It's starting to sound like Manchin is more willing to cave on voting rights at this time, than on Build Back Better. So if Democratic leadership is going in that direction, it's smart. Get Manchin to cave on voting rights now, find a way to get him to him to cave on BBB later.
"But Manchin will never cave no matter what!"
Uh, no. Manchin (and Sinema) already caved on the first half of the infrastructure bill, which is now law. Why do we listen to the fools who insist Manchin and Sinema will never cave on anything, when they've ALREADY CAVED on things?
Uh, no. Manchin (and Sinema) already caved on the first half of the infrastructure bill, which is now law. Why do we listen to the fools who insist Manchin and Sinema will never cave on anything, when they've ALREADY CAVED on things?
"But the democrats will lose the midterms because BBB didn't pass!"
Again, no. We have all of 2022 to find a way to pass BBB. The midterms are in November 2022, and not, as so many doomsday pundits want to pretend, taking place next week.
Again, no. We have all of 2022 to find a way to pass BBB. The midterms are in November 2022, and not, as so many doomsday pundits want to pretend, taking place next week.
So many of you have spent all year insisting we're "doomed" due to the lack of progress on voting rights legislation. Now that voting rights legislation is seriously IN PLAY, many of you same folks are trying to spin it as a loss. Come on, pick one story or the other.
"But Manchin won't support voting rights no matter what!"
Again, the defeatists on our side ALWAYS base their doomsday predictions on this kind of simplistic, hyperbolic, absolutist rhetoric. They always frame politics in terms of cartoon characters. This is the adult world.
Again, the defeatists on our side ALWAYS base their doomsday predictions on this kind of simplistic, hyperbolic, absolutist rhetoric. They always frame politics in terms of cartoon characters. This is the adult world.
Only a political moron views any of this in terms of "I trust Manchin" or "I don't trust Manchin." That's not ever relevant. It's about finding LEVERAGE over a bad guy like Manchin, and using it to squeeze what you need out of them, before he resumes lining his pockets elsewhere.
It was never about whether Mark Meadows was "good" or "bad" or could be "trusted." It was never about him "seeing the light" or an appeal to his patriotism. It was about using the dirt on him to scare him into providing what was needed, before he went back to being Mark Meadows.
Meadows is a traitor, while Manchin is just a moderately corrupt politician. But it's the same concept. It's not about reforming these kinds of assholes. It's not about judging them. It's about using leverage to squeeze what you need out of them. That's how you win in politics.
If you're sitting around talking about whether Manchin can be "trusted" or whether he's "good" or "bad" then you're not in any way relevant to the political process that's playing out. Do you want to waste your life whining about him, or do you want to smarty win these battles?
If you want to win, the people yelling "Manchin will never cave no matter what" are your ENEMY. In fact they're the most dangerous enemy you're facing. They're the ones giving Manchin a free pass to do the wrong thing, because they want to lose, so they can feel more outrage.
If you just want to sit around and make doomsday predictions so you can look smart if your side loses, then so be it. But you'd better not dare ever call yourself an "activist." You're just a sick person who doesn't care about anyone or anything, beyond getting to feel outrage.
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