"This is not a center-left country," Manchin says to @JohnBerman on @NewDay

[demmiblue]

Link to tweet

Has the &*%@ even looked at the polling regarding the items in the BBB?!

[lapfog_1]

1. West Virginia is not a center left area

but if you take all of the voters in the USA and categorize us by far right, center right, middle, center left, far left...

We are, in fact, a center left nation.

[genxlib]

2. Here is the problem

Based on individual politics, we are a center left country

Based on structural politics, we are center right (or even a right wing) country.

That has to do with structural bias in the Senate, Electoral College, voting restrictions, gerrymandering not to mention the secondary effects that those biases have on the courts and other institutions.

This is what makes it so frustrating to be a Democrat. Being in the majority isn't enough to actually get things done and it sucks.

[Mike 03]

5. Good insight.

This is why the often-cited fact that "we are the majority" (which I hear every day on Progressive radio) isn't as comforting today as it used to be. Wasn't only 15% (?) of Italy Fascist when Mussolini took over? It doesn't take that many people to overthrow a system of government.

[Wounded Bear]

15. Historically, "populist" political movements are not majorities...

generally they are very loud minorities.

[Celerity]

6. good post about the reality of the ideological scales in the US

[demmiblue]

8. Well stated.

[JI7]

9. It's not really center left either . But it depends on the issue. Even blue states vote against

many left leaning things. The more recent is getting rid of the police dept and replacing it with something else in Minneapolis .

But things like paid family leave do have large majority support so in that case what you describe is true.

And another thing is people would vote for the candidate that opposes paid family leave if they support keeping the police dept over a candidate that would support family leave while supporting getting rid of the police dept .

[genxlib]

10. I think what you are getting at is all true

But I wouldn't characterize the police initiative as "left-leaning". I don't know much about it but it sounded pretty left wing. So it doesn't surprise me that it failed because the entire "defund the police" movement was not nearly as mainstream as the right wing made it sound. At least as it relates to complete defunding as opposed to reform.

Which speaks to your point about how people would support someone against that initiative even if they were against something like paid family leave. It is simply a bridge too far for most people.

[Mike 03]

3. He's scampering around like crazy in search of cover for saying "No" to

our agenda. More than anything, I wonder if West Virginians read the newspapers and realize what he is attempting to deprive them of. Doesn't he get local blowback from anybody? How do the WV newspapers handle him?

[Lovie777]

4. Senator, who cares . ..

This is to help the working class and poor. Obviouly you don't care. Apparently you and the GQP feel threaten and feel that you guys will lose power and lots and lots of money. And I guess that is the whole point.

[unblock]

7. Center/center-right countries don't want crumbling bridges and a fascist government

Even if he's right, (he's right about West Virginia, but not about America) he should still support Biden and the bill. America wants to pull back from government negligence and the fascist abyss.

[Omnipresent]

11. Why is he a Democrat?

I would really like to hear from Manchin’s mouth, as to why he is a Democrat.

[haele]

12. Because he can't make it through a GOP primary?

And while there's a lot of religious wingnuts in WV, there are probably more centerist independent types that if given a good ol boy coal type to vote for, they would prefer to vote Dixiecrat like grandpappy than vote Republican, especially if they feel their Dixiecrat will poke a finger in the eye of those damn fool elitist liberals that seem to have took over their party.

Haele

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. And yet, a super majority of voters support most of the elements of BBB. Nt

[Deminpenn]

14. Nope

Americans are liberal-libertarian.

[lagomorph777]

16. Looking at BBBB polls, I'd say we are left, not center-left.

So I half agree with Senator ManChild.