” fumed one Democrat familiar with internal conversations.

At the same time, Biden's Thursday's statement, which name-checked Manchin and asked for more time to negotiate on the sweeping bill, irked the West Virginia Democrat. Manchin said afterward "it's his statement, not mine."

Manchin’s clear pronouncement that he opposes the legislation is a huge setback for Democrats, who tried to separate out Biden’s agenda into two bills to pass his jobs and families plan. Now, Manchin’s bipartisan infrastructure bill is law but the party-line effort to pour money into education, health care, climate change and tax reform is dead in its current form.

The White House’s frustration level with Manchin grew dramatically in recent days after Manchin and Biden’s telephone negotiations went nowhere. Biden has always gotten along personally with the West Virginia senator, and has long believed he should not push his former colleagues. Plus, White House aides were comfortable — if not delighted — with the party-line bill slipping into early 2022.

The West Wing saw Manchin's Sunday comments as a shocking about-face — White House officials believed he had been sending signals that a deal could eventually be struck. It comes as Biden ends 2021 facing a confluence of crises: Covid cases are surging throughout the nation, inflation remains high heading into the holidays, a renewed push on voting rights already seems stalled and now the signature piece of Biden’s agenda is in grave danger.

It also undermines Biden’s central political arguments to the American people: that he could make government work again, that it's possible to deliver huge, significant changes to societal norms that impact Americans of middle and lower incomes. But now, even though his own party holds all branches of government, his agenda is in jeopardy.

Manchin’s position is a validation of progressive fears — they believed passing that infrastructure bill was a mistake without an explicit guarantee from all 50 Democratic senators to support the rest of Biden’s agenda. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday he “absolutely” wants to see a vote on the legislation.

“We’ve been dealing with Mr. Manchin for month after month after month,” Sanders said on CNN’s "State of the Union." “Let him vote no in front of the whole world.”

In his TV appearance, Manchin said he would be fine voting on the bill.

If the bill ever comes to the floor, it won’t be for a few weeks. The Senate left town on Saturday morning for the holidays and won’t return until early January.

That means the Democrats’ expanded child tax credit will expire at the end of this month. Manchin disliked that the credit would only be extended by a year in the House-passed spending bill, even though most Democrats assume the party will keep trying to extend it permanently.

[Gandalf]

So is he holding out for some Robert Byrd style bucket of cash? Or is it just wanting to "own the libs" in his Trumpy state?

[Straha]

I think he just genuinely doesn't want to spend the money. He's one of the last of the conservative democrats that have otherwise died out.

I also think he really really really likes being powerful and in charge.

[LadyTevar]

Fucker always was a DINO.

I've sent emails and bitched him out about it. The letter back was condescending "don't worry, he knows what he's doing" bullshit.

[Ralin]

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

So tell me again how having this guy in office is better than a Republican winning?

[LadyTevar]

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

So tell me again how having this guy in office is better than a Republican winning?

Because the local GOP are Trumpers.

[Ralin]

Because the local GOP are Trumpers.

Yeah, wouldn't want them to be in office. They might do stuff like derail major spending bills or vote to confirm a rapist as a member of the Supreme Court for life.

[Gandalf]

Fucker always was a DINO.

If he's always been a DINO, then where is the actual Democratic candidate?

[Soontir C'boath]

Fucker always was a DINO.

If he's always been a DINO, then where is the actual Democratic candidate?

You're assuming the party wants anything but DINOs.

[Rogue 9]

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

So tell me again how having this guy in office is better than a Republican winning?

Mitch McConnell isn't in control of the Senate and using that power to do much, much worse than simply shooting down a bill?

[GuppyShark]

From over here it seems obvious what happens next.

The Democrats will lose the House in the midterms because of Biden's inability to achieve his agenda and the general backlash that always comes in the midterms.
That results in a lame duck presidency where Manchin and other DINOs support Republican bills and Biden can't stop it or achieve jack shit.
Biden loses the next Presidential election to the Republican candidate because the Democratic base is disillusioned and the Republican base is riled up to 'fix' the 'mistake' of 2020.
Giving the Republicans all three branches, yet again.

[Ralin]

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

So tell me again how having this guy in office is better than a Republican winning?

Mitch McConnell isn't in control of the Senate and using that power to do much, much worse than simply shooting down a bill?

Like what? What would Senate Majority Leader McConnell do that he hasn't had years to do the last time he controlled the Senate?

Moreover, how does Manchin being in office stop him when he'd vote the same as a GOP Trumper?

[Lost Soal]

Manchin in confirming Biden nominees for courts, FCC & postal among others, thus diluting the impact of Trump judges giving the FCC power to do something, admittedly it took far to lar to nominate the new commissioners, and giving a path to remove Dejoy before he completely destroys the USPS. Once McConnell is in control, this all stops.

