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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“There’s a moment here. I try to explain it to them and you get all this bullshit about power and this and that. I have watched power destroy people, good people, because they abused it.”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), explaining his newly-acquired power in the U.S. Senate to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Key Democratic Senator Won’t Support $2,000 Checks
“President-elect Joe Biden’s plans for a major new economic relief package boosting stimulus payments to $2,000 ran into possibly fatal opposition from his own party Friday as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV.) said he would ‘absolutely not’ support a new round of checks,” the Washington Post reports.
“Manchin, a moderate who will hold great sway in a Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, made his views known even as the Biden team worked to develop a coronavirus relief package that would include new stimulus checks, extended unemployment benefits, and more.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Beto’s one human being. He gave his own opinion, OK? I think it was very harmful to make it look like all the Democrats. I can tell you one thing: Beto O’Rourke’s not taking my guns away from me. You tell Beto that, OK?”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Manchin Mulls Running for West Virginia Governor
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) “is once again considering running for Governor of West Virginia,” the West Virginia Metro News reports.
“At first glance, the fact that the political veteran is even contemplating the idea may be surprising. After all, Manchin won re-election to another six year term in the Senate just two months ago, and the U.S. Senate is a powerful and prestigious body.”
“However, Washington and Joe Manchin have never been a comfortable fit.”
Joe Manchin Under Fire After Kavanaugh Vote
Associated Press: “A day after Manchin broke with his party on what may be the most consequential vote of the Trump era, the vulnerable Democrat is facing a political firestorm back home. While Republicans — including one of the president’s sons — are on the attack, the most passionate criticism is coming from Manchin’s very own Democratic base, a small but significant portion of the electorate he needs to turn out in force to win re-election next month.”
“A Manchin loss would put his party’s hopes of regaining control of the Senate virtually out of reach.”
Manchin Likely to Vote for Kavanaugh
Politico: “Manchin, for his part, sounds like he’s leaning ‘Yes,’ and it certainly is gettable for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the GOP leadership. It’s clear Manchin doesn’t want to be the 50th vote for Kavanaugh, but it seems like he’d be OK with being the 51st or 52nd, barring any new developments.”
The West Virginia Impeachment Could Hurt Joe Manchin
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Quote of the Day
“I’ll be 71 years old in August, you’re going to whip me? Kiss my you know what.”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), quoted by Politico, when asked if Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) can influence his vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Manchin Saved McCaskill from Choking
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) “told constituents over the weekend that she’d suffered a cracked rib after a colleague saved her from choking at a Democratic caucus luncheon — an injury that took that colleague, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), by surprise,” the Washington Post reports.
Said McCaskill: “I’m really grateful to Joe – a little bit of a sore rib for a couple of weeks is no big deal.”
Manchin Says Trump Tried to Get Him to Switch Parties
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) tells Politico that President Trump has repeatedly pushed him to switch parties and become a Republican.
Manchin declined: “I said, ‘You need more Democrats like me, you don’t need Republicans.”
Even Manchin Is Open to Single-Payer Health Care
“The Senate’s most conservative Democrat said Tuesday Congress should consider adopting a single-payer health-care system, a sign of how fast politics are shifting on what was once seen as a fringe issue on the left,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Manchin: “It should be explored. I want to know what happens in all the countries that have it — how well it works or the challenges they have.”
Trump Mulls Offering Manchin a Cabinet Post
Bloomberg: “Some White House and Republican officials are exploring the idea of putting West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin in charge of the Energy Department, according to four people familiar with the discussions, a move that could boost President Donald Trump’s stalled legislative agenda.”
“If Manchin were offered and accepted the position, that would allow West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice — a newly minted Republican — to appoint a GOP successor and bring the party a vote closer in the Senate to being able to repeal Obamacare. The idea is in the early stages of consideration, and it’s unclear whether it has support within the administration … A spokesman for Manchin declined to say whether the senator would take the Energy secretary job — currently held by former Texas Governor Rick Perry — if offered.”
Playbook: “For the record: Manchin hasn’t sent any signals that he’s interested in joining the Trump administration.”
Manchin Says He’s Not Scared of the Election
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told the Charleston Gazette that getting re-elected doesn’t influence his votes.
Said Manchin: “I don’t give a shit, you understand? I just don’t give a shit. Don’t care if I get elected, don’t care if I get defeated, how about that. If they think because I’m up for election, that I can be wrangled into voting for shit that I don’t like and can’t explain, they’re all crazy.”
He added: “I’m not scared of an election, let’s put it that way. Elections do not bother me or scare me.”
Quote of the Day
“I can’t in good conscience, I can’t do it. If anyone listened and paid attention to what the American people said when they voted, they want this place to work… Of all the respect of all these people involved but we have the outgoing president coming up here today to talk to only Democrats — only Democrats. We have the incoming vice president coming up to talk only to Republicans… That’s not what makes this place work and that’s really what’s wrong with the place. I just think it’s absolutely wrong.”
— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), telling Morning Joe that he won’t attend President Obama’s meeting with Senate Democrats.
Democrats Pressure Heitkamp and Manchin to Stay Put
“Senior Senate Democrats are putting pressure on their red-state colleagues to turn down any offer from Donald Trump to serve in his administration, warning that their party could suffer if they join forces with the incoming president,” CNN reports.
“Democrats are worried that if Trump adds two Democrats to his Cabinet — potentially North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — the balance of power in the chamber could tilt further to the GOP. So they are making the case to their colleagues to stay put.”
Manchin Considered As Possible Energy Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is considering Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) for the energy secretary job, Politico reports.
The conservative Democrat “is being considered to show the coal people how serious Trump is about coal.”
Manchin Won’t Back Iran Deal
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), one of a handful of undecided Democratic senators, said Tuesday he will vote to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal, the Washington Post reports.
“Manchin’s decision comes on the day lawmakers are reassembling in Washington after a month long break, with the Iran deal at the top of a high-stakes list of September business. With 38 senators already publicly in favor of the deal — enough to sustain a presidential veto — Manchin is not expected to derail it. But it makes it more unlikely that Democrats will be able to cobble together the 41 votes necessary to prevent a disapproval resolution from reaching President Obama’s desk and forcing a veto.”
