Things Still in Flux

For John, BLUF:  This is about West Virginia Senior Senator Joe Manchin and where he stands.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Manchin:  Don’t Count On Me To Go Along With “Crazy Stuff,” Dems

From Hot Air, by Blogger Ed Morrissey, 10 November 2020.

Here is the lede plus four:

A leftover from last night, but very much still of interest for the next few weeks.  I’m torn on what Joe Manchin wanted to accomplish in this interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.  There are three possible strategies for declaring that he won’t vote to allow Kamala Harris to push the Senate into a “Green New Deal or socialism” via a 50-50 tiebreaker:

West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin III wants to make clear that he will not be the 50th vote in favor of eliminating the legislative filibuster or expanding the size of the Supreme Court in a potential 50-50 Senate. …

Democrats still have a narrow path to a Senate majority if they are able to prevail in two January runoff elections in Georgia, assuming Republicans currently leading in North Carolina and Alaska win.  But in a move that seems partly designed to interfere with GOP talking points about the risks of unified Democratic government, Manchin appeared Monday on Fox News to declare dead several progressive priorities.

“I commit to you tonight, and I commit to all of your viewers and everyone else that’s watching.  I want to allay those fears, I want to rest those fears for you right now because when they talk about whether it be packing the courts, or ending the filibuster, I will not vote to do that,” Manchin said in the interview.  “I will not vote to pack the courts … and I will not vote to end the filibuster.”

Manchin said that in his estimation, efforts to defund the police and advance “Medicare for All” lacked support among members of the Senate Democratic Conference as well.

Now is Senator Manchin's time.  He is a highly valuable comodity.  If the Georgia runoffs go Democrat his value to Senator Mitch McConnell will stay high. If Republicans win, then it will quickly wind down.  We will see how this all plays out.

In the mean time, it is not a guarantee that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will win reelection.  She didn't sweep all the Democrat votes last time and this next term she will have fewer Democrat Party Reps.

Hat tip to my Youngest Son.

Regards  —  Cliff