Joe Manchin Privately Told Colleagues Parents Use Child Tax Credit Money On Drugs

[demmiblue]

WASHINGTON — After months of haggling with President Joe Biden and other Democrats, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dashed his party’s hopes on Sunday by announcing he wouldn’t vote for the Build Back Better legislation.

Publicly, his biggest gripes are about the cost of the bill. But privately, Manchin has told his colleagues that he essentially doesn’t trust low-income people to spend government money wisely.

In recent months, Manchin has told several of his fellow Democrats that he thought parents would waste monthly child tax credit payments on drugs instead of providing for their children, according to two sources familiar with the senator’s comments.

Continuing the child tax credit for another year is a core part of the Build Back Better legislation that Democrats had hoped to pass by the end of the year. The policy has already cut child poverty by nearly 30%.

Manchin’s private comments shocked several senators, who saw it as an unfair assault on his own constituents and those struggling to raise children in poverty.

Manchin has also told colleagues he believes that Americans would fraudulently use the proposed paid sick leave policy, specifically saying people would feign being sick and go on hunting trips, a source familiar with his comments told HuffPost.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-manchin-build-back-better-child-tax-credit-drugs_n_61bf8f6be4b061afe394006d

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Fuck this fucking guy.

[2naSalit]

6. +1000000000000000000000000000000000000!!

[Scottie Mom]

22. + infinity!

😡🤬😡

M/F ASSHOLE!!!!!!!

[vlyons]

39. Joe Manchin is a dick. The very worst kind of dick

An entitled vain arrogant dick. Most likely a racist too. Certainly a lying untustworthy dick.

[geardaddy]

60. Definitely racist and classist, too.

[Crowman2009]

81. +1000

[CrackityJones75]

93. No more millionaire lawmakers.

fuck them.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

109. This👆

[Walleye]

2. Conservatives are always telling us that the Americans can spend the money more wisely then the gove

They always say tax cuts help people keep more of their own money. Well all they ever do is lie

[ShazzieB]

95. Those are the RICH people they're talking about.

Haven't you heard? Poverty is a character flaw, and if you give poor people more money, they'll just waste it.

[spanone]

3. manchin is a fucking idiot and playing his constituents like rubes.

wake up west virginia

[vlyons]

79. Many of his coinstituents are rubes

They keep voting him in

[berni_mccoy]

4. Let them eat cake he says

[Fiendish Thingy]

54. Let them eat shit is more like it. Nt

[femmedem]

5. I foresee ads featuring struggling constituents telling Manchin how wrong he is

and what it feels like to be disrespected by him while they're desperate to feed, clothe and shelter their children.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. So how did the senators respond?

[Rebl2]

57. They should

have responded with show them the proof of what he is accusing his constituents of.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

59. Meh. Why take the bait?

[Lovie777]

8. Maybe in WV . .. .

Ya think he would try and help his state fight drug abuse.

[Volaris]

89. You beat me to it.

[Atticus]

9. Can you say "projection", boys and girls? nt

[Rebl2]

55. My thought exactly

[SallyHemmings]

10. Channeling Reagan

It's ok to give his wealthy donors a tax break. God forbid give people their money early to pay for I don't know food...

With hard work we will replace Toomey in PA with any Democrat. Then it will be who?



I am over his racist attitude...

[Walleye]

24. We knew where Manchin was coming from when he said "entitlement society"

[Caliman73]

91. A very Conservative sentiment.

Liberals are typically for equalizing opportunity, even if that means giving direct aid to some and not to others. I am okay with that.

Conservatives are Calvinists at heart. They believe that poverty is a moral failing, and not a situation of a confluence of factors. You are rich because you are better. You are poor because you are inferior. Funny how they presume (many of them at least) to be Christian, but the way that Christ was depicted in the Gospels is that even as God, he chose to be among the poor, the outcast, and the criminal rather than in luxury as a wealthy person. Every interaction with a wealthy person was to tell them to renounce wealth and vanity, and to give to the poor. Yet, these people have turned that on its head and promoted the idea that being rich is the actual virtue and looking down on the poor is moral.

This is a major reason why I came to accept that religion is a sham. A method of social control and not a path toward personal and social improvement.

Entitlement simply means accepting that something is owed. It can be true entitlement (I.E. I am entitled to my salary because I work for it. or I am entitled to Medicare when I retire because I have paid into the program). It can be a false entitlement (I.E. Wealthy people deserve special treatment because they are "better" than the average person). Manchin is using Conservative code saying that people have a false entitlement to "the general welfare" even though it is actually in the Constitution, and one of the main functions of Government.

[Walleye]

92. That is an accurate and well written breakdown of the whole thing

Calvinist is the right word. I think of them as the tightwad pennypinching daddy types. Telling the grasshopper he should’ve worked over the summer like the ant did. But that business about poverty being a moral failing. I’m pretty sure Romney’s religion actually says that. Charles Dickens had plenty to say about it too. So many things that determine our fortunes are way out of our control. I lost count of how many recessions my career went through. None of it my fault. I consider myself lucky to have a decent retirement. Many people worked harder than me and don’t. I gave up on religion when I was 12 and our church racially integrated pretty much the same time as our high school did, and one of the elders decided to cancel all of the dances. No more dances after that. Didn’t want the black boys dancing us. I hadn’t believed in God for a while anyway

[Mosby]

94. Your using a strawman argument.

If you think Christainity is a scam, say so. There is no reason to drag every religious tradition into this.

[maxrandb]

11. At least they wouldn't use it to build penis shaped rocket ships

or buy critical stuff they needed, say, like a United States Senator.

