First, let me fess up and say that up until now I have defended Joe Manchin against the attacks by some of the more progressive members of our party. I have pointed out that only Joe Manchin can win a seat in the Senate as a Democrat in West Virginia, one of the most Ruby Red states in the Union, and that without him Mitch McConnell would be running the Senate and we would get absolutely nothing done. Also as a moderate, I understand that every Democrat in Congress who represents a red and purple state or district has a unique constituency back home answer to, otherwise a Republican might take his/her seat in the next election.
What changed my mind was the fact that Joe Manchin came out today and publicly stated that he was a definite “NO” on the Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation. If there was even a hint that he would be willing to compromise and support some of the bill’s provisions, that certainly wasn’t said in his announcement.
However, this is no longer a case of moderates verse progressives in the Democratic Party. Due to the wide-spread popularity of many of the provisions of this legislation, passing the Build Back Better bill will likely be the key that can be used by Democrats to keep control of the House and the Senate in 2022 and ultimately keep control of the White House and both houses of Congress in 2024. Given the Trumpification of the Republican Party, failure in either of those two sets of elections could be devastating to our democracy.
Looking back in history, recall that when Lyndon Johnson was in the Senate he was the master of securing the votes needed to pass critical pieces of legislation. He brought those skills with him to the White House where he used them very effectively to pass landmark civil rights legislation, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and to expand federal gun regulations. In his negotiating efforts, Johnson often dangled carrots, but he was also not at all hesitant to also employ a stick when necessary. In fact, he was famous for his arm twisting.
Joe Biden is also no slouch when it comes to getting legislation passed and he has a good relationship with Manchin. I am sure he has tried everything within reason to convince the Senator from West Virginia to get on board, but nothing seems to have worked so far. It’s time to bring out the stick.
The best use of a stick on a legislator is hitting him with it on his weak spot. In the case of this particular legislation, Manchin’s weak spot is the fact that his is one of the poorest states in the country and everyday West Virginians could really benefit from many of the provisions of the Build Back Better plan.
Among the many other provisions of the legislation which would be a boon to West Virginians is the one which would extend monthly payments to parents of $300 per month per child under six and $250 per month per child ages 6 to 17 through 2022 – the largest one-year reduction in child poverty in history. It would also lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, impose a tax on drug companies if they increase drug prices faster than inflation, and lower out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors.
It will also make the biggest investment in affordable housing in history by building and rehabilitating one million affordable homes as well as extend the expanded Income Earned Tax Credit for 17 million low-wage workers. It also expands to affordable, high-quality education past high school. Because of the poverty in West Virginia, its citizens would get more than their fair share of the plan’s benefits.
Biden can apply the stick to Manchin by telling him that if he doesn’t get on board he will spend two or three weeks traveling from city to city in his state of West Virginia telling it citizens in town halls and speeches how they will personally benefit from the passage of the BBB bill and asking why Manchin will not support it. Manchin also needs to be told that if he doesn’t get on board effective immediately the Democratic Party is going to start an all-out advertising campaign in WV touting the plan’s benefits for its citizens.
It would be a risky strategy, but if we can’t get this bill passed, it is likely that the Republicans will take control of both the House and the Senate in 2022 meaning that they will have the power to successfully pull off the coup that just narrowly failed in 2020 if and when Trump loses the popular vote and the Electoral College in 2024. If we are going to lose the Senate whether Manch wins or loses anyway, losing the Senate seat in West Virginia won’t matter much, especially the way Manchin has been acting.
Cajun 12/20/2021