On Fox News Sunday yesterday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he could not support the Build Back Better infrastructure bill, a measure that is central to President Joe Biden’s vision for America.
As upset as I am with Manchin, we must all remember the 50 Republican Senators who are refusing to negotiate at all on the BBB Act. If even a single Republican Senator would support these priorities Manchin’s opposition would not matter. So yes, be upset with Manchin but reserve your anger also for those 50 Republican Senators.
“I wear the chain I forged in life,” states Marley's ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."
There is justice in Marley's punishment, just as there will be justice for Manchin, the coal baron, the climate reparations blocker, whose very existence -- yachts, coffers and all -- depend on monies made off the backs of coal miners who die of lung disease.
Economically foolish indeed! Here's a real-world example of how foolish, and what the underlying economics of solar tells us about the transition from coal-power to sun-power. I run a business that owns a big warehouse with a 30,000 square foot roof. In 2020 my company got financing thanks to a wonderful small biz called Symmetric Energy and with their help, we launched a project to put 265 solar collectors up on that roof. The whole array took up only about a third of the roof; the rest is still available. It was a $250,000 investment, and believe it or not, we've paid it off already. No debt, but a big new asset for our balance sheet, and huge savings for our profit and loss. The system went live in late August, so September was the first bill from our utility that reflected the new source of the electricity. The bill, which had been averaging $2,400 per month, came in at $28.00 and change! That's a 99% reduction in cost! Then came October, and with it five days of cloud, cold, and heavy rain. What would that do to our bill? Answer: October's bill went down to $25.00 and change! November, same thing: $25.00 and change. Where I live there are thousands of big warehouse roofs. Same in West Virginia. My business to business message: convert to solar and watch your cost of doing business go down. Close those expensive polluting coal-fired plants and decarbonize our economy. Joe Manchin, you are invested in the wrong technology.
In Kentucky your theory is false. Kentucky had and continues to have one of the most expansive and fair voting systems in the Country. Unfortunately the good people of Kentucky voted red. There are blue pockets, as in any State, but this is a ruby red State. In my opinion we were sent a very weak, DNC crafted candidate to try and unseat McConnell. McGrath stood no chance. And we even had a historic turnout. Our Democratic Governor Beshear is a godsend though as is my Democratic Mayor.
How can you say that when Kentucky uses ES&S machines with no paper ballots to be audited? People watched their votes change before their very eyes and had to keep selecting their choice to get it to stick. McConnell and Paul had extremely low approval ratings. All elections need to have paper ballots and be auditable.
Maine is a great state. I seem to remember some Mainers turning the tide at Gettysburg. And they have great sunrises. Whales. Ticks. The Bushes on vacation!
My sister lives there and has worked for the state for over 25 years. She’s seen a lot of changes. They have ranked choice voting. That doesn’t sound like 1928 to me. Just like every other state they have good policies and bad policies. Except Florida who doesn’t have a good policy in sight.
I think it was Poppe Bush who referred to the home in Kennebunkport as their "ancestral home"... turns out they were Vikings before they became members of the "Brahmin Caste of New England" only to devolve into the zombie caste of the lone star hate.
fun fact: They had a brush with non-existence back in late October or early November of 1620. They are descendants of John Howland, the man who fell overboard during the Mayflower's journey, and by all rights should have drowned in the frigid north Atlantic, but who managed to grab a halyard that was dragging in the drink, and to be spotted by several sailors, who pulled him back up.
FDR is also a Howland descendants, as are my nephews--sons of my sister.
And what about that beautiful coastline, maybe 100 miles of nooks and crannies for every 10 miles as the crow flies? And the majestic forests and rocks coming right up the the ocean?
Keep the Bushes, who wants them… Daddy Bush was the first Repub that I remember giving Lee Atwater’s evil a place to shine. Not enough space to list the W/Dickie horrors…
I agree with Barbara. Don’t generalize about a state based on whom they elect. Just because Trump was elected doesn’t mean everyone in the USA is dumb. Ditto Kentucky and McConnell. Ditto California and Reagan.
44% of Maine voters went for the former president in 2020. (Nationwide it was about 48%.) I used to write that off as based on temporary shortcomings such as political ignorance or gullibility, but I no longer make that concession to the nation's anti-democratic forces. If not "dumbness," something worse motivates them.
Now, that's powerful. I think of the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, when the ghost of Christmas present opens his cloak, and inside are two children representing hunger and want. Where can we find that image. I get goose bumps thinking about it.
I will be watching that movie version tonight as part of our traditional Christmas experience. For a teaser, we watched Patrick Stewart's version last week. George C. Scott hits it out of the park with that Scrooge.
That scene with the kids under the robe is powerful.
I think WE have to be the messengers. Media remains divisive. It's hard to make the point in sound bites on social media ~ I certainly didn't follow the previous president twitter.
We are all in our silos.
I try not to overload my social media or conversation, hoping the message gets through.
Constantly post to their Twitter activity to call them out. Find local papers and write in the opinions section. I'm exploring creating short videos with my phone to post.
I completely agree. Last night on Lawrence O’Donnell former senator Bob Kerry spoke of his experience of being vote #50 during Clinton’s Presidency. He was eloquent on the subject of 50 Republicans refusing to help at all.
What we need now is a constant tolling of the names of the 50 Republican Senators and a brief bio of each, info on their state, and what benefits they are refusing their constituents. I see Biden, Schumer, Pelosi and Jayapal standing together in a town hall and speaking only the names of the Republicans, their states, and an example of one family who is being denied a desperately needed benefit. We need to take the focus off Manchin and put it where it belongs! And we need the political theater to dramatize the message!
Ned, I agree. We and the press let Manchin be in the glorious spot light as he played Lucy and the Football with us. And he is skilled at that hand wringing as he reaps all the benefits he denies his constituents
I certainly would like to see Manchin’s hands wringing a ton of sweat from getting harassed by responsible groups. In the meantime, our president, Biden, the progressives, the moderates, and our Speaker remain very focused in moving forward. Bravo!
There is really enough to go around, however Manchin and Sinema are betraying the principles of their party. They're also withholding the votes needed to pass this much needed legislation.
Absolutely! It is particularly amazing because republican senators represent states that could benefit the most from the BBB Act. And, unlike so many spending bills, this one actually puts real dollars into family's bank accounts, i.e. its impact is immediate. But of course it benefits women and children and republicans can't have that!!
Remember Michael Cohen testifying about the back door and blackmail, or threats that Former guy routinely had his henchmen use to force others to do his bidding? The R party members who continue to support him all have families. We will eventually find out who has been paid off, who has suffered from fear.
..."who has suffered from fear" these are the people who send our loved ones to war , if they are such cowards they do not deserve to be in Congress. The courage to stand for truth and for the nation itself is not asking more than we ask of our soldiers.
If this is all it takes then we are already living under an autocracy! Why wouldn’t these Republicans reach out to the FBI for protection. and the DOJ to LOCK THEM UP! If they’d have done their jobs the first impeachment TFG’s thugs would have NO teeth! I know, they were afraid but this is exactly how PUTIN works … it isn’t supposed to work this way in the USA!
But they couldn’t trust the DOJ or FBI because the thugs were placed inside them too. Look what happened when Alexander Vindman came forward. He was strong and put country first. These Republicans can’t see that if they push forward with honest attorneys it would all be out in the open and whatever secret they’re hiding would be inconsequential compared to what they’re allowing to happen out of fear.
Then they have NO BUSINESS taking an oath they refuse to honor or don’t have the kahunas to do the right thing. Liz Cheney isn’t letting fear stop her from speaking up! The honorable Mr. Vindman didn’t either.
Exactly. I got mine, screw you. And besides if you were smart and hard working oyu wouldn't need any help. So, it's really your problem. /snark - sort of
Bruce, it is his actions that have put us in this position. I expect nothing different from this current GOP lineup, I do expect more from Manchin. It shouldn't be this painstaking to get a bill on the table to help Americans.
1993.......Sen John Kerry, reading from a yellow pad
2016.......Sen John McCain, no need to read if you have a thumb
2021 (still).....Joe Manchin on Fox
And yet it is the Republicans Who are opponents of a democracy helping families and children. The media presents the problem as a fight between the two Joes; the problem is the cult Republicans.
Wouldn’t it be great if one Republican Senator actually did the right thing and voted for BBB? Would love to see Joe Manchin become an unnecessary factor in this process and lose his self importance.
I have the same fantasy, Barb. Who are the likely possibilities - Murkowski, Collins, Romney - anyone who is retiring in 2024 and doesn't need Mitch's dark money for a re-election campaign?
I think he was going to vote with it until he was influenced and bought out using Lindsey Graham’s fake CBO. They convinced him with fake costs. He needs to believe he’s bipartisan and has some power to convince others when in fact he was convinced with greed and more money. Somehow complaining that if we help people out of poverty they will become entitled doesn’t make it clear to him that he himself feels entitled to have the power to make decisions about who has the opportunity to thrive. Was he ever a poor guy that had to work his way up or was he born with a silver spoon in his mouth? He goes against everything the church teaches, as do the rest of the Christian claiming Republicans, that we do not judge others and you help others become self-sufficient. Teach them to care for themselves. They will lift themselves out of poverty. I certainly did even if I had to struggle for a few years I took every educational opportunity available.
That old story about taking in a snake, we knew what they were at the git go. I never expected either Trojan horse to go with Dems. Just running out the clock. Talk about traitors…
And make sure that as many as possible of the twenty Republican Senate seats up for election in ten and a half months turn Democratic. Three (Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) are very competitive, and Democratic victories there would give the Democrats a 53-47 majority if they manage to hold on to the fourteen presently Democrat seats which will be contested, no easy task. Then, Senator Manchin can be ignored and we can get on with re-creating the "government for the people" built for us by FDR, Harry Truman and Ike.
Yes, we need to go after all those seats. How did we manage to go from 59 under Obama to a minority? Obama did a lot of good things for this country and I don’t know what the issue was that made the Senate lose so many seats. Then after McConnell became the majority leader and systematically destroyed democracy at every turn somehow the Republicans are still maintaining so many seats.
Answering your question, a lot of people still smoke, refuse vaccinations, don't wear seat belts and do a lot of stuff not in their best interests. They believe lies, equate "government for the people" with socialism and vote Republican!
Yes! This occurred to me as well...everybody is jumping all over Manchin--as is understandable because he essentially has betrayed his party--but the real culprits here continue to be Senate Republicans. What HCR mentioned towards the end of her Letter, about the Goldman Sachs prediction of the failure to pass this measure as slowing growth by as much as 1%, THAT right there, y'all, is the real thing Republicans are hoping for. They want the economy to sputter. They want growth to slow. Anything they can use to pin blame on Biden and the Democrats for anything negative is all they're interested in. To hell with the people. To hell with families with children. To hell with the elderly. None of us matters. The sole thing they're interested in is scoring hits against the opposition. They have offered not one shred of an idea of what they might offer as an alternative. They don't think they need to. It's solely about shooting down any- and everything Democrats stand for. If they return to power, the lion's share of their energies will be devoted to undoing any-and everything Democrats have done thus far, using the American people as pawns. These disgusting trolls masquerading as a political party are what we are left with--no substance. Sound & fury signifying nothing. Manchin has cast his lot with them and he may live to regret it.
Yes, I was reminded of this by you and others on Twitter. I should think the Goldman Sachs information re: the GDP reduction from 3% to 2% would have an affect on the repubs. There's a lot of good in the bill. What did I read that 68% of WV'ians wanted the BBB. If Manchin can't explain the bill, he needs to sit on his yacht and read it.
Yes. I remember when congress could actually accomplish something other than play politics! It's so frustrating to lose programs that would help families, improve education, and help all of us.
I agree to the greater fault being lock-step Republicans. But, when it's you cat shredding the drapes, I'm hard pressed to be concerned with the behavior of the breed at large. Manchin is all about his powerplay. His damage goes beyond merely withdrawing his yes. It puts the agenda and credi ility of the Democratic Party and agenda as risk. "See, told you so. Democrats can't get anything done." Fox News was just the stick it in your eye for this loonie playing out on the fringe of his ego. Our image as the party of All Americans is what his actions do to create hostility to our all talk and no meat palavering image.
