Sen. Joe Manchin voiced his opposition to the controversial “For the People Act” in Sunday’s Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Within his 1,000-word piece, the West Virginian also dashed Democrats’ hopes of pushing through their agenda by eliminating the filibuster.
“Some Democrats have again proposed eliminating the Senate filibuster rule in order to pass the For the People Act with only Democratic support. They’ve attempted to demonize the filibuster and conveniently ignore how it has been critical to protecting the rights of Democrats in the past,” Manchin opined.
“As a reminder, just four short years ago, in 2017 when Republicans held control of the White House and Congress, President Donald Trump was publicly urging Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster. Then, it was Senate Democrats who were proudly defending the filibuster. Thirty-three Senate Democrats penned a letter to Sens. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell warning of the perils of eliminating the filibuster.”
Known as SB1, the radical measure mandates over two weeks of early voting, permits universal same-day voter registration, and limits states’ ability to curb mail-in voting. The nakedly unconstitutional bill also federalizes the election process and imposes unconstitutional mandates on states, while interfering with the ability of states to determine voter eligibility, ensure the accuracy of voter registration rolls, and secure fair elections.
Republicans have deemed the legislation a “power grab” that makes the voting system more vulnerable to fraud.
“It really, really deals a severe blow to what’s left of the president’s domestic agenda,” Democrat strategist Jim Manley said. “Unless I’m missing something, most of the Biden legislative agenda is going to die a quick, painful death in the Senate, because there are not the good 10 Senate Republicans that Sen. Manchin keeps on hoping for.”
The New York Times agrees, writing Sunday, “Mr. Manchin’s blockade of filibuster changes makes other Biden initiatives far less likely to pass, including any overhaul of immigration laws, a permanent expansion of the Affordable Care Act, controls of the price of prescription drugs and the most serious efforts to tackle climate change.”
Left-wingers like Rep. Pramila Jayapal predictably overreacted and compared SB1 to abolishing slavery and said bipartisanship is akin to voter suppression.
First-term Rep. Mondaire Jones echoed recent hyperbolic clichés by accusing Manchin of preserving Jim Crow.
Another first term congressman, Jamaal Bowman, told CNN Monday that Manchin is the new Mitch McConnell.
Atlantic writer and noted race-baiter Jemele Hill bashed America and effectively called the senator a white supremacist.
Jayapal represents a fringe Seattle area, while Bowman and Jones are in New York, so they can say outlandish things to get attention; Manchin, however, represents a state that former President Donald Trump recently won by 40 points. Democrats should realize it’s a miracle he still has a seat, and he’s fronting for other red and purple state Democrats who won’t go on the record.
One other point Manchin makes to discredit the Democrats’ talking points noted, “Are the very Republican senators who voted to impeach Trump because of actions that led to an attack on our democracy unwilling to support actions to strengthen our democracy? Are these same senators, whom many in my party applauded for their courage, now threats to the very democracy we seek to protect?”
A.J. Kaufman
A.J. Kaufman is an Alpha News columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Israel National News, Orange County Register, St. Cloud Times, Star-Tribune, and across AIM Media Midwest and the Internet. Kaufman previously worked as a school teacher and military historian.
