Senator Joe Manchin spoke with reporters this morning on the efforts to sway him into going nuclear so Democrats can pass legislation federalizing voting laws to ensure Republicans never win again, and his comments aren’t going to make them happy.
Fox News reporter Chad Pergram writes:
A) Manchin: The filibuster is what we have our rules. We need some good rule changes to make the place work better. But getting rid of the filibuster, doesn't make it work better.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 11, 2022
B) Manchin: But you change your rules with 2/3 of the people that are present. So it's Democrats, Republicans changing the rules to make the place work better. Getting rid of the filibuster does not make it work
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 11, 2022
Politico reporter Burgess Everett writes:
Manchin says “we need some good rules changes. We can do that together. But you change the rules with two-thirds of people present. So, Democrats and Republicans changing the rules to work better”
For the umpteenth time he still opposes going nuclear
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) January 11, 2022
So I guess all those phone calls Manchin got from Obama and Oprah didn’t sway him at all. This makes me very happy.
From everything I’ve seen, Sinema is also holding steady just like Manchin. But guess who else is trying to jump on the Manchin, Sinema train?
Democrats’ filibuster conundrum:
It's not just Manchin and Sinema https://t.co/CfZ1FPSgjB
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) January 11, 2022
A Democratic senator from Arizona is still not sold on changes to the filibuster. And it’s not Kyrsten Sinema.
Mark Kelly is not yet committed to a change in the Senate rules that would allow elections reform legislation to pass by a simple majority. A centrist who is up for reelection in November, Kelly said Monday he is still undecided just days before he may have to vote on proposals to weaken the filibuster.
“I’ve never been part of an organization where it’s really, really hard to do things. So if there’s a real proposal, I’ll take a look at it and evaluate it based on what’s in the best interests of the country,” Kelly said. He said he has yet to see what, exactly, he would vote on and that the proposals Democrats have discussed change “almost weekly.”
Oh puhlease. This turd just wants attention. He’d fold in a heartbeat if it meant passing anything serious on the Dem agenda. I don’t believe for a second he’s got the same fortitude of his counterpart in Arizona to stand on principle against his party. Also, I think he’s jealous of all the attention Sinema is getting and wants in on it. But he’s not serious. Not even close. If he were serious, we wouldn’t just now be hearing about his filibuster concerns.