This needs to be posted here. A voice from a West Virginian.
I am a grassroots organizer for economic justice here in West Virginia, building the Rattle The Windows movement alongside poor and marginalized West Virginians. I have been working tirelessly for months in coalition with groups here, on a state level and on a national level with Moms Rising and Community Change Action, to organize and elevate the stories of WV children and families around their support of Build Back Better, especially the Child Tax Credit expansion, paid leave, and child care.
For months, I have celebrated with moms as they talked about being able to pay for child care, buy reliable vehicles, fill their freezers and cupboards with food, and move their families out of Section 8 housing, to name a few. The expanded CTC allowed families to feel as if they were finally able to breathe a little easier, and Senator Manchin's announcement yesterday was devastating, especially so close to the holidays.
West Virginia was born out of the resistance. Engrained in our DNA is the need to not give up or to back down. When we think about the 50,000 WV kiddos the senator has singlehandedly pushed back across the poverty line, our hearts break, and we wonder how he could be that far removed from those he was elected to protect and fight for. We wonder what legacy he is seeking to leave for all the children in the Mountain State, not just his own. And we need for him to know that he's taking away our best opportunity to be able to rely on ourselves. We're disappointed in Manchin's actions, but we haven't given up. It is, after all, the season of miracles and hope.
- Amy Jo Hutchison, organizer and movement builder, Rattle The Windows
Thank you Carla for sharing Amy Jo’s message. It is the season of Hope…
I read this quote a few days ago, and it resonated with me:
“Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.”
I am reading Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny.” In it, Snyder talks about the need to find ways to really connect with the people around you, have conversations and look them in the eye. I live in MN so having a face to face chat with folks in West Virginia isn’t possible, But making sure they know I wish them well and support them is.
www.rattlethewindows.com is the link to the organization mentioned above. Sending money seemed like a good idea to me earlier but the link is to a site where the only thing you can do is purchase stickers. So I think you can purchase stickers to show support. If you wish to actually donate, looks like Moms Rising is the place to send money. Carla, please feel free to correct me if you know better than me. https://www.momsrising.org/
I hope some of you will join me in purchasing stickers-along with sending good energy and best wishes to keep up the good fight. That we can ALL do! (This has been edited and updated as of noon central time. Thank heavens Substack allows editing!)
West Virginias leaders should be supporting the people who keep voting for them over and over and over ad nauseum. It is hard to care more about the people of west Virginia than they care about themselves.
I so appreciate your offering a coupla progressive, positive, useful ways to stick it to that damn Man-chin -- my mind was taking me to a very dark place!
Not that I could find Camille - I have purchased a few stickers and then sent a gift to Moms Rising. Rattle the Windows is not a nonprofit - Sorry I should have checked that before posting.
Carla, thank you so much for posting those words by Amy Jo Hutchinson. I'm so grateful she is organizing West Virginia families who really need the Build Back Better plan that their coal baron senator has such a hard time supporting. I'm adding her organization, Rattle The Windows, to the list I support with my small donations.
There are many working hard on this. N.O.W. in Morgantown among many others I cannot list here. Thank you for thinking of supporting Amy's organization.
Bless you. You all have been screwed over for ever. Ask everyone to send John Denver’s ‘ Take Me Home Country Roads ‘ to your so Relevant Senator ‘. Maybe he forgot what state he represents ? So sicking that they climb on your backs to get where they are . ❤️🦋
Sheila, I agree 100%! Carla, your "Voice from a West Virginian" is absolutely inspirational! I am going to circulate this to our local Indivisible and Commit to Democracy groups and mention it in Robert Hubbell's newsletter comment section. If we all "pay it forward," good things will come!!!
Is it ok with you if I copy and share this with my own and several other Indivisible groups outside of Heather's comment page? I would like to amplify Rattle The Windows and hopefully get some $$$ sent their way. But, I don't copy/share with an ok from the poster. Thank you.
They have known for yrs and yrs. Don’t let that last guy’s statement fool you. And they All have more perks than just furniture . Hope her testimony bears fruit. Look how long it took John Stewart helping the sick 911 first responders . The fact that they put us in this place and we have to beg them to help us up and out is disgusting. But she packed a heck of a punch and it showed.Go Amy ! It’s happening to Seniors, Disabled Ppl. Keep us updated Mary Pat.
Carla, Having been off-line all day, I am late to this conversation I am deeply grateful you initiated. I write, at least initially, to seek clarification regarding the mainstream’s repeated assertion that Joe Manchin is the only West Virginian Democrat who could win a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Though I don’t know the merits of said assertion, I was struck by “desperado’s” reference (see below) to West Virginia’s historical spirit of resistance. desperado wrote, “Today West Virginians remember that spirit of resistance, but they forget what they resisted. They’ve been taught to resist big government instead, to be free and independent mountain men….And a lot of white people would rather get nothing than get something that would help black people, too. Black people getting something is the Southern definition of socialism.”
Though I expect this mindset is not restricted to the South, I set that aside for another time. Returning to the thread you initiated, any insight you can offer regarding Manchin’s tenure in the seat previously occupied by Senator Byrd would be greatly appreciated.
Blessings to you for posting and launching this thread. Warmly, Barbara
Thank you for asking Barbara Jo. The "desperado" reference was not reflective of my experience as a native and as someone who researches the Scots-Irish immigration into Western Virginia. I was born in WV, and my parents moved from Southern West Virginia to the Washington, D.C. area when I was 4 years old. I did return to WV each year to visit our family there and I received my undergraduate degree at WVU in Morgantown. I have not lived there and voted there which means I will have to get back to you in order to try and answer your question about Manchin's tenure. Senator Shelley Moore Capito was a bit ahead of me attending WVU and I cannot comment on her tenure either. But, I can and will get back to you after receiving info. from friends who live in Morgantown and who are very connected to what is going on politically in the state. I appreciate your kind message and your interest. Merry Christmas! ~ Carla
And that is the very core of it. They are the old guard. The dying guard. They know it and are clinging on by using the only tools left. Lying. Cheating. Stealing.
An insightfully conceived and beautifully written essay. It’s a big-picture perspective that glimmers with hope in this dark time. Thank you, Susan, for flagging it.
Thank you so much Susan! Rebecca‘s piece today mirrors closely what I have been saying a lot. It’s actually a pleasure to see a media piece on this subject, it’s a rarity.
Right wingers are hopping mad because of losing total control even for a short while. Because the American totalitarianism, of a 'unified executive' under the church militant, was in reach. And slipped through their hands. For now.
It’s gone for good. They had their 4 years, which happened because Barack and Michelle made it obvious that we weren’t ever going to go back to whites-only. So the backlash was fierce, as all the reactionaries suddenly realized that society had changed on them. An African-American president. They did not see that coming. They freaked, and so we got DJT. But in 2020 the other side came out of the woodwork, large numbers voting not so much for Biden and Harris as AGAINST Trump. Biggest voter turnout in history, because society did not want Trump anymore. Our people have chosen. Are there still battles to fight? Hell yes. But I think we’ve passed the turning point.
And consider this (there are so many different types of evidence, this is just one example):
Why do you think DJT is so fixated on the size of the inauguration crowds? The Obamas drew a massive number of people, DJT a much smaller number. Think about the message that sends. The excitement level and enthusiasm for Obama was off the charts. By comparison, DJT looks like a 2nd-place finisher. That’s another indictment against DJT and his society, another endorsement for the winning side.
I say these things to provide encouragement, because I think we have won the war already. That doesn’t mean we can rest on our butts. But it does help reduce despair, discouragement, demoralization, etc.
Roland, I will have to disagree with you that the war is won. I do not disagree with your points, but the far right has been waging war on democracy in this country forever, and they will never stop. We have to be eternally vigilant to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The far right thinks they should be the only ones to have those things.
And let's not forget, just fear. Those are crazy ass thugs with big guns, big trucks and rage. We have a slow moving dept of justice, they have militias.
Here's the thing. The Republicans do not have any kind of plan for the nation. They represent a threat to democracy, but as long-term thinkers, imaginers, planners, and executors, they are almost entirely incompetent. They are tacticians, not strategists. They fight battles, not wars.
Furthermore, they are entirely backward-looking.
I was reading some years back about how, when the settlers moving across the country would set out in a wagon train, they would draw up a constitution for the journey: binding by consent during the months-long journey, to be dissolved upon arrival.
Think about that for a moment. Ordinary ranchers, shopkeepers, and gunslingers writing their own constitution, adapted to the rigors of a long journey. It was part of the public imagination as to how groups should govern themselves.
Compare that, now, to the "originalists" who pore over the Holy Writ of the Sacred Constitution looking for Divine Guidance from 18th century slaveholding agriculturalists in the face of urbanization and global climate change.
If the Republicans are ever tactically successful in taking the nation, they will not hold it. They can't. They will take it by exploiting weaknesses in the system, not on the merit of any inherent strengths.
I hope that they will also fail tactically. But they have no long-term future.
I did not know that settlers wrote their own constitutions for their journeys. Good idea when you consider it, especially the part about dissolving it upon reaching the journey’s end.
I think the founders would probably be astonished at how we have turned the Constitution into a sacred document. It was a group of compromises cobbled together to keep disparate states together. If the states could remain together, foreign countries could not take advantage of them. The line about looking for Divine Guidance from 18th century slaveholding agriculturalists in the face of urbanization and global climate change particularly resonated. Think of all the things that have happened since the Constitution was adopted. The Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, cars, planes, space flight, computers, the internet. The Constitution was meant for a different set of circumstances than we have today. Businesses that do not keep up or cannot keep up with today’s circumstances fail. Looking backward can’t forge a path forward.
I approve of your optimism, but they've been planning this for many years. From the Christians, Reagan and forward... removing the rights of minorities and adding their own judges to all the courts. And then they got lucky with Trump.
I agree that they aren't intelligently cohesive, but they do have an evil plan, and they are sticking to it.
Those are all tactical plans. They're decent tacticians, in large part due to the fact that they have no honor. They therefore have tactical options that no honorable person would consider. Lying and gaslighting, for starters. Subversion. Propaganda. Bribes. Threats. Coups.
The question is, where would it go from there? The Republican answer is (or would be, should they entertain such a question), "Huh?" If they could get their heads around the question, their answer would be, "Why, back to the way things were, of course."
Things never were that way. And now, things can't even go back to a semblance of that way. Gasoline prices will keep rising, until it is too expensive to burn. Climate change will cause food disruptions and mass migrations. Black people are NOT going to step down into the gutter when a white person walks by on the sidewalk. Gay people aren't going back into the closet. Non-Christians aren't going back in the closet.
Should the Republicans take the kind of unitary power they are seeking, their government will fail, and swiftly, not because an army of virtue arises to kick them out, but because they will simply fail.
And I'm not optimistic at all. I think that may well be exactly how it plays out. The Republicans win. And then we all lose, and the Republicans get trampled in the rush to the exits.
And yes, like everyone keeps pointing out to me, there’s a ton of work still left to do cleaning up centuries of culture corrupted by whites-are-superior males-are-superior rich people first/straight people first/et al values.
Only if the two voters' rights bills are passed by the Senate.... If the two bills are not passed, there's a strong likelihood that Republican legislatures in many states have passed laws to enable them to reject & reverse voters' choices if not acceptable to them.
F—k the Murdochs. Even they know that they’re part of the problem and not part of the solution, and that billion dollar lawsuit from Dominion is now going to roast their asses where it really matters, their financial stability.
my prayers 24-7. Rupert has never cared that he is a big part of the problem. Ronnie gave him license to destroy us and he has done the job. Hope Dominion can take him/them down.
That was unitary executive, espoused by Bill Barr, which is the opposite of the kind of executive the founders had in mind. Unitary executive would have WAY more power than the founders wanted. Barr was espousing yet another Republican lie. They want unlimited power, while the majority of the country has little to none.
