Mike Luckovich for May 14, 2021

Joe Manchin and his faux calls for “bi-partisanship” can be maddeningly frustrating for those of us on the left end of the big-tent spectrum of the Democratic Party.

I live in California — born and lived here all my life. I am a PROgressive on the far left — supported Bernie in the 2016 primary and Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 primary (but enthusiastically voted for the Democratic nominee in the general election both years). If Manchin were in our bright blue state, we would throw his sorry @$$ out in a second. But he is not in California. A Kamala Harris or a Jerry Brown from our state, or an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or an Elizabeth Warren or a Bernie Sanders from the east coast, could never win a seat in West Virginia – a state that Trump carried in 2020 by a margin of 41.7%.

One of the most liberal opinion columnists for the Los Angeles Times is Virginia Heffernan, who happens to have come from West Virginia and knows the state well. While she is as frustrated with him as I and all left-wing Democrats are, she explains Joe Manchin in a way that those not from her state can only understand with the help of a road map, which she provided in a recent op/ed:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-04-09/joe-manchin-west-virginia

Yeah, Manchin is very frustrating, but if he were to leave, of even worse, if he were to defect to the Republicans, he would be replaced by a solid Trumper and McConnell would be senate majority leader.

I completely understand how he’s taking pleasure in being the most Republican member of the Democrat caucus. Don’t agree with HOW he’s doing it, or WHAT he’s doing, but I sure do understand WHY…

Whenever I think of Manchin the image that comes to mind is him standing to applaud the Fat Orange Clown during its first speech to Congress in 2017. He has to play the game for the mountain folk but have a little dignity at least.

https://www.vox.com/2017/3/1/14761076/senate-democrats-trump

Manchin’s a typical politician: more concerned about not getting voted out than actually doing his job.

I get that Manchin is in a tough state that is full-blown Trumpy. But he needs to drive home to his constituents that the radical right is it their friend. Biden is right that most regular folks, whether Democrat or Republican agree on a lot of issues. The issues actually do have bipartisan support, but — and Manchin needs to drive this point home — the GOP is going against their wishes. And then he needs to grow a pair and just help dump the anti-democratic filibuster.

Now there’s a Manchette in the wings, snatching at her moments of importance….

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has a nice piece on Joe Manchin – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-aggrandizing It does kinda fit him to a tee.

I’m Joe Manchin! I’m important! Everybody look at me!

(wanker)

Ironically (in the context of this panel), Manchin’s current proposal to amend the John Lewis Voting Rights act to apply to ALL states is effing brilliant and not only better for Democracy, but could actually result in its passage.

I have something to say in regards to Senator Manchin performing a physical impossibility but that might result in my being suspended or banned.

Senator Manchin is playing the democrat party for suckers with his new power. He won the lottery and is taking every advantage he can… country be damned

Manchin = the best man on the Republicans team.

Little does he know that the result will be the exact reverse of this cartoon. The GQP will throw him over even faster than Liz. He will go down in the “GQP’s Alternate History Books” as the sucker the GQP fooled completely and was responsible for the rise of Comrad Dictator President Trump.

What average Americans want is in fact bipartisan. It’s only the elected officials who take the pissing contest so seriously.

I haven’t figured out in my mind yet, to my satisfaction, just what Joe is. A good Republican or a bad Democrat. He sees himself in his daily mirror as a winner either way. So…I guess this is what “politics” is all about?

Joe Manchin should be irrelevant. If we Democrats had given Joe Biden 3 or 4 more Democratic Senators he would be. We need to work on that in 2022!

Face reality, folx. If it weren’t for the good work of Stacey Abrams in getting Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock elected to the Senate from Georgia, nobody would give a rat’s ass what Joe Manchin thot about anything, and Joe Biden’s big plans for a Newer Deal would be as DOA as Merrick Garland’s appointment to the Supreme Court.

I wonder if Joe realizes, there is a chance that Liz, Mitt, or perhaps another Republican could take his place to be the vote Democrats need to get things done. Not saying it’s likely, but I think any of them would love to steal Manchin’s thunder.

Manchin is a Republican. Enough said.

Liberal Patriots have a responsibility to do everything possible to elect more Democratic senators in 2022, to reduce the influence Manchin has to hinder much-needed change.

Poor old Joe hadn’t noticed Moscow Mitch had tied an anchor to the end of the life saver rope.

Just so I understand correctly, Joe won’t try to save Democracy because the side that’s trying to destroy it won’t participate in saving it. Huh?

Nothing to do with Joe Manchin specifically, but the GOP pouncing on Joe Biden for not being bipartisan enough is pretty ironic given that they never give a rats ass about being bipartisan themselves. They ram through anything they want when they are in power.

Manchin is a DINO.