Statement from Joe Manchin on the Jan 6 Commission and Mitch McConnell:

[George II]

Link to tweet

[Walleye]

1. So after careful consideration I am deciding to vote to eliminate the filibuster. Right?

[lagomorph777]

38. Let's hope so. Otherwise the commission is dead. And Manchin is dead to me.

[Walleye]

49. And maybe American democracy is dead

[lagomorph777]

52. Not maybe.

Definitely.

[PSPS]

2. It took Manchin this long to see the republican shtick?

[Irish_Dem]

4. He always saw it, why is he now being public about it?

[Xipe Totec]

46. He needed political cover with his voters. He believes he has it now.

[Irish_Dem]

47. Thank goodness. About time.

[uponit7771]

50. +1, okay ...

[brush]

3. Means absolutely nothing if he won't budge on getting rid of the filibuster.

We'll see how full of it or not Manchin is.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. since when did this guy become palsywalsy with the rqn party and become a

sorta r? and how did he become so powerful that everything hinges on him?

[mahina]

14. WV went to Trump by 40 points

Last edited Thu May 27, 2021, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)

It’s gone from blue to deep red. He votes with us most of the time, including on squeakers like the ACA, and is the reason we have the majority.

He was Gov there. He can keep his seat as long as he wants it I think although he will be challenged by the Republicans when he runs. Hopefully not by a Dem if we want to keep the seat.

[George II]

30. So far this session (200+ votes) he's voted with us ALL of the time, which is more than we can say..

...about some long-time Senators.

Your initial point is so important - he's in a conservative state. With all the criticism that gets thrown at him, no one has ever come up with another Democrat who could win in West Virginia.

If they don't like him, they should tell us with whom we replace him.

[BobTheSubgenius]

33. That really is the key point, isn't it?

With him, Democrats can sometimes be frustrated and uncertain. Without him, Democrats are f'ed. Everyone wishes it wasn't so, but if wishes were horses...

[Buns_of_Fire]

6. Careful, Joe. Walking that fence can be awfully painful if you slip.

[Autumn]

7. Joe Manchin should talk less and do more.

That fillibuster isn't going to nuke itself. He really should do his homework.

[The Magistrate]

8. He Will Need To Back That With A Vote, Sir

I do expect he will be in the fold eventually, but the man is making it far more intricate than the task needs....

[Progressive Jones]

9. He's waiting to see what he "gets" for his cooperation. nt

[George II]

23. He's not "waiting" for anything. So far this session, in 213 votes, he's voted with Democrats and...

...President Biden 100% of the time. He's a more reliable vote than 15 other Senators in the Democratic Caucus.

[patphil]

27. That's what I think also. He's using all this for political leverage.

He wants something from the administration, and/or congress. Once he gets what he's really after, he will come on board.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

34. By the time he gets whatever he wants it could be to late.

[DENVERPOPS]

35. Could not agree more

This is not the time to be pussy footing around, Jockeying for his personal position.

[George II]

16. He probably will. So far this session he has a 100% rating for voting with President Biden....

Unfortunately Manchin is being criticized for "votes" that haven't even taken place yet.

Other Democratic ratings (and ranks in the Democratic Caucus):

35 tied with 100%, including the oft-criticized Kyrsten Sinema

Ed Markey 96.6% (tied for 36th)
Elizabeth Warren 96.6% (tied for 36th)
Bernie Sanders 96.4% (49th)

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/

Sites like this are really helpful for sifting through the criticism (not by you) of Senators and Representatives and getting to the real facts of the matter.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Blah, blah, blah...

Cheap talk from a cheap politician.

[mahina]

53. In case you don't have a chance to read up thread

Check it out, Joe Manchin has voted with Joe Biden one hundred percent of the time.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/

He represents a state that went for Trump by 40 points. He’s the best we’re ever going to get at least in the near future and he’s already better on support for Biden’s policies then a lot of other people.

[Ninga]

11. Look. Just maybe a predicate needed to be established. Dems doing all they can to give the GOP

the benefit and room to provide their input….but….not so much so that the Dems are willing to roll over with each ridiculous negotiation.

McCarthy and McConnell have negotiated, got what they wanted, and then walked away. This has not gone over Manchin’s head. Manchin just might want a strong foundation of the GOP walking away so he can say “I’ve done all that I can to be an advocate for bipartisanship, but youse guys are not interested.” Well I dunno. Maybe?