When you write "They want unlimited power, while the majority of the country has little to none." You sum up the Republicans entire agenda.
They're using the wedge issues of guns and god to unite the populists in support of the plutocrat's greed. And they've convinced a mass of people who rely on government services, that government is the problem.
And through an inverted rhetoric which, as you write, turns the Founders' purpose on its head.
Old Guard? New Blood. For every Scalia who exits the stage, there is a Coney-Barrett to take up the battle. And each succeeding generation is more a bludgeon than a scalpel. Trump for Reagan. Taylor Greene for Johnny Isakson.
The right wing is not dying out. And they present significant obstacles to translating social progress into effective political action and political action into progressive government policies and protections.
There will always be masses of people whose response to the enormities of the human condition (of never knowing all we need to know, to make the decisions we must make, in a world in flux) is to seek comfort in the absolute answers of authoritarian rule and a totalitarian system - religious or secular.
American madrassas have been churning out new generations of racist right wing religious extremists - ever since their response to Brown vs Board was 'religious academies.' They replicate themselves in such high numbers that they have created colleges and graduate programs (the Scalia Law School at George Mason University, for instance.)
And as long as they serve to keep plutocrats in power, they will be well funded to do so.
Joe Manchin himself admitted that fighting social change is one of his main reasons for opposing Build Back Better. With massive racial injustice, attacks on women's rights and families' security, the right-wing campaign to rig elections, and the immediate threat of climate change, he claims a little inflation is our biggest threat, but he's really fighting any shift in the established order. That's his money machine.
""My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face," he added. "I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight."
I posted this article on my FB feed along with my own comment: "Coincidentally (or maybe not), on TCM the other night, I watched a Humphrey Bogart retrospective that included the 1937 film "Black Legion". Bogart plays a factor worker who is angry because an immigrant has been promoted to a position Bogie believes should have been his. The film follows his gradual radicalization that led him to join the Black Legion, a KKK offshoot in the 1930s which really existed, hoods and all. The parallels to much of what we're experiencing today are stunning. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027367/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Thanks for posting this. It’s the most convincingly optimistic piece I’ve read regarding our current and future condition. I will circulate it widely. Kudos to Rebecca Solnit!
He certainly is, but his ego is enjoying his moment in the sun. I don't know how anyone can trust him while negotiating. As for the Rs, they are the party of death, the party of obstruction, the party for the wealthy.
Given what he did by shutting down a massively popular bill and would very much help his own constituents, he PROVED he's not trust worthy in negotiations nor likely in anything else.
The name Manchin triggered my memory of Charles Manson of the Manson Family Cult. Though Manson was horrifying, Manchin’s scuttling of BBB will kill far more Americans.
The biggest thing I’ve noticed between the two Bills is:
1. Infrastructure Bill would primarily help male workers since it’s mostly men in construction & contracting jobs and it would help corporations (whose employees pay for upkeep through income taxes) since they rely on the roads & bridges.
2. The Build Back Better Bill is a tremendous help to many women (particularly Black & Hispanic), since I believe single women with children are the one of the largest groups of the poor & low income financial categories. The ability for affordable childcare would enable so many to be able to work (and needy employers to stop crying about the labor shortage). It would also give some help some women with children to afford to get out of abusive relationships.
It’s such a Republican thing for them to tank anything that enables women in most any area. It’s like their tactics attacking abortion on the grounds of saying they’re pro-life, and yet everything they do suggests otherwise.
They really just want for men to go back to being the center of women’s universe and dependant upon men for protection, supplier of basic needs, social status/respectability. Republicans who want small government and freedom to do what they want but are fine with women being at the mercy of men.
Having grown up in Texas, in the Baptist Church, women are NOT supposed to work once they have children. They are supposed to stay home, cook, take care of the kids and go to church.
Of course, women are not supposed to be SINGLE and having kids either. THAT, intimacy before marriage, will send one straight to hell. STRAIGHT.
I am guessing that culture has not changed much since I exited it 38 years ago.
Children deserve to be parented, but I wish it could be by parents who would at least take turns if both are agreeable.
I often ask men to look very carefully at all the men they know/come across if they would honestly choose to give complete or mostly complete control over their lives to them. This includes protecting them to the best of their ability, to not harm them physically or emotionally, to feed them to their best ability, to honor their wedding vows (whatever they may be), to cast their vote for them knowing the vote needs to represent their best interests too (referring to period of when women were not allowed to vote), to be fair with money, and to ensure they make acceptable care provisions for them and any children in the event of their death or severe illness or injury, etc.)
Note: This must come with knowledge that the man could develop drug or alcohol addiction or develop mental illness which could cause them to become abusive or cause economic issues.
I don’t believe that a truthful and sensible man would want that for themselves. Most would not want to feel trapped or owned or like baggage. So if they wouldn’t want or accept that for themselves, they should not impose that on anyone else.
They are all sugar coated, aren’t they? Abortion rights aren’t about controlling women, they’re about saving babies… oh that Democrats had such avenues of messaging.
Any message with the slightest suggestion that systemic misogyny is not a good thing will anger Republicans. They cannot be converted to decent human beings. They can, with a monumental effort and a lot of good luck, be outvoted. That is what we must focus on. Not messaging that we hope will appeal to Republicans, since no such mesaging can be devised except messages that promote values antithetical to those of Democrats.
I wonder if the outcry from the Average Joes and Jills---like the many of us who called or emailed Manchin today, might have made a difference? I certainly hope he viewed this past weekend's edition of 60 Minutes with the story of the deplorable conditions in Alabama!!
It definitely matters, thank you. The only time we fail is when we stop trying!
I was encouraged to see Pelosi’s response was along the lines of, whatever. As if it had nothing to do with real negotiations. That was my first thought, that he wasn’t intending for it to be taken so seriously, it being Fox..
Nope. It didn't make a dent. Heather mistakenly cited a tweet posted by Manchin on October 28, 2021 attributing it as one posted last night. There was no Manchin change of heart. Zero
In a word, no. Manchin does not care about Average Joes and Jills. It's obvious from his actions. Manchin responds to the outcries from Peabody Coal and Exxon Mobil.
Nah, he just lumped them with his constituents in WV who are incompetent drug users and pathetic parents. Wish Dolly Parton would give him a word about poor folks in Appalachia
Everyone should realize, spread to their family and friends, and tell their representatives, Joe Manchin, and public media (papers & tv news) that Build Back Better at $2 trillion over ten years is less than one third of the near unanimously approved Defense Budget of $7+ trillion EACH year. In other words, the Defense Budget would fund BBB for more than 30 years.
It's a crime against Anerica that we spend more on the Defense Budget each year than the next ten military spending countries combined. And, not as much on the domestic needs represented in BBB over 30 years.
It's a crime that nations like Russia, China, North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel can spend so much less, even use our funding and weapons to make so much misery for us and the world and we cannot even defend ourselves and their victims. Russia can meddle in our elections, spread conspiracy theories to destroy our democracy and our Defense spending doesn't prevent this.
Our only remedy for national security is strong and effective domestic investments that remind our citizens and citizens around the world that democracy makes life better, not more hazardous and prone toward violence and war.
David, I borrowed your economic analysis here (thank you!) for a letter to the editor in the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, responding to an opinion piece that muddied the issue surrounding the BBB and Manchin's objections. Here it is:
"Matthew Yglesias's opinion piece on December 20 on Pres. Biden's Build Back Better bill inappropriately lays the blame on Democratic Party leaders for the difficulty of passing the legislation. Yglesias complains that the BBB is "a grab bag of progressive ideas" instead of being a "thematically coherent piece of legislation." He's wrong.
Build Back Better is a response to an economic mess that began with the dismantlling of federal government programs under Ronald Reagan. For four decades, conservative opposition to the common wealth of this nation has gained power by turning the nation against collective action to help lift all boats (erroneously calling it "socialism"), against science, against reasoned debate in favor of name-calling, against labor unions, against the environment, against all people having access to the ballot, and more.
Ask yourself why our people are so angry and stressed. Look at how tenuous our lives have become. Climate change is a monster unnerving every decision we make. The mutating virus threatens the economy.
We do not need to take seriously the objections of someone like Joe Manchin. We need to listen to the promises of Joe Biden's vision for a stronger nation.
We need the BBB. Even Goldman Sachs has shown that without it, the economy will suffer. Compare a BBB expanded to $2 trillion over ten years with the just-passed Defense Budget of $7 trillion EACH year.
This nation has enough money to close the wealth gap. Standing in the way is the attitude of the American people."
Check the numbers. Defense is $7-plus trillion over ten years. More than $700 billion each year, always approved, rarely even questioned. This year Congress gave $25 billion more than was asked for.
Actually, our "representatives" were listening and after Ike's speech they realized that the real road to riches lay in making sure that their military contractor constituents paid them off for the next "Defense Authorization Bill".
Then, they started the "Communist scare" to grow the budget EVEN MORE.
Now? What was first referred to as representative government in America, by John Adams, is now a big shovel of money from the Fed's printing press to the military contractors.
Our representatives are sponsoring one of the largest heists in history.
Thank you been waiting all day to get your take on what manchin did today Of course first time I saw the AFL CIO demand which is powerful Thanks for the message of hope that despite the press this bill is still alive and in the works Thanks
Honestly, I think the ball to be watching is voting rights. (I'll write more about that in the next few days.) I think Manchin is on board with those, but still coming around on the filibuster. We'll see if pressure over the BBB moves him closer to being a hero for that.
I didn’t know about the AFL-CIO communication. Thank you so much for tracking that story down, and providing some hope for the VRA and the BBB bill. So grateful to you for all you do to inspire your readers to defend democracy.
Ah yes thanks voting rights is the most critical for our democracy And so happy to hear you think manchin is on board on that essential bill!!!! Never saw him as a hero but would be wonderful if he backs voting rights! And then with the pressure stops stalling and goes for BBB
Happy relaxing Holidays and New Year Thanks for all you do💐🙏🤶
Not being privy to the wheeling and dealing, I fess up to feeling and thinking more than knowing. That said, thank you Heather for providing a torch in the darkness.
Seems to me the BBB bill is the ultimate pro-life action. Repubs claim loudly to be pro-life, yet they do not support BBB (or maybe some do but McConnell does not and he holds the purse strings). You want to make abortion rare? Help struggling families.
The emphasis is CLAIM, we know they are NOT pro-life. As proven by their going along w/TFG re masks and vaccines-they are literally killing off their followers,
Thank you, Dr. R.! I start every morning with your newsletters, like the rest of this group. Voting rights, and the attempt to deprive us of them, are key.
Strange things are going on behind the scenes---much makes little (does Manchin make much sense at all right now---can't support it and now we have to negotiate? ) Is there not a single republican with an Conscience for Humanity? I guess not--it is pretty obvious. The Fear Level must be pretty high---dangers have been mentioned. But let's face it, they've all been bribed and threatened no doubt with lifetime ostracism and financial ruin if they don't toe the line---no cushy think tanks when you leave congress, no "speaking fees" and the like. A carrot and a club. and in all this the Democrats can't get out a coherent message---except to show daily how incoherent their approach is right now. Where is the message about what they are working for---in Short Sentences, Pithy "sayings", and Barbed Zingers. The silence is deafening...... Sigh. Sorry for the rant. I guess it feels good. On the other hand, I think last night HCR was saying that when it looks bleak, action can change the dynamics----and also the suggestion that We the People need to do something----Thomas Paine and the galvanizing effect of his two pamphlets were mentioned for a purpose . We need to meditate on that. And be ready to act. The Delaware was pretty cold that evening, but they acted. Things are pretty foggy out here/there right now. Well, that was a ramble. I'll check back in the morning.
