The most powerful Republican in the U.S. Senate, Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, says he won’t vote for the For the People Act, a sweeping voters’ rights act that has the support of Democrats, and no Republicans.
In an op-ed over the weekend, Manchin wrote:
As such, congressional action on federal voting rights legislation must be the result of both Democrats and Republicans coming together to find a pathway forward or we risk further dividing and destroying the republic we swore to protect and defend as elected officials.
So Manchin’s devotion to “can’t-we-just-get-along” overrides voting rights, though he has said he’ll support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which also doesn’t enjoy Republican support.
So think about it:
The act, according to the Brennan Center for Justice:
would transform our democracy by making it fairer, stronger, and more inclusive.
This is not the first time Manchin has stood with Republicans, as with his endorsement of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, his push against Pres. Biden’s nominee budget chief, and his opposition to the Democrats’ COVID stimulus bill.
Back home, where the state enjoys a Republican trifecta, Manchin’s appeal to bipartisanship isn’t playing all that well.
Follow the money! He reeks it!
Poor, white West Virginians can eat coal and voters of color can pound sand. You go Joe Crow!