[Gandalf]

You're assuming the party wants anything but DINOs.

Indeed. DINO implies that there's "True Democrats" against which they can compare. If the metric is how often they vote with the party line, then Manchin is more Democrat than a lot of people in his own party. If it's adherence to Democratic principles, then it's a more detailed and interesting conversation because I can't really think of what might be Democratic principles.

[Ralin]

You know what? Fuck it. Let's not kid ourselves. Manchin didn't stab the party in the back. Manchin graciously acted as the scapegoat they could all blame on behalf of a bunch of others who didn't want to pass it but didn't want to have to go on the record voting against it.

[Straha]

I think the majority of the Democratic party wanted to pass something. They were never, ever, going to pass the $6 Billion that was initially floated, but a lot of them wanted to pass something so that they could go home and take credit for it at the electorate, and some even because they wanted to make lives better. The child tax credit, for instance, was hugely popular, an easy sell, and a great pitch to the electorate. To not get anything threatens a whole lot of Senators and Reps' jobs, and that's not good for any of them.

[Rogue 9]

Vote Blue No Matter Who.

So tell me again how having this guy in office is better than a Republican winning?

Mitch McConnell isn't in control of the Senate and using that power to do much, much worse than simply shooting down a bill?

Like what? What would Senate Majority Leader McConnell do that he hasn't had years to do the last time he controlled the Senate?

Moreover, how does Manchin being in office stop him when he'd vote the same as a GOP Trumper?

I don't know, refuse to hold hearings on judicial nominees? I mean, just to pull something out of the hat.

[MKSheppard]

You know what? Fuck it. Let's not kid ourselves. Manchin didn't stab the party in the back. Manchin graciously acted as the scapegoat they could all blame on behalf of a bunch of others who didn't want to pass it but didn't want to have to go on the record voting against it.

This. There are about 5 other democrats who were never gonna vote for it, but are thanking Joe Manchin.

[Elfdart]

Manchin in confirming Biden nominees for courts, FCC & postal among others, thus diluting the impact of Trump judges giving the FCC power to do something, admittedly it took far to lar to nominate the new commissioners, and giving a path to remove Dejoy before he completely destroys the USPS. Once McConnell is in control, this all stops.

Manchin voted for most of Il Douchebag's appointees in the first place*. So now he gets brownie points for being dragged into voting for Biden's? I think not.

* 73% of them in fact, as this chart shows:



There's more.

[Elfdart]

You know what? Fuck it. Let's not kid ourselves. Manchin didn't stab the party in the back. Manchin graciously acted as the scapegoat they could all blame on behalf of a bunch of others who didn't want to pass it but didn't want to have to go on the record voting against it.

This. There are about 5 other democrats who were never gonna vote for it, but are thanking Joe Manchin.

The Revolving Villain at its best. Manchin and Sinema are in the dunking cage now because they don't come up for re-election until 2024. The other Trump Democrats are up next year and don't want to be seen kneecapping their own president.

From over here it seems obvious what happens next.

The Democrats will lose the House in the midterms because of Biden's inability to achieve his agenda and the general backlash that always comes in the midterms.
That results in a lame duck presidency where Manchin and other DINOs support Republican bills and Biden can't stop it or achieve jack shit.
Biden loses the next Presidential election to the Republican candidate because the Democratic base is disillusioned and the Republican base is riled up to 'fix' the 'mistake' of 2020.
Giving the Republicans all three branches, yet again.

Like jobbers in pro wrestling, Democrats are paid to act like they're putting up a fight against the bad guys, then flop on cue. No other theory can explain why they behave as they do. Here's how things are most likely to play out:

1) Democratic voters get tired of the ineptitude, bad faith and bullshit excuses and get so demoralized that they stay home next November.

2) The Dems lose one or both houses.

3) Biden gets impeached once a week for the next two years.

4) The DNC spends the next 40 years blaming it all on Ocasio-Cortez.

[Lost Soal]

Manchin in confirming Biden nominees for courts, FCC & postal among others, thus diluting the impact of Trump judges giving the FCC power to do something, admittedly it took far to lar to nominate the new commissioners, and giving a path to remove Dejoy before he completely destroys the USPS. Once McConnell is in control, this all stops.

Manchin voted for most of Il Douchebag's appointees in the first place*. So now he gets brownie points for being dragged into voting for Biden's? I think not.

* 73% of them in fact, as this chart shows:



There's more.

It's not him voting for Biden nominee's that's the issue, its there being any votes at all. There will be no more confirmations of any position if McConnel gets back in charge, no recess appointments as they figured out how to stop that ears ago (the fact Biden hasn't been using it already is fucking stupid of course) but you get that what small progress has been made so far will immediately stop.