All that is revealed is not all. A fascinating plot twist per chance, given McConnell saying we need to learn from the House investigation and Republicans are not going to come out looking to good? Might we see a couple of Republican Senators siding with the angels to address the deep needs of their constituencies? After all, BBB parts are very popular among rural and blue-collar Jill's and Joe's. What a way to steal the thunder from Democrats were some like Mitkowski and Collins and Rommney to do a thumbs-up. They save the good over party and get the credit 'cause Dems can't get anything done without the Repubs? And still vote against voting rights. Yes, strange things.
Everyone is reporting it as if it’s dead! Glad to see pressure from the coal miners union and Manchin’s recent tweet. I’m sure it’s not over... actually I wondered if Manchin was just doing that thing where “conservative” senators say one thing on Fox but it’s not actually related to what they say or do in real life.
When the Congressional "Squad" insisted that both the bills move forward together and refused to vote for the Infrastructure bill as a standalone, they were roundly castigated.
But they knew what would happen if the bills were split. And sure enough, they were right.
I hope POTUS has finally realized that you can't "reach across the aisle" to an authoritarian political party that has no intention of reaching back or helping the average American.
As for right-wing Joe Manchin, he never intended to agree to the social safety-net portion of Biden's proposal, and the "Squad" knew this.
As another Substack commentator observed: "politics is filthy."
Tonight Jayapal was interviewed by Rachel. She had had a “heart-to-heart” discussion with Manchin after his Fox News spot. Jayapal mentioned he’s a really “nice guy” and she wanted to point out his breach. She has the patience of a saint because from where I sit, Manchin’s horns were in full view.
Excerpt: "“I do believe the president when he said to us, and to me personally, that he got a commitment from Senator Manchin or [Manchin] would have to go back on his word,” Jayapal told reporters on a Monday afternoon press call. “And obviously yesterday, the senator took the latter path and went back on this word. That lack of integrity is stunning in a town where people say the only thing that you have is your word.”
Jayapal went on to say that she said as much to Manchin when he called her on Monday.
“There is nothing I have said here that I didn’t say to him,” Jayapal said. “And you will remember that I have not said anything against him all these months, because I believed he was negotiating in good faith.”
After decades of being stabbed in the back, I doubt they’ll (D’s) ever learn what “in good faith“ means or that compromise means BOTH sides give something up.
As an American-born Australian, I find utterly mind-boggling that concepts like a tax benefit for families with children are so controversial that one or two votes can make the difference between them being voted into law or not. Australia has had a Family Tax Benefit (under several different names over the years) for generations and it hasn't gone broke yet! (FYI: It's income-tested and paid on a per-child basis straight into the parent's bank account.)
Hello Heather Cox Richardson, you are invaluable in this time when our democracy, left right and center, is under existential threat. You bring history to the present and give us context and anchor. I do a lot of work for Citizens Climate Lobby, whose motto is “Our Solution to Climate Change? Democracy”. I do this because I have a 13 year old son and I love him. The hope is that the Build Back Better bill will contain significant progress on Climate Change but in your piece there is no mention of Climate Change. The truth is that all that we do and discuss here is merely manmade fabrication. There is little room for democracy, or a stable economy with an increasingly unstable climate and on an increasingly uninhabitable earth. If we are to continue the very interesting games we all play and hope to make progress, we had better pay attention to the fact that we live on Earth because without that orientation we don’t have much and can promise little to the young we love. Thanks for all that you do for all of us.
Exactly, Tony Israel. Our livable climate is now flooding out, drying and burning up, and blowing away before our eyes. Our lobbying for all the other programs and policies we care deeply about will be pointless if we don't take strong action to rescue our climate. We need to begin now sharply curbing greenhouse gases, and converting to green energy. No livable climate means no justice and no peace.
In various forums I'll keep bringing up that the $7.6 trillion dollars in military spending (measured over 10 years, just like Build Back Better) and passed with overwhelming majorities in Congress... is somehow not inflationary. Perhaps the military should deliver needed public services since their spending is sequestered from Economics 101.
My thought for a long time has been to make military bases ambassadors… if they’re going to persist in other countries, be part of that community. Provide aid and assistance. If the military made that shift, wouldn’t it be easier for people to realize that the government should serve its own citizens (community)?
A long time ago when the US was engaged in Central American proxy wars an old friend of mine said, "You know, I bet if America sent a lot more food and medicine and fewer guns abroad, we'd be more popular." But of course, popularity was never the point of all that, was it?
I honestly don't believe other countries want our military to be a part of their community in that our military would dictate the types of aid and assistance it would provide based on what "America thinks is best" for the host country/culture NOT what is actually wanted/needed by the host country. The world does not need more Uncle Sam-ism; we haven't even been able to untangle our own mess. Our military, with its entrenched extremism is the very last group of people I would send in to do community service in a foreign country.
Living on the Yucatán Peninsula these last 4 years has been a real eye opener with regard to the concept of the "white saviour" and how some (white) expat intrusion into local community affairs and issues is considered hostile. Of course, there are some extremely well accepted organizations that do really significant, positive work without trying to upset the (mostly indigenous) apple cart. These are private, non military organizations. Our military/governmental involvement in Latin America has not been so hot.
YES. And notice that the countries where we are "most successful" are not countries of BIPOC but white. I don't see the military offering to do aggression-free community outreach and infrastructure in Haiti, as an example.
There is nothing more inflationary than military spending. When you give an organization more than it needs, and in this case more than it even thinks it needs, what you get is waste and corruption, with inflation as one of the consequences.
To allow a coal baron to control climate catastrophe is beyond barbary. Appalling, the crude profit-taking on the backs of the impoverished. The perfidy of the republicans is criminal. The complicity of Manchin is criminal. He puts his empire above his constituents as well as the planet. I fear we have mortally wounded Gaia, and this adds insult to injury.
To me, the most important part of BBB is money to battle climate change. We’re already perilously behind. Just as with so many other issues, there’s no sense of urgency. Every day the news is more dire. The threat is indeed existential. “Fiddling while Rome burns” springs to mind.
As upset as I am with Manchin, we must all remember the 50 Republican Senators who are refusing to negotiate at all on the BBB Act. If even a single Republican Senator would support these priorities Manchin’s opposition would not matter. So yes, be upset with Manchin but reserve your anger also for those 50 Republican Senators.
Right on target. And the democrats should have a messaging program reminding ALL americans what the GOP is doing to them and to America---
I hope Collins and Murkowski hear Marley's chains rattling on Christmas Eve.
“I wear the chain I forged in life,” states Marley's ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."
There is justice in Marley's punishment, just as there will be justice for Manchin, the coal baron, the climate reparations blocker, whose very existence -- yachts, coffers and all -- depend on monies made off the backs of coal miners who die of lung disease.
We need a Republican version of A Christmas Carol! And not only are Republican policies revealed as inhumane, but also economically foolish.
We would need more than three ghosts though to cover all the garbage they pull!!
Economically foolish indeed! Here's a real-world example of how foolish, and what the underlying economics of solar tells us about the transition from coal-power to sun-power. I run a business that owns a big warehouse with a 30,000 square foot roof. In 2020 my company got financing thanks to a wonderful small biz called Symmetric Energy and with their help, we launched a project to put 265 solar collectors up on that roof. The whole array took up only about a third of the roof; the rest is still available. It was a $250,000 investment, and believe it or not, we've paid it off already. No debt, but a big new asset for our balance sheet, and huge savings for our profit and loss. The system went live in late August, so September was the first bill from our utility that reflected the new source of the electricity. The bill, which had been averaging $2,400 per month, came in at $28.00 and change! That's a 99% reduction in cost! Then came October, and with it five days of cloud, cold, and heavy rain. What would that do to our bill? Answer: October's bill went down to $25.00 and change! November, same thing: $25.00 and change. Where I live there are thousands of big warehouse roofs. Same in West Virginia. My business to business message: convert to solar and watch your cost of doing business go down. Close those expensive polluting coal-fired plants and decarbonize our economy. Joe Manchin, you are invested in the wrong technology.
Collins got re-elected last year, since she represents one of the other dumber-than-shit states of this disunion.
I'm thinking Collins and McTurtle got re-elected based on the voting systems corruption in their states. My personal conspiracy theory...
In Kentucky your theory is false. Kentucky had and continues to have one of the most expansive and fair voting systems in the Country. Unfortunately the good people of Kentucky voted red. There are blue pockets, as in any State, but this is a ruby red State. In my opinion we were sent a very weak, DNC crafted candidate to try and unseat McConnell. McGrath stood no chance. And we even had a historic turnout. Our Democratic Governor Beshear is a godsend though as is my Democratic Mayor.
How can you say that when Kentucky uses ES&S machines with no paper ballots to be audited? People watched their votes change before their very eyes and had to keep selecting their choice to get it to stick. McConnell and Paul had extremely low approval ratings. All elections need to have paper ballots and be auditable.
Except for June 2020, when polling places were reduced in the Louisville area… https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/06/kentucky-slashes-polling-places-voting-rights-mcgrath-booker-lebron-james/
Thank you for that clarity, Barbara.
Maine is a great state. I seem to remember some Mainers turning the tide at Gettysburg. And they have great sunrises. Whales. Ticks. The Bushes on vacation!
but they have some of the dumbest politics, which is what I was talking about. They still think it's 1928 up there.
Your generalization is both ignorant and uncalled for here “TCinLA”.
Um — Among other bright lights from Maine, HCR’s is one of the brightest right now. I wouldn’t be so quick to cast aspersions on an entire state.
....What do you mean, it's not 1928?
I agree. It's kind of weird.
My sister lives there and has worked for the state for over 25 years. She’s seen a lot of changes. They have ranked choice voting. That doesn’t sound like 1928 to me. Just like every other state they have good policies and bad policies. Except Florida who doesn’t have a good policy in sight.
I think it was Poppe Bush who referred to the home in Kennebunkport as their "ancestral home"... turns out they were Vikings before they became members of the "Brahmin Caste of New England" only to devolve into the zombie caste of the lone star hate.
fun fact: They had a brush with non-existence back in late October or early November of 1620. They are descendants of John Howland, the man who fell overboard during the Mayflower's journey, and by all rights should have drowned in the frigid north Atlantic, but who managed to grab a halyard that was dragging in the drink, and to be spotted by several sailors, who pulled him back up.
FDR is also a Howland descendants, as are my nephews--sons of my sister.
what about those flies???
And what about that beautiful coastline, maybe 100 miles of nooks and crannies for every 10 miles as the crow flies? And the majestic forests and rocks coming right up the the ocean?
As I recall, they're pretty well gone by September...
Keep the Bushes, who wants them… Daddy Bush was the first Repub that I remember giving Lee Atwater’s evil a place to shine. Not enough space to list the W/Dickie horrors…
I love Maine. Mt. Katahdin, end of the Appalachian Trail. It was cold and stormy when we got there, but another notch.
Great advertisement for vacationing in Maine, David and Kim. How about a template?
And also our most favorite Mainer, HCR!!!!
Can we please stop geography shaming? It only creates further division and accomplishes nothing.
I agree with Barbara. Don’t generalize about a state based on whom they elect. Just because Trump was elected doesn’t mean everyone in the USA is dumb. Ditto Kentucky and McConnell. Ditto California and Reagan.
In 2026, Maine will elect a Senator to replace Collins. I can think of one Maine resident who ought to consider running then.
Unfortunately by 2026 it will be “a day late and a dollar short”, as my Mom would say ‘back in the day’.
44% of Maine voters went for the former president in 2020. (Nationwide it was about 48%.) I used to write that off as based on temporary shortcomings such as political ignorance or gullibility, but I no longer make that concession to the nation's anti-democratic forces. If not "dumbness," something worse motivates them.
Ad hominem insults not helpful
Heather might disagree with this light-weight POV.
Now, that's powerful. I think of the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, when the ghost of Christmas present opens his cloak, and inside are two children representing hunger and want. Where can we find that image. I get goose bumps thinking about it.
I will be watching that movie version tonight as part of our traditional Christmas experience. For a teaser, we watched Patrick Stewart's version last week. George C. Scott hits it out of the park with that Scrooge.
That scene with the kids under the robe is powerful.
