Biden Thread

[ReluctantSamurai]

...in that Manchin is an honest fool rather than mendacious like Sinema I guess

I don't buy that for one second. He know's exactly what he's doing which is bowing to his donors (which I pointed out in previous posts), making millions from his coal interests (any wonder why he's dead set on tanking the climate action portions of the Reconciliation Bill?), and keeping the minimum federal wage increases as low a possible (he has widespead food service interests in WVa). He's a sneaky snake, talking about fiscal responsibility (where the hell were you Joe when Trump's tax cuts added to the deficit?), while raking in millions on dirty coal:

https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4...gVC4rAZQw5Hkno

Manchin has a vested and longstanding interest in the coal industry as a senator from West Virginia. The state is second in the nation in coal production and coal is part of its identity. Between 2011, the year covered by his first Senate disclosure filing, and 2020, Manchin raked in a total of $5,211,154 in dividend income from Enersystems, a coal and energy resource company he founded in 1988, before entering the public sector, according to annual financial disclosures. The senator earned $491,949 in dividends last year alone, as journalist Alex Kotch reported this summer.

Enersystems represents a staggering 71 percent of Manchin’s investment income, according to FinePrint. It accounts for 30 percent of his net worth. His stake in the company is worth as much as $5 million. Manchin, in other words, has a vested interest in creating policies to keep coal profitable.

Earlier this year, Unearthed, Greenpeace U.K.’s investigative unit, obtained video of now-former Exxon lobbyist Keith McCoy discussing 11 senators he called crucial to Exxon’s interests, referring to Manchin in particular as “the kingmaker.” McCoy bragged about speaking with Manchin’s office on a weekly basis.

Then there's this:

https://thejourneyman.substack.com/p...ckballed-neera

When Tanden decided to call out Joe Manchin’s daughter for yet another example of corporate greed, little could she have known that while Joe Manchin can rationalize confirming Bret Kavanaugh, an accused sexual predator, and Jeff Sessions, a renowned racist, her mean tweets about his daughter are where he draws the line.

Now there were other legitimate reasons for rejecting Tanden, but that quote is difficult to call coincidence.

And where was "King Manchin" when this happened?

https://inthesetimes.com/article/wes...chin-democrats

In a statement, Joe Manchin said, ​“For months, I have engaged in conversations with Viatris, Monongalia County, the Morgantown Area Partnership, and local and state leaders to find a solution that protects every single job.” (Since the plant’s 1,500 jobs are set to be eliminated in a week, any conversations he had were apparently fruitless.)

Lots of blah-blah-blah, but no action:

Joe Manchin, he says, gave the union members ​“two minutes of his time” several months ago, and has not done anything meaningful on their behalf.

Ya think a $30 million 'golden parachute' for his beloved daughter had anything to do with his lack of action?

The man spouts nothing but BS, as in this quote:

“Wherever there is one job on the verge of being lost, I will fight to save it. Wherever there is one company looking to grow in West Virginia, I will fight to make that growth a reality.”

Yep, how do you think the fine citzens of WVa feel about seeing their jobs headed overseas? Sorry, "The King Maker" is nothing but a corrupt, money-grubbing politician that is using his office to increase his own personal wealth at the expense of the American public.

Sinema is a different animal...a chameleon. She got elected by running as a "progressive", but has quickly changed her tune (or maybe it was her plan all along) and is now one of the main fronts for BigPharma having accepted close to $1 million in campaign donations from pharmaceuticals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0ljgTvvmq4

Compare the "progressive" rhetoric in that interview with the crap she espouses today. LIAR.

Most of Biden's agenda polls with majority support, 60%, 70%, more

It's nearly 80% in Manchin's home state of WVa, and that polling includes nearly 60% of Republicans across the states.

Not passing either bill and possibly defaulting on our debt will certainly end his presidency and who knows what else for the US as a superpower.

Methinks you are getting caught up in the political rhetoric... Republicans are fully aware of what a debt default means, and so does Big Business. It ain't gonna happen in the end, but the GOP wants to milk the fear of debt default to pressure the Democrats into concessions.

We've neglected our infrastructure for decades. What's a few more days or weeks to hammer out negotiations on the Reconciliation Bill. Progressives know full well that as distasteful as certain items in the Bi-partisan bill are, swallowing them without fighting for the $3.5 trillion package, is a serious dereliction of duty, so-to-speak. There will be an infrastructure bill passed...eventually, but surrendering to the conservatives on this issue virtually insures a completely GOP-controlled government by 2024, and then if you have any notions of living in a democracy, best find another country...