[NCDem47]

12. Manchin is our Collins.

[lagomorph777]

39. Collins is more reliably Reptilian than Manchin is Democratic.

[spooky3]

15. I think so, too. It's a message being crafted for the next

Campaign, AND it is going to be his justification for voting to remove the filibuster: “we gave you every opportunity…” i think the Obama years provided sufficient basis for not bending over backwards now, but he may think current voters don’t remember back that far and he has to set the stage.

I hope we are correct and that Sinema comes along with him.

[Ninga]

19. I think all of us are worn down and cynical that positive outcomes are remotely possible. We've

been jerked around by escape artists. Just want to have hope that Manchin is playing the long game to claim he tried.

[spooky3]

21. Agreed nt

[George II]

17. As I've noted elsewhere here, Manchin is being criticized for the way some THINK he may vote....

...on issues that haven't even come up for a vote yet.

He's among 35 Democrats that have been most reliable with respect to voting with President Biden and the Democratic position.

Some surprising members of the Democratic Caucus are down at the bottom of the list of 50 members.

[Ninga]

20. Agree.

[George II]

25. Thanks. I wanted to put cold hard numbers to the fact that Manchin is a reliable Democratic vote.

[Progressive Jones]

37. Then why did he originally come out against

dumping the filibuster?
Dumping the filibuster should be a plank in the Democratic Party platform.

[spooky3]

22. +1

[world wide wally]

13. Just as the Republicans live in fear of losing an election,

so does Manchin (if he votes against McConnell)

[Walleye]

51. He'll probably lose anyway if Gov. Justice runs against him

That should set him free to vote how he pleases. Plus his wife got a job in the administration.

[redstateblues]

18. I would trade Manchin for Marsha Blackburn

We are lucky to have Manchin and not some bomb throwing Republican

[gratuitous]

24. Is there anything you can do about it, Sen. Manchin?

I mean, if your Republican colleagues insist on living in fear and frightening the American people on baseless positions, what do you plan to do about it?

[Raven123]

26. All noise, no signal.

[blueinredohio]

28. That means there's no excuse for Joe not to eliminate the filibuster

now that he realizes republicans are not going to work with democrats.

[jaxexpat]

29. Manchin continually poses for his statue.

He has little or no care for the current state of things. Absorbed as he is in his view of posterity, there is nothing in his coal-funding addled mind to see that which is plainly before him.

[Paladin]

31. Thanks for next to nothing, Manchin. As usual. (nt)

[True Blue American]

32. That man needs to be replaced, immediately

And all the others that agree with him.
They just showed the Senators that are meeting with Sicknik’s Mother.

[duforsure]

41. Agree 100%

[monkeyman1]

36. got a feeling a lot of republican's will be shown the door in " 22" !!

[lagomorph777]

40. Exit, or Enter?

They are so busy rigging the next election that we are doomed unless we nuke the Filibuster and upgrade the Voting Rights Act.

[monkeyman1]

42. " Exit " - everybody should be fed with ol' moscow mitch bull shit !!

their's a whole gang republican's that going down with Mr. lard ass !!

[Johonny]

43. Now allow the infrastructure bill to pass

[ShazamIam]

44. It is a Republican tradition to blanket the nation in lies, like all those WMD's back in 2003,

pushing 24/7 the ridiculous narrative that loans to red-lined housing caused the entire economic collapse; add more please.

[hay rick]

45. Joe tagged Mitch.

This is the public rationale for ditching the filibuster. Finding the truth is more important than maintaining the protections offered by the filibuster. I hope Joe is listening to his own words.

[True Blue American]

48. Mitch has been on the floor

Getting right in people’s faces as t(ey vote. I first noticed that yesterday.

Today Romney was on the floor for a long time as Republicans and Democrats are having long conversations. I think Sicknik’s Mother is creating some worry as she visits Senators.

Ron Johnson was her first stop.

Another Policeman who quit said he would rather dig ditches than work for them, they treated us like servants!

[Hassler]

54. Great, Joe now kill the filibuster and get Sinema on board.

[WyattKansas]

55. Manchin saying he is not ready to blow up the country by removing the filibuster...

Yet he is perfectly fine watching Republican insurrectionists, rat-fuckers, and frauds blow up and destroy everything about the country instead and allowing them to continue it with their juvenile delinquent games. I don't get his logic at all.