I caught the last 1/2 hour of the 1938 version on TCM, with Reginald Owen as Scrooge and Leo G. Carroll as Marley's ghost. Excellent. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029992/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5
My favorite adaptation, still.
Ask and you shall recieve; https://c8.alamy.com/comp/K38PG0/a-christmas-carol-edward-woodward-as-the-ghost-of-christmas-present-K38PG0.jpg
Wow! I'd forgotten how powerful it was!!
I forgot about that George C. Scott version. Makes me shiver now.
From Carla’s post on West Virginia grassroots activists:
http://www.rattlethewindows.com/
I think WE have to be the messengers. Media remains divisive. It's hard to make the point in sound bites on social media ~ I certainly didn't follow the previous president twitter.
We are all in our silos.
I try not to overload my social media or conversation, hoping the message gets through.
What else can be done?
Constantly post to their Twitter activity to call them out. Find local papers and write in the opinions section. I'm exploring creating short videos with my phone to post.
Check out More Perfect Democracy for their library of memes to post.
Thank you!
Wish I could do that but Twitter has banned me for I guess, some unsavory things I said about TFG. Never once did I curse. Oh well…
Seriously?? Like FB, Twitter is discriminatory regarding who or what to send to jail.
Love it!
But we don’t hate the same people…
Been waiting for 30 years
So true!
I completely agree. Last night on Lawrence O’Donnell former senator Bob Kerry spoke of his experience of being vote #50 during Clinton’s Presidency. He was eloquent on the subject of 50 Republicans refusing to help at all.
What we need now is a constant tolling of the names of the 50 Republican Senators and a brief bio of each, info on their state, and what benefits they are refusing their constituents. I see Biden, Schumer, Pelosi and Jayapal standing together in a town hall and speaking only the names of the Republicans, their states, and an example of one family who is being denied a desperately needed benefit. We need to take the focus off Manchin and put it where it belongs! And we need the political theater to dramatize the message!
Ned, I agree. We and the press let Manchin be in the glorious spot light as he played Lucy and the Football with us. And he is skilled at that hand wringing as he reaps all the benefits he denies his constituents
I certainly would like to see Manchin’s hands wringing a ton of sweat from getting harassed by responsible groups. In the meantime, our president, Biden, the progressives, the moderates, and our Speaker remain very focused in moving forward. Bravo!
Lucy with the football is a wonderful metaphor here.
Yes!!
Having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that there isn't a single senate republican with the moral wherewithal to support the BBB Act.
The New Yorker did a piece on McConnell a while back. It helps to explain why
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/20/how-mitch-mcconnell-became-trumps-enabler-in-chief
They've all become the pseudo-conservatives Richard Hofstadter described 66 years ago
There is really enough to go around, however Manchin and Sinema are betraying the principles of their party. They're also withholding the votes needed to pass this much needed legislation.
Absolutely! It is particularly amazing because republican senators represent states that could benefit the most from the BBB Act. And, unlike so many spending bills, this one actually puts real dollars into family's bank accounts, i.e. its impact is immediate. But of course it benefits women and children and republicans can't have that!!
Remember Michael Cohen testifying about the back door and blackmail, or threats that Former guy routinely had his henchmen use to force others to do his bidding? The R party members who continue to support him all have families. We will eventually find out who has been paid off, who has suffered from fear.
..."who has suffered from fear" these are the people who send our loved ones to war , if they are such cowards they do not deserve to be in Congress. The courage to stand for truth and for the nation itself is not asking more than we ask of our soldiers.
If this is all it takes then we are already living under an autocracy! Why wouldn’t these Republicans reach out to the FBI for protection. and the DOJ to LOCK THEM UP! If they’d have done their jobs the first impeachment TFG’s thugs would have NO teeth! I know, they were afraid but this is exactly how PUTIN works … it isn’t supposed to work this way in the USA!
But they couldn’t trust the DOJ or FBI because the thugs were placed inside them too. Look what happened when Alexander Vindman came forward. He was strong and put country first. These Republicans can’t see that if they push forward with honest attorneys it would all be out in the open and whatever secret they’re hiding would be inconsequential compared to what they’re allowing to happen out of fear.
Then they have NO BUSINESS taking an oath they refuse to honor or don’t have the kahunas to do the right thing. Liz Cheney isn’t letting fear stop her from speaking up! The honorable Mr. Vindman didn’t either.
Exactly. I got mine, screw you. And besides if you were smart and hard working oyu wouldn't need any help. So, it's really your problem. /snark - sort of
That is what exasperates me totally. Talk about an easy win with constituents! Of course … the corporations don’t like it.
Bruce, it is his actions that have put us in this position. I expect nothing different from this current GOP lineup, I do expect more from Manchin. It shouldn't be this painstaking to get a bill on the table to help Americans.
The power of one.
1993.......Sen John Kerry, reading from a yellow pad
2016.......Sen John McCain, no need to read if you have a thumb
2021 (still).....Joe Manchin on Fox
And yet it is the Republicans Who are opponents of a democracy helping families and children. The media presents the problem as a fight between the two Joes; the problem is the cult Republicans.
We will find the one. And more will follow.
Senator Manchintzy 🙀
Did you say Senator Manchinski?
No, I wrote "Manchintzy," as in Stingy MoneyBags 💰💰💰 Manchintzy 🎩
Precisely
Wouldn’t it be great if one Republican Senator actually did the right thing and voted for BBB? Would love to see Joe Manchin become an unnecessary factor in this process and lose his self importance.
I have the same fantasy, Barb. Who are the likely possibilities - Murkowski, Collins, Romney - anyone who is retiring in 2024 and doesn't need Mitch's dark money for a re-election campaign?
Amen on that
I never expect Republicans to act as other than the worthless asswipes every single one of them is.
Yes but we knew that they were not part of any negotiations. Manchin just spent 6 months trashing his own party.
Six months stringing us along and lying. Despicable.
I think he was going to vote with it until he was influenced and bought out using Lindsey Graham’s fake CBO. They convinced him with fake costs. He needs to believe he’s bipartisan and has some power to convince others when in fact he was convinced with greed and more money. Somehow complaining that if we help people out of poverty they will become entitled doesn’t make it clear to him that he himself feels entitled to have the power to make decisions about who has the opportunity to thrive. Was he ever a poor guy that had to work his way up or was he born with a silver spoon in his mouth? He goes against everything the church teaches, as do the rest of the Christian claiming Republicans, that we do not judge others and you help others become self-sufficient. Teach them to care for themselves. They will lift themselves out of poverty. I certainly did even if I had to struggle for a few years I took every educational opportunity available.
That old story about taking in a snake, we knew what they were at the git go. I never expected either Trojan horse to go with Dems. Just running out the clock. Talk about traitors…
I do believe Sen Grinch Munchkin is testing the waters and feedback to run for president in 2024. He's a saboteur by night and a populist by day.
Is he headed for MarALogo
Agreed. 100%
And make sure that as many as possible of the twenty Republican Senate seats up for election in ten and a half months turn Democratic. Three (Wisconsin, North Carolina and Pennsylvania) are very competitive, and Democratic victories there would give the Democrats a 53-47 majority if they manage to hold on to the fourteen presently Democrat seats which will be contested, no easy task. Then, Senator Manchin can be ignored and we can get on with re-creating the "government for the people" built for us by FDR, Harry Truman and Ike.
Yes, we need to go after all those seats. How did we manage to go from 59 under Obama to a minority? Obama did a lot of good things for this country and I don’t know what the issue was that made the Senate lose so many seats. Then after McConnell became the majority leader and systematically destroyed democracy at every turn somehow the Republicans are still maintaining so many seats.
Answering your question, a lot of people still smoke, refuse vaccinations, don't wear seat belts and do a lot of stuff not in their best interests. They believe lies, equate "government for the people" with socialism and vote Republican!
Absolutely
Yes! This occurred to me as well...everybody is jumping all over Manchin--as is understandable because he essentially has betrayed his party--but the real culprits here continue to be Senate Republicans. What HCR mentioned towards the end of her Letter, about the Goldman Sachs prediction of the failure to pass this measure as slowing growth by as much as 1%, THAT right there, y'all, is the real thing Republicans are hoping for. They want the economy to sputter. They want growth to slow. Anything they can use to pin blame on Biden and the Democrats for anything negative is all they're interested in. To hell with the people. To hell with families with children. To hell with the elderly. None of us matters. The sole thing they're interested in is scoring hits against the opposition. They have offered not one shred of an idea of what they might offer as an alternative. They don't think they need to. It's solely about shooting down any- and everything Democrats stand for. If they return to power, the lion's share of their energies will be devoted to undoing any-and everything Democrats have done thus far, using the American people as pawns. These disgusting trolls masquerading as a political party are what we are left with--no substance. Sound & fury signifying nothing. Manchin has cast his lot with them and he may live to regret it.
Yes, I was reminded of this by you and others on Twitter. I should think the Goldman Sachs information re: the GDP reduction from 3% to 2% would have an affect on the repubs. There's a lot of good in the bill. What did I read that 68% of WV'ians wanted the BBB. If Manchin can't explain the bill, he needs to sit on his yacht and read it.
the worse the economy the better their chances of winning the next elections on the basis that Biden failed.
Pleases remember that McConnell holds the purse string to the Dark Money campaign contributions that fund each GOP senator’s reelection bids
None of them dare step out of line, otherwise McConnell identifies them as castouts, removes their funding and gives it to a primary challenger
I don’t know what Murkowski’s deal is though
She is being primaried by Trump choice for her seat. She, Lisa, has a strong following.
She must have-she won a race as a write in candidate in 2010. Whether that will hold @ her next election, given TFG's tactics, who knows.
This is why I don’t know what her deal is
I would have thought her strong following would give her some autonomy
Remember, we are talking cult Republicans....sigh.
Yes. I remember when congress could actually accomplish something other than play politics! It's so frustrating to lose programs that would help families, improve education, and help all of us.
Agreed.
I agree to the greater fault being lock-step Republicans. But, when it's you cat shredding the drapes, I'm hard pressed to be concerned with the behavior of the breed at large. Manchin is all about his powerplay. His damage goes beyond merely withdrawing his yes. It puts the agenda and credi ility of the Democratic Party and agenda as risk. "See, told you so. Democrats can't get anything done." Fox News was just the stick it in your eye for this loonie playing out on the fringe of his ego. Our image as the party of All Americans is what his actions do to create hostility to our all talk and no meat palavering image.
If Manchin would have stood by his word it wouldn't have mattered what the Do Nothing GQP did.
This needs to be posted here. A voice from a West Virginian.
I am a grassroots organizer for economic justice here in West Virginia, building the Rattle The Windows movement alongside poor and marginalized West Virginians. I have been working tirelessly for months in coalition with groups here, on a state level and on a national level with Moms Rising and Community Change Action, to organize and elevate the stories of WV children and families around their support of Build Back Better, especially the Child Tax Credit expansion, paid leave, and child care.
For months, I have celebrated with moms as they talked about being able to pay for child care, buy reliable vehicles, fill their freezers and cupboards with food, and move their families out of Section 8 housing, to name a few. The expanded CTC allowed families to feel as if they were finally able to breathe a little easier, and Senator Manchin's announcement yesterday was devastating, especially so close to the holidays.
West Virginia was born out of the resistance. Engrained in our DNA is the need to not give up or to back down. When we think about the 50,000 WV kiddos the senator has singlehandedly pushed back across the poverty line, our hearts break, and we wonder how he could be that far removed from those he was elected to protect and fight for. We wonder what legacy he is seeking to leave for all the children in the Mountain State, not just his own. And we need for him to know that he's taking away our best opportunity to be able to rely on ourselves. We're disappointed in Manchin's actions, but we haven't given up. It is, after all, the season of miracles and hope.
- Amy Jo Hutchison, organizer and movement builder, Rattle The Windows
Thank you Carla for sharing Amy Jo’s message. It is the season of Hope…
I read this quote a few days ago, and it resonated with me:
“Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that we can make things better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope is an active one. It takes no courage to be an optimist, but it does need courage to hope.”
