How Joe Manchin Intends to Hold Joe Biden Hostage

How Joe Manchin Intends to Hold Joe Biden Hostage

Senator Joe Manchin, the proud Senator from the State of West Virginia, which ranks No. 48 in healthcare, No. 44 in Economy (This explains why he is blocking $15 an hour minimum wage), and No. 50 in Education, is trying to flex his muscles to block some of the nominations and legislation of President Joe Biden. As the only conservative Democrat in a divided Senate, this is how Joe Manchin intends to hold Joe Biden hostage. By using his vote to extract the maximum to perpetuate his Senate seat.

It seems that Joe Manchin could care less about West Virginians drowning in abject poverty, lack of education, and a bad economy as the rankings show. He has been a Senator for 11 years, and he has yet to improve the lives of his own constituents as witnessed by facts. On the other hand, big business in West Virginia funds his campaigns.

How the President responds to Joe Manchin may set the tone of his presidency. It may either yield great results for the American people, or become just another lame duck presidency unable to pass any meaningful legislation except for two with passing of the 2020 and 2021 budgets.

If Klain succeeds in finding that moderate Republican, it will suck the oxygen out of Joe Manchin.

NEED A COMPROMISE

Joe Manchin is not the type of Senators who will bow to pressure, and too much of it may just flip him into the GOP column. So what does President Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain intend to do to make sure one man does not hold nominees and legislation in a Senate the Democrats control?

For one, Klain may reach out across the isle to more moderate Republicans willing to listen to a bipartisan argument to benefit the peoples of both parties. Considering how divided the GOP is today, and considering that seven Senators voted to impeach Donald Trump, whatever Klain attempts is worth the effort. There is no love lost between the treasonous Trumpists and the traditional Republican Party.

If Klain succeeds in finding that moderate Republican, it will suck the oxygen out of Joe Manchin. His scheme of holding the President hostage simply dithers and dies. Furthermore, the fact that other Democrat Senators are beginning to question if Joe Manchin is really a closet racist, given his refusal to nominate women of color to cabinet posts in the Biden Administration, is isolating him. Something I believe is important to happen to force a compromise.

Besides the nominations and the legislation, Joe Manchin has utterly refuted the idea of killing the filibuster rule, which was introduced to give racist Senators more power over laws dating back to the Jim Crow era. Another Democratic Senator Krysten Sinema is also opposed to killing the filibuster. Not exactly what a real Democrat would do.

JOE MANCHIN IS A REPUBLICAN IN DEMOCRATIC CLOTHING

West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the union. Yet, Joe Manchin is stepping on a landmine when he signaled he is unwilling to sign for a $2,000 check that comes with the COVID Relief Bill. It is very likely that such braggadocio is not sitting well with many families back home. Many of whom who need the money to pay for groceries and rent. His stance opens the door wide open for a PAC to invest in ads in West Virginia to let the voters know what their Senator is doing to keep them below the poverty line.

On ABC “this Week”, Former Governor Chris Christie warned that too much pressure on Manchin over the $15 wage hike might flip the Senator into the “R” column. If it happens, the move will deal a severe blow to Joe Biden’s agenda for the next two years. This is how Joe Manchin intends to hold Joe Biden hostage.

In the last four years, the Democrats had Mitch McConnell gatekeeping abilities to thank for a Senate that played Solitaire instead of passing laws. Today, we have Joe Manchin to hold the Senate from passing meaningful legislation.

TUG OF WAR

How will Joe Biden play this tug of war will rest on the shoulders of Ron Klain. If Joe Biden pulls too much, he will lose control of the Senate, and if he eases a bit, he will lose control over his agenda. The Quid Pro game Klain is willing to play with Manchin in the coming weeks may decide the success or the failure of Joe Biden’s presidency.

In the last four years, the Democrats had Mitch McConnell gatekeeping abilities to thank for a Senate that played Solitaire instead of passing laws. Today, we have Joe Manchin to hold the Senate from passing meaningful legislation.

Since Joe Manchin is looking for an infrastructure bill to benefit his constituents, hopefully Ron Klain is playing that card well ahead of any infrastructure legislation. Hopefully, he will find the  common grounds upon which Joe Manchin acts like a Democrat.

Hope is a dangerous thing, but war with Manchin today is most unproductive.

How Joe Manchin Intends to Hold Joe Biden Hostage

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