There are some complaints from activists I can understand. The one that sticks out is that voting rights legislation should have been a first year priority and the infrastructure bill which took up all summer could have waited. It goes without saying everyone wants both done but there is a limited window to get voting rights passed and at the state level republican state legislatures have already got to work on changing election laws.
But at the same time I remember Obama would get heckled and jeered at some of his speeches by activists about immigration policy which were understandable complaints but the problem was they had this idea it could be all solved by executive orders and so it was Obama’s lack of will preventing it. When in actual fact Obama used his executive authority to establish the DACA program to shield young children from deportation until Congress passed a bill incorporating that as well as other immigration reform. Congress never actually did it because Republicans controlled the House in 2012-14 and blocked the legislation and then controlled both the House and Senate in the remainder of that presidency.
I think it is experiences like that which is why Obama has now come out strongly in support of reforming the Senate rules which he didn’t while in office. There was a report a few days ago that as well as Biden, Obama and Bill Clinton have spoken with Manchin recently and other Democratic senators who in the past shared Manchin’s views on the filibuster have now decided the stakes have changed. It really does feel like a scene where everyone else is ready to go but this one guy is holding things back.
That’s right, but the way these particular Democrats are framing the story, it’s All Biden’s Fault.
In other words, they are working against their own interests by making Biden the bad guy. (Apparently the theory is that Biden “could” make Manchin vote a certain way, via some sort of dictatorial pressure: a doubtful proposition.)
I don’t have a specific citation but I’ve heard in more than one place that the US “supermajority” rule for getting anything done is fairly unique in the world (and in US states as well).
Such pressure could come in the form of those activists knowing full well that, at this point, the announcement of a finalized voting rights plan (heh - passing both chambers), can’t happen just yet, and are merely voicing thier protests simply as an urgent clarion call to put further Klieg lights on the situation. While such protests will obviously be percieved as dischord, I’m confident that the gravity of their dissent will greatly amplify the message and awareness that voting rights will really really come to the forefront, and, even if any little thing can bend Manchin’s ear, now, the better.
The “Manchin and money” issue came into somewhat clearer focus today:
This story centers on Build Back Better rather than on the voting rights acts, but the principle is the same: Joe is posing as Man of the People while actually taking his marching orders from the big-money boys.
Good speech by Biden. Watched it all live and he went further than I expected by speaking about filibuster removal. But then it was based along the lines of “if all else fails…” which means the state of play still hasn’t changed.
Fuck you, Kyrsten Synema. She took time after voting not to end the filibuster against voting rights to shake hands with the Republicans who voted against.
Second prediction: adoring the limelight as she does, at some point between now and the date she’s replaced as an Arizona Senator, Sinema will, with great fanfare, leave the Democratic Party.
The crystal ball is a bit hazy as to whether she’ll go Republican or go ‘Independent and caucuses with the Republicans’–the latter being a bit more likely.
We already knew Mitt Romney was a complete tool (even if he may have rubber stamped his yea impeachment vote), but after Sinema’s anti-filibuster vote he effusively congratulated her on her “courage.”
If she actually had any courage at all, she’d have voted either Yea or Nay on both measures. Can’t possibly get any more morally wishy-washy than splitting your vote like that.
I don’t think either Manchin and Sinema will run again in 2024. Sinema will lose a Democratic primary and Manchin will lose to a Republican. He may have high approval ratings in West Virginia but it was the most pro-Trump state in 2020 and he voted to impeach and convict Trump twice. The voters over there approve him obstructing Biden but once they have a candidate with an R by his or her name then Manchin is finished.
Yes. This is very important. Trump got a huge number of extremist right-wing judges (many of them considered “unqualified” by the ABA) on the federal bench. Countering that is crucial, and is well worth putting up with Manchin (and Sinema) masquerading as Democrats.
Oh yeah. She came from the Green Party after all. Whatever they think or believe they’re doing, we all know they’re essentially nothing but a spoiler for the Democrats at this point. I’m sure she would just looooove to have Democrats lined up to kneel and kiss the ring to prevent her from spoiling the 2024 race.