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (late)
Thank you! It is a wonderful quote!
I am reading Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny.” In it, Snyder talks about the need to find ways to really connect with the people around you, have conversations and look them in the eye. I live in MN so having a face to face chat with folks in West Virginia isn’t possible, But making sure they know I wish them well and support them is.
www.rattlethewindows.com is the link to the organization mentioned above. Sending money seemed like a good idea to me earlier but the link is to a site where the only thing you can do is purchase stickers. So I think you can purchase stickers to show support. If you wish to actually donate, looks like Moms Rising is the place to send money. Carla, please feel free to correct me if you know better than me. https://www.momsrising.org/
I hope some of you will join me in purchasing stickers-along with sending good energy and best wishes to keep up the good fight. That we can ALL do! (This has been edited and updated as of noon central time. Thank heavens Substack allows editing!)
West Virginias leaders should be supporting the people who keep voting for them over and over and over ad nauseum. It is hard to care more about the people of west Virginia than they care about themselves.
Carla and Sheila, I salute you!
I so appreciate your offering a coupla progressive, positive, useful ways to stick it to that damn Man-chin -- my mind was taking me to a very dark place!
Yes!
Question: Is buying stickers the only to support them? If so, I’ll do that, but Amy Jo needs a donate button, and I haven’t found it.
Not that I could find Camille - I have purchased a few stickers and then sent a gift to Moms Rising. Rattle the Windows is not a nonprofit - Sorry I should have checked that before posting.
Is there some way to donate via Twitter? I don't "do Twitter" and have no idea. I'll try to find out. Thanks.
I don’t “do” Twitter, either. I’ll check Facebook.
She does have a Facebook page and I sent her a message there. I recall seeing her give testimony before Congress.
Thank you for posting the link, Sheila.
Carla, thank you so much for posting those words by Amy Jo Hutchinson. I'm so grateful she is organizing West Virginia families who really need the Build Back Better plan that their coal baron senator has such a hard time supporting. I'm adding her organization, Rattle The Windows, to the list I support with my small donations.
There are many working hard on this. N.O.W. in Morgantown among many others I cannot list here. Thank you for thinking of supporting Amy's organization.
Bless you. You all have been screwed over for ever. Ask everyone to send John Denver’s ‘ Take Me Home Country Roads ‘ to your so Relevant Senator ‘. Maybe he forgot what state he represents ? So sicking that they climb on your backs to get where they are . ❤️🦋
Sheila, I agree 100%! Carla, your "Voice from a West Virginian" is absolutely inspirational! I am going to circulate this to our local Indivisible and Commit to Democracy groups and mention it in Robert Hubbell's newsletter comment section. If we all "pay it forward," good things will come!!!
Many thanks, Andrew!
‘May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face..."
You are a hero among many who choose not to give up. West Virginia is lucky to have you.
Amy Jo Hutchison, #Rattle The Windows.
they need to understand that he truly believes that they are lazy drug addicts
Thank you, Carla, and AmyJo. Rattle All ! The windows!
Is it ok with you if I copy and share this with my own and several other Indivisible groups outside of Heather's comment page? I would like to amplify Rattle The Windows and hopefully get some $$$ sent their way. But, I don't copy/share with an ok from the poster. Thank you.
I too should have asked. My apologies, Carla. Was just inspired to get this message out.
Absolutely! Thank you. Green light!
Thanks, Carla. I looked at the groups website but there isn't a place to make a donation. Do you know if there is a link to offer $$ support?
Watch Amy Jo Huchison's testimony at the Rattle the Windows site. So powerful.
https://youtu.be/5-q584bITIk
They have known for yrs and yrs. Don’t let that last guy’s statement fool you. And they All have more perks than just furniture . Hope her testimony bears fruit. Look how long it took John Stewart helping the sick 911 first responders . The fact that they put us in this place and we have to beg them to help us up and out is disgusting. But she packed a heck of a punch and it showed.Go Amy ! It’s happening to Seniors, Disabled Ppl. Keep us updated Mary Pat.
MaryPat, that is powerful!!!
Thank you! Maserati Manchin needs to sail off in his yacht, never to return.
Carla, thank you for this message, and your work.
Carla, Having been off-line all day, I am late to this conversation I am deeply grateful you initiated. I write, at least initially, to seek clarification regarding the mainstream’s repeated assertion that Joe Manchin is the only West Virginian Democrat who could win a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Though I don’t know the merits of said assertion, I was struck by “desperado’s” reference (see below) to West Virginia’s historical spirit of resistance. desperado wrote, “Today West Virginians remember that spirit of resistance, but they forget what they resisted. They’ve been taught to resist big government instead, to be free and independent mountain men….And a lot of white people would rather get nothing than get something that would help black people, too. Black people getting something is the Southern definition of socialism.”
Though I expect this mindset is not restricted to the South, I set that aside for another time. Returning to the thread you initiated, any insight you can offer regarding Manchin’s tenure in the seat previously occupied by Senator Byrd would be greatly appreciated.
Blessings to you for posting and launching this thread. Warmly, Barbara
Thank you for asking Barbara Jo. The "desperado" reference was not reflective of my experience as a native and as someone who researches the Scots-Irish immigration into Western Virginia. I was born in WV, and my parents moved from Southern West Virginia to the Washington, D.C. area when I was 4 years old. I did return to WV each year to visit our family there and I received my undergraduate degree at WVU in Morgantown. I have not lived there and voted there which means I will have to get back to you in order to try and answer your question about Manchin's tenure. Senator Shelley Moore Capito was a bit ahead of me attending WVU and I cannot comment on her tenure either. But, I can and will get back to you after receiving info. from friends who live in Morgantown and who are very connected to what is going on politically in the state. I appreciate your kind message and your interest. Merry Christmas! ~ Carla
I hope she sent this to all the newspapers in WV.
Thank you for this report from the front lines.
Read Rebecca Solnit’s opinion piece in The Guardian today. “Why are right-wingers so angry? Because they know social change is coming.”
Found it 🙂 She’s great!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/20/rightwingers-us-social-change-coming
Ty! Yes, worth sharing.
Thanks.
And that is the very core of it. They are the old guard. The dying guard. They know it and are clinging on by using the only tools left. Lying. Cheating. Stealing.
❤️🏆 NOW you’re speaking my language‼️🎉🎉🎉
This is not a news flash, been their modus operandi for decades. Bill Moyers noticed
As did I. Decades.
An insightfully conceived and beautifully written essay. It’s a big-picture perspective that glimmers with hope in this dark time. Thank you, Susan, for flagging it.
Thank you so much Susan! Rebecca‘s piece today mirrors closely what I have been saying a lot. It’s actually a pleasure to see a media piece on this subject, it’s a rarity.
Right wingers are hopping mad because of losing total control even for a short while. Because the American totalitarianism, of a 'unified executive' under the church militant, was in reach. And slipped through their hands. For now.
It’s gone for good. They had their 4 years, which happened because Barack and Michelle made it obvious that we weren’t ever going to go back to whites-only. So the backlash was fierce, as all the reactionaries suddenly realized that society had changed on them. An African-American president. They did not see that coming. They freaked, and so we got DJT. But in 2020 the other side came out of the woodwork, large numbers voting not so much for Biden and Harris as AGAINST Trump. Biggest voter turnout in history, because society did not want Trump anymore. Our people have chosen. Are there still battles to fight? Hell yes. But I think we’ve passed the turning point.
And consider this (there are so many different types of evidence, this is just one example):
Why do you think DJT is so fixated on the size of the inauguration crowds? The Obamas drew a massive number of people, DJT a much smaller number. Think about the message that sends. The excitement level and enthusiasm for Obama was off the charts. By comparison, DJT looks like a 2nd-place finisher. That’s another indictment against DJT and his society, another endorsement for the winning side.
I say these things to provide encouragement, because I think we have won the war already. That doesn’t mean we can rest on our butts. But it does help reduce despair, discouragement, demoralization, etc.
Roland, I will have to disagree with you that the war is won. I do not disagree with your points, but the far right has been waging war on democracy in this country forever, and they will never stop. We have to be eternally vigilant to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The far right thinks they should be the only ones to have those things.
Yes. Yes to all of this.
And let's not forget, just fear. Those are crazy ass thugs with big guns, big trucks and rage. We have a slow moving dept of justice, they have militias.
And somewhere are the missing military munitions.
Precisely.
Here's the thing. The Republicans do not have any kind of plan for the nation. They represent a threat to democracy, but as long-term thinkers, imaginers, planners, and executors, they are almost entirely incompetent. They are tacticians, not strategists. They fight battles, not wars.
Furthermore, they are entirely backward-looking.
I was reading some years back about how, when the settlers moving across the country would set out in a wagon train, they would draw up a constitution for the journey: binding by consent during the months-long journey, to be dissolved upon arrival.
Think about that for a moment. Ordinary ranchers, shopkeepers, and gunslingers writing their own constitution, adapted to the rigors of a long journey. It was part of the public imagination as to how groups should govern themselves.
Compare that, now, to the "originalists" who pore over the Holy Writ of the Sacred Constitution looking for Divine Guidance from 18th century slaveholding agriculturalists in the face of urbanization and global climate change.
If the Republicans are ever tactically successful in taking the nation, they will not hold it. They can't. They will take it by exploiting weaknesses in the system, not on the merit of any inherent strengths.
I hope that they will also fail tactically. But they have no long-term future.
I did not know that settlers wrote their own constitutions for their journeys. Good idea when you consider it, especially the part about dissolving it upon reaching the journey’s end.
I think the founders would probably be astonished at how we have turned the Constitution into a sacred document. It was a group of compromises cobbled together to keep disparate states together. If the states could remain together, foreign countries could not take advantage of them. The line about looking for Divine Guidance from 18th century slaveholding agriculturalists in the face of urbanization and global climate change particularly resonated. Think of all the things that have happened since the Constitution was adopted. The Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, cars, planes, space flight, computers, the internet. The Constitution was meant for a different set of circumstances than we have today. Businesses that do not keep up or cannot keep up with today’s circumstances fail. Looking backward can’t forge a path forward.
I approve of your optimism, but they've been planning this for many years. From the Christians, Reagan and forward... removing the rights of minorities and adding their own judges to all the courts. And then they got lucky with Trump.
I agree that they aren't intelligently cohesive, but they do have an evil plan, and they are sticking to it.
Those are all tactical plans. They're decent tacticians, in large part due to the fact that they have no honor. They therefore have tactical options that no honorable person would consider. Lying and gaslighting, for starters. Subversion. Propaganda. Bribes. Threats. Coups.
The question is, where would it go from there? The Republican answer is (or would be, should they entertain such a question), "Huh?" If they could get their heads around the question, their answer would be, "Why, back to the way things were, of course."
Things never were that way. And now, things can't even go back to a semblance of that way. Gasoline prices will keep rising, until it is too expensive to burn. Climate change will cause food disruptions and mass migrations. Black people are NOT going to step down into the gutter when a white person walks by on the sidewalk. Gay people aren't going back into the closet. Non-Christians aren't going back in the closet.
Should the Republicans take the kind of unitary power they are seeking, their government will fail, and swiftly, not because an army of virtue arises to kick them out, but because they will simply fail.
And I'm not optimistic at all. I think that may well be exactly how it plays out. The Republicans win. And then we all lose, and the Republicans get trampled in the rush to the exits.
You would be correct - if they hadn't been busy rigging the system for the past 50(?) years.
200+? A rigged system, and a corrupt culture which generates it and supports it, that’s what we are fighting.
We have crested the mountain and will now pick up speed going down the slope of change.
And yes, like everyone keeps pointing out to me, there’s a ton of work still left to do cleaning up centuries of culture corrupted by whites-are-superior males-are-superior rich people first/straight people first/et al values.
Roland, Just in case you didn't get this off my blog. PM me if you want to get on my mailing list.
https://media.awakeningtowholeness.net/out-of-the-monastery-and-into-the-streets-four-steps-towards-awakening-humanity/
Only if the two voters' rights bills are passed by the Senate.... If the two bills are not passed, there's a strong likelihood that Republican legislatures in many states have passed laws to enable them to reject & reverse voters' choices if not acceptable to them.
