Tweet

Kaz Weida

8 Apr, 11 tweets, 5 min read

For our #ThursdayThread , we're asking a question that has no easy answers.

How do you solve a problem like Joe Manchin?
I mean honestly. What the hell does this dude want?
(THREAD)

(2) Manchin's come forward again today with more bluster about how he will never ever eliminate the filibuster, which certainly means any hope for significant voting rights legislation is withering on the vine.

So what are we gonna do about Joe Manchin?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/joe-m…

(3) There isn't much Dems can do. Historically, West Virginia was a Democratic stronghold but those days are long gone. Today the GOP dominates the state.

Manchin isn't up for re-election until 2024. And it's not clear he'll run again.

fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-j…

(4) If Manchin isn't likely to run again, he probably doesn't need to bend over backward to play nice with the GOP for his constituents.

So why is he obstructing his own party's agenda? What does Joe Manchin want?

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

(5) There is some speculation Manchin is channeling his predecessor, Byrd, and eager to bring home the pork to West Virginia.

But Democrats have tried enticing him with all sorts of goodies and frankly, Manchin doesn't seem that interested.
bostonglobe.com/2021/02/24/nat…

(6) Manchin seems to be genuinely invested in this idea of bipartisanship that hasn't been a reality in Washington in decades.

Manchin is confident he's the guy who can "make things happen" and broker deals. In short, this is about Manchin's ego.

vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/g…

(7) Manchin spends lots of time chatting with Republicans. He always has. He sees them as friends and believes they'll work with him. That he has the inside track on building consensus.

And he's always eager to scoop up & parrot back GOP talking points.
forbes.com/sites/andrewso…

(8) Manchin is hard to read, but after digesting dozens of probing profiles and deep dives, I'd say it's pretty simple.

Joe Manchin is enjoying his power trip. And he's pretty delusional about the toxicity of the GOP and their flirtation with fascism.

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

(9) And sure, it's tempting to lean on Manchin and make his life extremely unpleasant, but Democrats have to be wary.

Manchin could decide to defect to the GOP (see Jeffords 2001) and then Mitch McConnell will control the Senate again.

huffpost.com/entry/chris-wa…

(10) So we're stuck with Joe Manchin. And the bad news is I don't think he's a problem we can solve.

Our best solution is to focus on getting more seats in 2022 so we don't have to be held hostage by a delusional, ego-hungry senator from West Virginia.

nymag.com/intelligencer/…

@kantarjiev

(END) Thanks to @kantarjiev for the thread suggestion. Stop by on Tuesday and we'll do this again.

Like threads like this and want to keep them coming? You can support my work here:
paypal.me/kazweida
patreon.com/kazweida

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @kazweida

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

6 Apr

This morning in our #TuesdayThread , we're asking how the failure of a toxic wastewater reservoir happened and what it means for Florida.

Could this catastrophe have been avoided?
The short answer is absolutely.
This is a tragedy of our own making.
(THREAD)

(2) In case you missed it, crews are frantically pumping water out of a leaking reservoir near Tampa Bay in an effort to avert total collapse.

The water is contaminated with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from a phosphogypsum stack.

usatoday.com/story/news/nat…

(3) What's so bad about this wastewater? Well, the level of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water that has already leaked is like dumping 60,000 bags of fertilizer into the bay.

It causes algae blooms, which depletes oxygen in the water and kills the fish

wtsp.com/article/tech/s…

Read 10 tweets

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

23 Mar

I dunno who still needs to hear this but voting rights are vital to democracy.

Republicans have rigged the system so they choose their voters rather than voters choosing them. This has eroded democracy & held progress hostage through the oppression of minority rule.
(THREAD)

(2) So how are we going to fight back against a wave of gerrymandering and voter suppression laws that threaten a new era of Jim Crow?

This is a fight that'll be fought on 3 fronts.
In our legislatures. In the courts. And in our communities.

brennancenter.org/our-work/resea…

(3) First, we need national action on voting rights in order to curb voter suppression efforts in GOP-held state legislatures.

Right now, there are 43 states that have introduced over 253 bills to curtail voting rights.

brennancenter.org/our-work/resea…

Read 11 tweets

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

23 Mar

When people ask what Fibro pain is like, I describe it this way:

Imagine feeling hungry or your leg or neck muscles are sore. Now imagine that instead of feeling that as hunger or stiffness, nerves tell your brain you’re being stabbed by knives.

That’s what my fibro feels like.

The thing is you are certainly not being stabbed by knives and often there’s no real reason for the pain except something in that area has attracted the attention of your nervous system.

So while the pain is very real, the reason is often a miscommunication.

This is why meditation & yoga has been a huge help for me. Yoga helps me stay in my body and be gentle with it. Mediation helps find some distance from my pain and experience it without judgment.

I eat well. I exercise daily.
I take care of myself.
The rest isn’t up to me.

Read 4 tweets

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

11 Mar

For our Thursday thread today we’re trying to answer a pretty simple question.

What the hell is wrong with the media and what can we do to stop enabling false equivalences and “both sides” coverage?

(THREAD)

kqed.org/education/5319…

(2) I think there are two things fueling the current infuriating headlines and leading to false equivalences and both sides coverage.

The first is competence.
When government is functioning as it should, outrage clickbait becomes harder to manufacture.

nymag.com/intelligencer/…

(3) The second factor in play here is pure laziness and a reliance on access journalism.

Far too many media outlets have leaned into this problematic approach for far too long. It prioritizes scoops from those in power over independent accountability.

pressrun.media/p/access-journ…

Read 11 tweets

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

9 Mar

This week our high-risk household is celebrating (commiserating?) 365 days in quarantine.

If you’re wondering what it means to go back to “normal,” I share your confusion. In so many ways we’ll never be the same.

Here’s what I think our new normal looks like.

(THREAD)

(2) Because I have two children too young to be vaccinated, one of whom is high risk, our new normal includes wearing masks for the foreseeable future.

There will be no birthday parties. No sleepovers. No family gatherings. That’s the normal this country has left us with.

(3) My new normal likely includes struggling with fierce agoraphobia and anxiety.

Continuing to track our exposure and limit interaction is the only weapon I have in the face of a red state government that insists on dropping mask mandates ASAP.

Read 11 tweets

Kaz Weida

@kazweida

25 Feb

(3) After yesterday's hearing, Biden followed up with an announcement that he'll move to appoint three Democrats to fill vacancies on the USPS board of governors. This would give Dems the majority on the board.

Problem solved, right? Not so fast.

washingtonpost.com/business/2021/…

(4) There are two hurdles to jump. The first may not be a big deal but the second is nearly insurmountable at this point. Let me explain.

First, these nominees to fill the board openings have to be approved by the Senate. Sigh.

apnews.com/article/joe-bi…

(5) If we can get all three nominees onto the board without too much fuss, then we can fire DeJoy, right? Yeah, not so fast. One of the Dems on that board is actually a DINO and he's part of the problem.

Democrats would need his support to remove DeJoy.

slate.com/news-and-polit…

Read 9 tweets

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!