This really is something right out of some authoritarian regime:
Leaders in West Virginia’s Democratic Party passed a resolution calling on members of the state’s congressional delegation, including a prominent senator, to support President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
The state party chairwoman expressed optimism that there still might be some form of the policy package that Manchin could support.
Senator Joe Manchin’s office says he still intends to be an independent voice in Washington, though.
“West Virginians elected Senator Manchin to be an independent voice in Washington and that is what has always been,” stated Sam Runyon, Manchin’s communications director.
“He has clearly articulated his policy concerns with Build Back Better which are rooted in rising costs of living as inflation soars, the ongoing pandemic and the geopolitical uncertainty around the world. He continues to work to improve the lives of every West Virginian.”
Manchin is the top elected Democratic officeholder in West Virginia. Members of the State Democratic Executive Committee on Monday evening passed the resolution asking for support for Build Back Better, which has stalled in the U.S. Senate.
The resolution cites components of the policy proposal such as continued financial assistance for parents, universal preschool, Medicare expansion to cover dental, hearing and vision care and paid family leave.
“We, the West Virginia State Executive Committee therefore call upon all of West Virginia’s elected congressional representatives to immediately support the passage of President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda through the budget reconciliation process requiring a simple majority of U.S. Senators voting in the affirmative,” the resolution states.
You can read the resolution in the link. But I want you all to be aware that all the members of the WV State Democratic Party Executive Committee are cronies of Joe Manchin. And Manchin took the time to appear at the the House of Delegates where he was applauded by the Democrats.
Too bad Republicans have supermajorities in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate.
But Democrats just LOVED what Manchin had to say:
Manchin made a surprise appearance Tuesday at West Virginia’s state Capitol. He addressed both the state Senate and the House of Delegates, where Republicans have supermajorities, and received applause after a speech about bipartisan policymaking and the benefits of productive policy.
“The country wants us to come together,” Manchin told state legislators. “We have our differences, but not about people. Remember this, it’s not the American people or West Virginians who are divided. Sometimes we divide ourselves, and we can’t do that. So look for the commonality.
“The best politics is good government. Do something good, we all take credit for it. The bottom line is, we’re there to help.”
Emphasis is mine.
So Manchin controls the WV Democratic Party like a czar. And he has his sycophants in the WV Democratic Party put out a resolution “urging” Manchin to support BBB. And Manchin goes into his bipartisan cant and how the American people are not divided.
Normally, the Potemkin Village was supposed to fool the then czarina that everything in Mother Russia was going swimmingly. Supposedly, the czarina was not in on the gag. It was meant to placate the monarch and obscure the fact that abject poverty existed in most of Russia and his/her reign sucked.
This time, however, we have Manchin going home to WV to send out a phony plea from his cronies to support BBB, which HE HAS NO INTENTION OF VOTING FOR. And like Trump, he wallows in the adjulation from his sycophants. All the while Manchin keeps any good from BBB to his constituents.
I’m just struck by the dichotomy of the AZ Democratic Party to the WV Democratic Party with regards to their obstructionist senators. The AZ Democratic Party is an actual political party not under the thumb of one person, and they are trying to hold Kyrsten Sinema accountability for her betrayal of her constituents. But In WV, we have a shell of a political party congratulating obstructionist Manchin as a returning hero.
While AZ gives us hope, WV becomes a bananna republic.