That's the plan man
How I hope you are right, but Rupert is still THE major player, and now Lachlan
F—k the Murdochs. Even they know that they’re part of the problem and not part of the solution, and that billion dollar lawsuit from Dominion is now going to roast their asses where it really matters, their financial stability.
my prayers 24-7. Rupert has never cared that he is a big part of the problem. Ronnie gave him license to destroy us and he has done the job. Hope Dominion can take him/them down.
That was unitary executive, espoused by Bill Barr, which is the opposite of the kind of executive the founders had in mind. Unitary executive would have WAY more power than the founders wanted. Barr was espousing yet another Republican lie. They want unlimited power, while the majority of the country has little to none.
ThankYou JennSH. You are correct on all counts.
When you write "They want unlimited power, while the majority of the country has little to none." You sum up the Republicans entire agenda.
They're using the wedge issues of guns and god to unite the populists in support of the plutocrat's greed. And they've convinced a mass of people who rely on government services, that government is the problem.
And through an inverted rhetoric which, as you write, turns the Founders' purpose on its head.
We hope. We work to get that vote out.
Old Guard? New Blood. For every Scalia who exits the stage, there is a Coney-Barrett to take up the battle. And each succeeding generation is more a bludgeon than a scalpel. Trump for Reagan. Taylor Greene for Johnny Isakson.
The right wing is not dying out. And they present significant obstacles to translating social progress into effective political action and political action into progressive government policies and protections.
There will always be masses of people whose response to the enormities of the human condition (of never knowing all we need to know, to make the decisions we must make, in a world in flux) is to seek comfort in the absolute answers of authoritarian rule and a totalitarian system - religious or secular.
American madrassas have been churning out new generations of racist right wing religious extremists - ever since their response to Brown vs Board was 'religious academies.' They replicate themselves in such high numbers that they have created colleges and graduate programs (the Scalia Law School at George Mason University, for instance.)
And as long as they serve to keep plutocrats in power, they will be well funded to do so.
Joe Manchin himself admitted that fighting social change is one of his main reasons for opposing Build Back Better. With massive racial injustice, attacks on women's rights and families' security, the right-wing campaign to rig elections, and the immediate threat of climate change, he claims a little inflation is our biggest threat, but he's really fighting any shift in the established order. That's his money machine.
""My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face," he added. "I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight."
Goldman Sachs had the best reply of all to that complete lie. Manchin is just a wealthy plutocrat protecting other wealthy plutocrats.
I posted this article on my FB feed along with my own comment: "Coincidentally (or maybe not), on TCM the other night, I watched a Humphrey Bogart retrospective that included the 1937 film "Black Legion". Bogart plays a factor worker who is angry because an immigrant has been promoted to a position Bogie believes should have been his. The film follows his gradual radicalization that led him to join the Black Legion, a KKK offshoot in the 1930s which really existed, hoods and all. The parallels to much of what we're experiencing today are stunning. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027367/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
… and go round and round and round in the circle game. :’-(
Great article. That really is the heart of it. Their social 'entitlement' is going away - quickly I might add.
Alas, not if they can help it.
Thanks for posting this. It’s the most convincingly optimistic piece I’ve read regarding our current and future condition. I will circulate it widely. Kudos to Rebecca Solnit!
Read it. She makes excellent points.
Needed that, and passing it on. Thanks!
Manchin is a weasel, an oath breaker, and a traitor to his constituents.
He certainly is, but his ego is enjoying his moment in the sun. I don't know how anyone can trust him while negotiating. As for the Rs, they are the party of death, the party of obstruction, the party for the wealthy.
Wasn't it Andrew Shephard🇺🇸Who said, "...and Bob, your time is up!"
I love the movie American President.
Me too ❤️
I think Annette Bening is my favorite actor of all time, but don’t hold me to it. We haven’t conducted a comprehensive study to examine that question.
Given what he did by shutting down a massively popular bill and would very much help his own constituents, he PROVED he's not trust worthy in negotiations nor likely in anything else.
Suzanne Your description of Manchin makes him sound like a modern-day Judas. Spot on.
He's loyal to his corporate donors, though..........
The name Manchin triggered my memory of Charles Manson of the Manson Family Cult. Though Manson was horrifying, Manchin’s scuttling of BBB will kill far more Americans.
- Negativity (and rant) Warning -
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The biggest thing I’ve noticed between the two Bills is:
1. Infrastructure Bill would primarily help male workers since it’s mostly men in construction & contracting jobs and it would help corporations (whose employees pay for upkeep through income taxes) since they rely on the roads & bridges.
2. The Build Back Better Bill is a tremendous help to many women (particularly Black & Hispanic), since I believe single women with children are the one of the largest groups of the poor & low income financial categories. The ability for affordable childcare would enable so many to be able to work (and needy employers to stop crying about the labor shortage). It would also give some help some women with children to afford to get out of abusive relationships.
It’s such a Republican thing for them to tank anything that enables women in most any area. It’s like their tactics attacking abortion on the grounds of saying they’re pro-life, and yet everything they do suggests otherwise.
They really just want for men to go back to being the center of women’s universe and dependant upon men for protection, supplier of basic needs, social status/respectability. Republicans who want small government and freedom to do what they want but are fine with women being at the mercy of men.
It really feels like a war on women.
🔺https://twitter.com/mhdksafa/status/1471820619268431881?s=21
🔺 https://twitter.com/hope4betterusa/status/1467228760340582404?s=21
It feels like that because that’s what it is … saving the planet and womens rights go hand in hand https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-investing-in-women-helps-save-the-planet/
Thanks for the link.
Carla, thanks for the link.
Also, Lisa:
Having grown up in Texas, in the Baptist Church, women are NOT supposed to work once they have children. They are supposed to stay home, cook, take care of the kids and go to church.
Of course, women are not supposed to be SINGLE and having kids either. THAT, intimacy before marriage, will send one straight to hell. STRAIGHT.
I am guessing that culture has not changed much since I exited it 38 years ago.
Children deserve to be parented, but I wish it could be by parents who would at least take turns if both are agreeable.
I often ask men to look very carefully at all the men they know/come across if they would honestly choose to give complete or mostly complete control over their lives to them. This includes protecting them to the best of their ability, to not harm them physically or emotionally, to feed them to their best ability, to honor their wedding vows (whatever they may be), to cast their vote for them knowing the vote needs to represent their best interests too (referring to period of when women were not allowed to vote), to be fair with money, and to ensure they make acceptable care provisions for them and any children in the event of their death or severe illness or injury, etc.)
Note: This must come with knowledge that the man could develop drug or alcohol addiction or develop mental illness which could cause them to become abusive or cause economic issues.
I don’t believe that a truthful and sensible man would want that for themselves. Most would not want to feel trapped or owned or like baggage. So if they wouldn’t want or accept that for themselves, they should not impose that on anyone else.
Right on, Lisa!!
It is but one battle in the war on women; it is just sugar coated for "palatability" so that people will swallow it.
They are all sugar coated, aren’t they? Abortion rights aren’t about controlling women, they’re about saving babies… oh that Democrats had such avenues of messaging.
Any message with the slightest suggestion that systemic misogyny is not a good thing will anger Republicans. They cannot be converted to decent human beings. They can, with a monumental effort and a lot of good luck, be outvoted. That is what we must focus on. Not messaging that we hope will appeal to Republicans, since no such mesaging can be devised except messages that promote values antithetical to those of Democrats.
A very, very well written post and thanks for the warning, but, I did survive reading and learned something. You are right!!
Great post.
Hope you don’t mind… I copied and pasted this and put on my FB page and credited “a comment on Substack “.
It’s fine - pls edit typos and grammar boo-boos. Thanks
I wonder if the outcry from the Average Joes and Jills---like the many of us who called or emailed Manchin today, might have made a difference? I certainly hope he viewed this past weekend's edition of 60 Minutes with the story of the deplorable conditions in Alabama!!
It definitely matters, thank you. The only time we fail is when we stop trying!
I was encouraged to see Pelosi’s response was along the lines of, whatever. As if it had nothing to do with real negotiations. That was my first thought, that he wasn’t intending for it to be taken so seriously, it being Fox..
Saying it on Fox was just another poke in the eye to Dems, especially the other Joe…
Where he made the announcement said as much as WHAT he said
Indeed, no accident
And what was he doing on Fox?
What he was paid to do.
Appearing in the place where he feels most comfortable
More likely it was the Goldman Sachs response and the big stock market losses.
No need to figure which was the more likely cause—I’d say the concurrent forces were huge.
Yep.
"I wonder if the outcry from the Average Joes and Jills......made a difference?"
Absolutely not. Manchin never cared, for even one minute, what his constituents wanted.
Like many of our modern "representatives" he only cares about what he wants and how he can use his position to get it.
Let's call Manchin yet another crappy product and bad outcome of the "Reagan Revolution".
Nope. It didn't make a dent. Heather mistakenly cited a tweet posted by Manchin on October 28, 2021 attributing it as one posted last night. There was no Manchin change of heart. Zero
In a word, no. Manchin does not care about Average Joes and Jills. It's obvious from his actions. Manchin responds to the outcries from Peabody Coal and Exxon Mobil.
Nah, he just lumped them with his constituents in WV who are incompetent drug users and pathetic parents. Wish Dolly Parton would give him a word about poor folks in Appalachia
I doubt it would make any difference for Joe M.
The way his life is going these days I doubt he’s making time to read thousands of letters For all we know, he may be getting asassination threats.
I believe that that is what has been missing.
HCR, thank YOU, for your time and energy.
Everyone should realize, spread to their family and friends, and tell their representatives, Joe Manchin, and public media (papers & tv news) that Build Back Better at $2 trillion over ten years is less than one third of the near unanimously approved Defense Budget of $7+ trillion EACH year. In other words, the Defense Budget would fund BBB for more than 30 years.
It's a crime against Anerica that we spend more on the Defense Budget each year than the next ten military spending countries combined. And, not as much on the domestic needs represented in BBB over 30 years.
It's a crime that nations like Russia, China, North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel can spend so much less, even use our funding and weapons to make so much misery for us and the world and we cannot even defend ourselves and their victims. Russia can meddle in our elections, spread conspiracy theories to destroy our democracy and our Defense spending doesn't prevent this.
Our only remedy for national security is strong and effective domestic investments that remind our citizens and citizens around the world that democracy makes life better, not more hazardous and prone toward violence and war.
David, I borrowed your economic analysis here (thank you!) for a letter to the editor in the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, responding to an opinion piece that muddied the issue surrounding the BBB and Manchin's objections. Here it is:
"Matthew Yglesias's opinion piece on December 20 on Pres. Biden's Build Back Better bill inappropriately lays the blame on Democratic Party leaders for the difficulty of passing the legislation. Yglesias complains that the BBB is "a grab bag of progressive ideas" instead of being a "thematically coherent piece of legislation." He's wrong.
Build Back Better is a response to an economic mess that began with the dismantlling of federal government programs under Ronald Reagan. For four decades, conservative opposition to the common wealth of this nation has gained power by turning the nation against collective action to help lift all boats (erroneously calling it "socialism"), against science, against reasoned debate in favor of name-calling, against labor unions, against the environment, against all people having access to the ballot, and more.
Ask yourself why our people are so angry and stressed. Look at how tenuous our lives have become. Climate change is a monster unnerving every decision we make. The mutating virus threatens the economy.
We do not need to take seriously the objections of someone like Joe Manchin. We need to listen to the promises of Joe Biden's vision for a stronger nation.
We need the BBB. Even Goldman Sachs has shown that without it, the economy will suffer. Compare a BBB expanded to $2 trillion over ten years with the just-passed Defense Budget of $7 trillion EACH year.
This nation has enough money to close the wealth gap. Standing in the way is the attitude of the American people."
