On Friday, after putting a final spear through the heart of what remained of Biden’s and the Democrat’s domestic agenda, West Virginia’s Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also rejected any tax increases on big corporations or the wealthy — until inflation is no longer a problem.
This is rich, in every sense of the word. Raising taxes on big American corporations and the wealthy would not fuel inflation. It would slow inflation by reducing demand — and do it in a way that wouldn’t hurt lower-income Americans (such as those living in, say, West Virginia).
Manchin’s state is one of the poorest in America. West Virginia ranks 45th in education, 47th in health care, 48th in overall prosperity, and 50th in infrastructure. Tax revenue from corporations and billionaires could be used to rebuild West Virginia, among other places that need investment around America.
But Manchin doesn’t seem to give a cluck. After all, the Democrat’s agenda — which Manchin just obliterated — included pre-K education, free community college, child subsidies, Medicare dental and vision benefits, paid family leave, elder care, and much else — all of enormous value to West Virginia. (On a per-person basis, West Virginians would have benefitted more than the residents of all but two other states.)
It’s not as if Manchin has championed anything else Democrats have sought. Remember Manchin’s “bipartisan compromise” on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act? Nothing came of it, of course. Nothing has come of any of the fig leafs Manchin has conjured to cover his unrelenting opposition to every other Democratic goal.
What’s going on here? It’s spelled m-o-n-e-y.
Few if any American-based global corporations or billionaires reside in West Virginia, but lots of money flows to Manchin from corporations and billionaires residing elsewhere. Manchin has not only taken more campaign contributions from oil, gas and coal companies than any other senator (as well as dividends from his own coal company), he has one of the largest war chests from all big American corporations.
If the Democratic Party had any capacity to discipline its lawmakers or hold them accountable (if pigs could fly), it would at least revoke Manchin’s chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. To continue to allow this key position to be occupied by the man who has single-handedly blocked one of the last opportunities to save the Earth is an insult to the universe.
I’m told the Democrats don’t dare take this step for fear Manchin would leave the Democratic Party and switch his allegiance to the Republicans.
Why exactly would this be so terrible? Manchin already acts like a Republican.
Oh, no! they tell me. If Manchin switches parties, Democrats would lose control over the Senate.
Well, I have news for Democrats. They already lost control over the Senate.
In fact, the way things are right now, Biden and the Democrats have the worst of both worlds. They look like they control the Senate, as well as the House and the presidency. But they can’t get a damn thing done because Manchin (and his intermittent sidekick Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema) won’t let them. So after almost two years of appearing to run the entire government, Democrats have accomplished almost nothing of what they came to Washington to do.
America is burning and flooding but Democrats won’t enact climate measures. Voting rights and reproductive rights are being pulverized but Democrats won’t protect them. Gun violence is out of control but Democrats come up with a miniature response. Billionaires and big corporations are siphoning off more national wealth and income than in living memory and paying a lower tax rate (often zero), but Democrats won’t raise taxes on big corporations and the wealthy.
Which means that in November’s midterm elections, Democrats will have to go back to voters and say “we promised a lot but we delivered squat, so please vote for us again.”
This does not strike me as a compelling message.
By kicking Manchin out of the party, Democrats could at least go into the midterms with a more realistic pitch: “It looked like we had control of the Senate, but we didn’t. Now that you know who the real Democrats are, give us the power and we will get it done.”
Maybe this way they’ll pick up more real Democratic senators, and do it.
Is it time for Democrats to kick Joe Manchin out of the party?
it must be absolutely maddening for the democrats to be blamed for being a "do nothing party" when they are the victims of the real "do nothing party". i think both manchin (AND sinema) should be booted from the democratic party -- a long time ago, in fact. and every time i see how filthy rich manchin is and continues to become by selling the future of this planet to line his pockets, i become almost apoplectic with rage.
the worst thing is that manchin is shamelessly preying on his own constituents, the poorest of poor amerikkkans, as he works on enlarging his financial portfolio. it's almost like west virginia is a modern-day giant plantation (except it's all about coal) and manchin is the slave owner who cynically lords his privilege over the entire lot of them. If manchin's little "experiment in destruction" continues, this country will, by default, adopt the climate change policies that killed Sri Lanka, and are crushing Dutch farmers.
would anyone like some soylent green for thanksgiving?
https://www.businessinsider.com/cannibalism-eating-human-flesh-climate-change-2019-9
It is PAST time to boot this fraud to the curb!
Republicans love to talk about RINO’s, but here is a prime example of a representative that campaigned himself as one thing, but his every word and action show the world he is something else.
If I was a more cynical person I would assume Republicans had a part in running Manchin and Sinema as Democrats, when their every vote is Republican.
You said it: the Democrats can’t have it any worse right now with Manchin’s loss. All I hear is “Biden said he’d do this” or “Biden promised this would be done.”
And to be sure, there are things he’s done that have nothing to do with Congress that I don’t like, but as far as the items you ticked off, the things that are detrimental or just really pissing off Americans to the point of losing their vote, his hands are virtually tied.
Why? Because we don’t have a bigger majority and McConnell uses the stupid filibuster every time there’s something worthwhile for America or Americans.
I swear, I will never understand how one man has so much control over the ENTIRE country. McConnell is bad enough; he’s horrible, in fact. But Manchin should hang his head in shame. It’s not enough he’s never going to do the right thing, but to pretend like he’s going to, wasting everyone’s time and energy, is stupid and infantile.
I’m sick of hearing Manchin, almost as sick of hearing Sinema, and if I never hear the names McConnell or Trump EVER again, it will be too soon.