The procedures of the Senate may be complicated, but the politics really aren’t. Democrats are learning that the hard way as a throwback senator from West Virginia continues to stand in the way of their grand plans.
Sen. Joe Manchin has not only steadfastly refused to blow up the filibuster, but now he’s also refusing to even vote for the election security killing For the People Act.
As my colleague Streiff shared this morning, the failure is the point for some in Democrat leadership. Chuck Schumer has been around the block long enough to understand that blowing up the filibuster would be a disaster for his party long-term. He also knows that’s there are more Democrats aside from Manchin who have no interest in doing so. Failing dramatically while having a scape-goat lined up is Schumer’s best play because it keeps the Democrat base riled up for future elections.
The problem for Democrats is that they have a growing majority within their ranks who have no interest in being smart. Thus, you get hysteria like this on a now daily basis.
Someone clearly didn’t take any lessons in the art of persuasion, right? Aside from sharing the ridiculous contention that the For the People Act is a barometer on how much someone is “for America,” Harrison’s nonsensical rant is sure to only push Manchin further away
The real question is how long Manchin is willing to play his role. It’s one thing to take the fall for Chucker Schumer in the Senate over the filibuster. It’s another to be called a racist, America-hating bigot over and over by your own party every single day. Manchin’s political future is already tenuous. He only won his last election by three percent, a sharp drop-off from his prior victories. Any continued regression and he’s toast. He has to be feeling that reality in conjunction with the intense hatred his supposed allies have for him.
Does Manchin continue to be a good soldier? Or is there a breaking point we just haven’t reached yet? Democrats have absolutely lost their minds over Manchin’s obstruction of their far-left agenda, moving to open warfare against a senator in their own party. That doesn’t seem sustainable to me. Manchin has to know he’s going to lose his next election if this keeps up. He can continue to play the sucker, or he can save his career by telling his left-wing detractors to jump in a lake by switching parties. What’s it going to be?