Check the numbers. Defense is $7-plus trillion over ten years. More than $700 billion each year, always approved, rarely even questioned. This year Congress gave $25 billion more than was asked for.
Ike warned us, did anybody listen. No
Jeri,
Actually, our "representatives" were listening and after Ike's speech they realized that the real road to riches lay in making sure that their military contractor constituents paid them off for the next "Defense Authorization Bill".
Then, they started the "Communist scare" to grow the budget EVEN MORE.
Now? What was first referred to as representative government in America, by John Adams, is now a big shovel of money from the Fed's printing press to the military contractors.
Our representatives are sponsoring one of the largest heists in history.
On John Adam's back.
No argument here
Yes he did.
I completely agree. Your last paragraph stands out - very well said. It’s a great point.
Your numbers are wrong. The Defense bill is $768 billion this year (not 7 trillion).
Thank you been waiting all day to get your take on what manchin did today Of course first time I saw the AFL CIO demand which is powerful Thanks for the message of hope that despite the press this bill is still alive and in the works Thanks
Honestly, I think the ball to be watching is voting rights. (I'll write more about that in the next few days.) I think Manchin is on board with those, but still coming around on the filibuster. We'll see if pressure over the BBB moves him closer to being a hero for that.
I didn’t know about the AFL-CIO communication. Thank you so much for tracking that story down, and providing some hope for the VRA and the BBB bill. So grateful to you for all you do to inspire your readers to defend democracy.
Ah yes thanks voting rights is the most critical for our democracy And so happy to hear you think manchin is on board on that essential bill!!!! Never saw him as a hero but would be wonderful if he backs voting rights! And then with the pressure stops stalling and goes for BBB
Happy relaxing Holidays and New Year Thanks for all you do💐🙏🤶
Believe it when it happens. Trust Joe, NEVER
Not being privy to the wheeling and dealing, I fess up to feeling and thinking more than knowing. That said, thank you Heather for providing a torch in the darkness.
Jean-Pierre, A fine tuned intuition with access to good information is a thing of beauty...
As John Keats might have said.
Indeed.
I had the thought, that perhaps President Biden was softening-up Biden and Sinema in order to get Voting Rights passed. Voting is the key to it all.
I've felt that way all along.
🤞🏻
Wow I’ve never been in a conversation when Heather chimed in—very cool.
Really looking forward to your thoughts about the voting rights bills Professor. Thank You!
Seems to me the BBB bill is the ultimate pro-life action. Repubs claim loudly to be pro-life, yet they do not support BBB (or maybe some do but McConnell does not and he holds the purse strings). You want to make abortion rare? Help struggling families.
The emphasis is CLAIM, we know they are NOT pro-life. As proven by their going along w/TFG re masks and vaccines-they are literally killing off their followers,
Thank you, Dr. R.! I start every morning with your newsletters, like the rest of this group. Voting rights, and the attempt to deprive us of them, are key.
voting rights is job 1, f'sure. Will Manchin continue to side with the republicans on that?
Has there ever been a time when he didn't side with the republicans?
I guess we’ll see. If he starts donning red ties, beware!
Anybody noticed his headgear lately
I share your optimism, Heather, and read you every night when your post comes over the ether.
Yes. Thank You.
Looking forward to seeing Manchin as a hero.
Hahahaha
Would conform with his need to be the powerbroker in all this. Hum. More presidential than the President?
Fred, I think he's got his eyes on a bigger yacht....you know, something that could accommodate all of his handlers.
Wouldn't be surprised. One doesn't take on the leader of your party without some long-game. Wonder where the USS Sequoia is at.
Strange things are going on behind the scenes---much makes little (does Manchin make much sense at all right now---can't support it and now we have to negotiate? ) Is there not a single republican with an Conscience for Humanity? I guess not--it is pretty obvious. The Fear Level must be pretty high---dangers have been mentioned. But let's face it, they've all been bribed and threatened no doubt with lifetime ostracism and financial ruin if they don't toe the line---no cushy think tanks when you leave congress, no "speaking fees" and the like. A carrot and a club. and in all this the Democrats can't get out a coherent message---except to show daily how incoherent their approach is right now. Where is the message about what they are working for---in Short Sentences, Pithy "sayings", and Barbed Zingers. The silence is deafening...... Sigh. Sorry for the rant. I guess it feels good. On the other hand, I think last night HCR was saying that when it looks bleak, action can change the dynamics----and also the suggestion that We the People need to do something----Thomas Paine and the galvanizing effect of his two pamphlets were mentioned for a purpose . We need to meditate on that. And be ready to act. The Delaware was pretty cold that evening, but they acted. Things are pretty foggy out here/there right now. Well, that was a ramble. I'll check back in the morning.
Meditate not too long, then not be ready to act, but do it already! Hop on that horse and ride! Concrete resources:
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/
https://www.mobilize.us/
thanks for the links, Ellie. Have you (or has anyone else) read Jason Stanley in the Guardian today?
Thanks for calling attention to it. I'd like to see a parallel article tracing resistance to fascism--what worked and what didn't.
"America is now in fascism’s legal phase"
https://twitter.com/GuardianUS/status/1473606722296205317?s=20
Yep. The whole Tom Paine story was there for a very good Socratic reason.
Well, since we don’t have Rupert or Frank Luntz, maybe Dems could publish a pamphlet with some zinger advertising. As it is, the MSM has gone bonkers
Ain't that the truth?
All that is revealed is not all. A fascinating plot twist per chance, given McConnell saying we need to learn from the House investigation and Republicans are not going to come out looking to good? Might we see a couple of Republican Senators siding with the angels to address the deep needs of their constituencies? After all, BBB parts are very popular among rural and blue-collar Jill's and Joe's. What a way to steal the thunder from Democrats were some like Mitkowski and Collins and Rommney to do a thumbs-up. They save the good over party and get the credit 'cause Dems can't get anything done without the Repubs? And still vote against voting rights. Yes, strange things.
Which face was Mitch speaking out of, had tool many disappointments from the three stooges to have much hope there...
Not hope, just suspicion as McTurtle never does anything without at least two options open to him.
Everyone is reporting it as if it’s dead! Glad to see pressure from the coal miners union and Manchin’s recent tweet. I’m sure it’s not over... actually I wondered if Manchin was just doing that thing where “conservative” senators say one thing on Fox but it’s not actually related to what they say or do in real life.
The reporters like reporting stuff that freaks people out
Sensationalism and clicks is how they make money.
And therein lies one of our biggest issues!
Which is why we have each other, here and other places like this one.
The tweet is from October 28! Manchin has not changed his stripes!
When the Congressional "Squad" insisted that both the bills move forward together and refused to vote for the Infrastructure bill as a standalone, they were roundly castigated.
But they knew what would happen if the bills were split. And sure enough, they were right.
I hope POTUS has finally realized that you can't "reach across the aisle" to an authoritarian political party that has no intention of reaching back or helping the average American.
As for right-wing Joe Manchin, he never intended to agree to the social safety-net portion of Biden's proposal, and the "Squad" knew this.
As another Substack commentator observed: "politics is filthy."
Tonight Jayapal was interviewed by Rachel. She had had a “heart-to-heart” discussion with Manchin after his Fox News spot. Jayapal mentioned he’s a really “nice guy” and she wanted to point out his breach. She has the patience of a saint because from where I sit, Manchin’s horns were in full view.
Jayapal is wondrous! She will create possibilities.
Excerpt: "“I do believe the president when he said to us, and to me personally, that he got a commitment from Senator Manchin or [Manchin] would have to go back on his word,” Jayapal told reporters on a Monday afternoon press call. “And obviously yesterday, the senator took the latter path and went back on this word. That lack of integrity is stunning in a town where people say the only thing that you have is your word.”
Jayapal went on to say that she said as much to Manchin when he called her on Monday.
“There is nothing I have said here that I didn’t say to him,” Jayapal said. “And you will remember that I have not said anything against him all these months, because I believed he was negotiating in good faith.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pramila-jayapal-joe-manchin-lack-of-integrity_n_61c0e8ede4b0bb04a6284a20
After decades of being stabbed in the back, I doubt they’ll (D’s) ever learn what “in good faith“ means or that compromise means BOTH sides give something up.
As an American-born Australian, I find utterly mind-boggling that concepts like a tax benefit for families with children are so controversial that one or two votes can make the difference between them being voted into law or not. Australia has had a Family Tax Benefit (under several different names over the years) for generations and it hasn't gone broke yet! (FYI: It's income-tested and paid on a per-child basis straight into the parent's bank account.)
Hello Heather Cox Richardson, you are invaluable in this time when our democracy, left right and center, is under existential threat. You bring history to the present and give us context and anchor. I do a lot of work for Citizens Climate Lobby, whose motto is “Our Solution to Climate Change? Democracy”. I do this because I have a 13 year old son and I love him. The hope is that the Build Back Better bill will contain significant progress on Climate Change but in your piece there is no mention of Climate Change. The truth is that all that we do and discuss here is merely manmade fabrication. There is little room for democracy, or a stable economy with an increasingly unstable climate and on an increasingly uninhabitable earth. If we are to continue the very interesting games we all play and hope to make progress, we had better pay attention to the fact that we live on Earth because without that orientation we don’t have much and can promise little to the young we love. Thanks for all that you do for all of us.
Exactly, Tony Israel. Our livable climate is now flooding out, drying and burning up, and blowing away before our eyes. Our lobbying for all the other programs and policies we care deeply about will be pointless if we don't take strong action to rescue our climate. We need to begin now sharply curbing greenhouse gases, and converting to green energy. No livable climate means no justice and no peace.
In various forums I'll keep bringing up that the $7.6 trillion dollars in military spending (measured over 10 years, just like Build Back Better) and passed with overwhelming majorities in Congress... is somehow not inflationary. Perhaps the military should deliver needed public services since their spending is sequestered from Economics 101.
My thought for a long time has been to make military bases ambassadors… if they’re going to persist in other countries, be part of that community. Provide aid and assistance. If the military made that shift, wouldn’t it be easier for people to realize that the government should serve its own citizens (community)?
A long time ago when the US was engaged in Central American proxy wars an old friend of mine said, "You know, I bet if America sent a lot more food and medicine and fewer guns abroad, we'd be more popular." But of course, popularity was never the point of all that, was it?
I honestly don't believe other countries want our military to be a part of their community in that our military would dictate the types of aid and assistance it would provide based on what "America thinks is best" for the host country/culture NOT what is actually wanted/needed by the host country. The world does not need more Uncle Sam-ism; we haven't even been able to untangle our own mess. Our military, with its entrenched extremism is the very last group of people I would send in to do community service in a foreign country.
Living on the Yucatán Peninsula these last 4 years has been a real eye opener with regard to the concept of the "white saviour" and how some (white) expat intrusion into local community affairs and issues is considered hostile. Of course, there are some extremely well accepted organizations that do really significant, positive work without trying to upset the (mostly indigenous) apple cart. These are private, non military organizations. Our military/governmental involvement in Latin America has not been so hot.
Lots of our bases are in countries that already do that (eg. Germany and Italy). We need to do it here at home.
YES. And notice that the countries where we are "most successful" are not countries of BIPOC but white. I don't see the military offering to do aggression-free community outreach and infrastructure in Haiti, as an example.
There is nothing more inflationary than military spending. When you give an organization more than it needs, and in this case more than it even thinks it needs, what you get is waste and corruption, with inflation as one of the consequences.
To allow a coal baron to control climate catastrophe is beyond barbary. Appalling, the crude profit-taking on the backs of the impoverished. The perfidy of the republicans is criminal. The complicity of Manchin is criminal. He puts his empire above his constituents as well as the planet. I fear we have mortally wounded Gaia, and this adds insult to injury.
To me, the most important part of BBB is money to battle climate change. We’re already perilously behind. Just as with so many other issues, there’s no sense of urgency. Every day the news is more dire. The threat is indeed existential. “Fiddling while Rome burns” springs to mind.
yet, the coal baron rules. WTF?
$$$,$$$,$$$,$$$