[Tribetime]

43. Oh that's good!👌

[CatWoman]

12. this sentence shows just how out of touch this idiot is

"people would feign being sick and go on hunting trips"

what world does this jackass live in?

[AverageOldGuy]

16. That's what he would do.

[SharonAnn]

70. West Virginia. Apparently he doesn't think much of his constituents.

[Raven123]

13. If true, it's a pretty low opinion of his constituents

[tavernier]

14. I hear this argument a lot when I talk to republicans.

“Slackers aren’t returning to work because Biden is paying all their bills now.”

Manchin knows better but he’s repeating what they like to hear. He knows what gets him votes. I just don’t understand why he continues to run as a democrat. Perhaps he had a soul at one time but they met his price tag when it came up for sale.

[gab13by13]

15. I heard they spend it on yachts.

[Celerity]

29. and Maseratis

Step One



Step Two

[Jedi Guy]

87. Step 3: ???

Step 4: PROFIT!

[Celerity]

111. lol, true

[Tommymac]

17. If true, White Fucking Privileged in the Senate.

In a Democrat no less.

What an ignorant piece of human garbage this guy is.

[whathehell]

62. Wealthy Fucking MALE Privilege in the Senate..

and elsewhere, like Corporate Boardrooms, maybe.

[ShazzieB]

97. Not just privilege, but privilege that doesn't know it's privilege.

That's the worst kind.

There's a big difference, imo, between people who are aware of their privilege and work to do things to amelioate its effects and people who ignore and deny their privilege and the advantages it gives them.

Manchin is clearly in the second group.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. There were 2 welfare queens in the Reagan era

so I'm sure they could find a handful that fit that bill today. But to universally generalize the idea is a logical fallacy, and while I personally thought the cost a bit steep, they could have downsized it a hair and all would be fine. But it seems not even that would have met the Manchin standards. So we need to go in another direction. Democrats are energized and we will keep working.

[Marthe48]

19. My WV m-i-l

raised her 5 kids in WV. Her husband, my f-i-l worked away from home as a bricklayer, and was rarely home, and gave her a meager share of his pay. My husband grew up on soupbeans and potatoes. His grandparents would give his Mom money for food, if she asked, but she was too proud. My husband often had toast for dinner.

While f-i-l spent his earnings on drinking and women, Mom struggled to feed the kids, keep them clothed, keep a roof over their heads. She didn't drink, smoke, use drugs, swear. She didn't go to church either, because a Holy Roller preacher had scared her to death when she was a kid. She endured hardship, humiliation, lived an insular life, and many people simply didn't know the challenges she overcame.

I'm aware of the drug problems our part of the country has. But condemning an entire group of people to endless misery of poverty is a crime. If manchin thinks the money is going to be spent on drugs, fix it up like snap cards. Is he going to deny SS based on the same criteria? Our leadership should be more willing to give a hand up, not a slap in the face.

[PatSeg]

33. Manchin apparently thinks he is superior to the people he represents

He is not in congress to help and serve them. He is there to contain and control them, because they are inherently inferior. What a nasty human being.

[area51]

74. +1 n/t

[johnthewoodworker]

20. The wealthy own all Republicans and select democrats.

[LonePirate]

21. If anyone had any doubt he was racist and ignorant, there's your proof.

[ShazzieB]

98. Racist, ignorant, AND a classist snob.

What a delightful combination.

[TNNurse]

23. So is he going to go back to WV and accuse

the poor people of spending the tax credit on drugs?????

[Celerity]

25. wtf

[LittleGirl]

26. So Senator

What are you going to do about those drug users?
Don’t you have a plan?
Like rehab?
Like Freaking Jobs so those poor people have a reason to get a life outside of drugs?
What a schmuck!

[appalachiablue]

44. + Truth. He'll do nothing, just denigrate them to try

to justify blocking funds and help. Wealthy people often resort to this thinking. They, not people in need know how to handle money well- for yachts and luxury Maserati cars.

[dlk]

27. Has anyone asked Manchin if he has any evidence to support his prejudices?

Because as we all know, rich people never game the system. Sounds like a typical plutocrat/snob who hates poor and working class Americans.

[PatSeg]

28. He doesn't "trust low-income people to spend government money wisely"?

"Government" money is the people's money, for the people and their needs. What an arrogant asshole! Could he be any more condescending and dismissive? It is like he is some Old World aristocrat looking down on the unwashed peasants.

I'm not sure if I could dislike him more.

[WestIndianArchie]

30. You gotta play hard ball with this scumbag

Cut off all federal funding to west virginia and the people will eventually get the message.

[Desert_Leslie]

31. What is it ?!?

What is it with Republicans ... and I am lumping Senator Manchin in with their lot ... and their obsession with low-income people "blowing" their "free government money"? I've heard it many times from Republicans I know.

It's as though they think anyone near or below the poverty line is a selfish, drug-addicted, shiftless lay-a-bed. And I can just picture the same conversations being held in 1840, say, directed at the enslaved people they "owned." "We have to get every penny's worth of hard work from these people!!"

It's the same old "THOSE PEOPLE" are "DIFFERENT FROM US."

So to prevent a vanishingly small minority of people from using that money frivolously, the vast, vast majority of potential recipients simply have to go without.

Wow, and the GOP talks about Democrats being elitist, racist ... when they themselves wrote the book.

I for one am sick, sick, sick of it!

How about Democrats/Biden admin talking about just how various recipients actually use that money to make their kids' lives better? Joy in West Virginia and Patti in Texas?

[MarcA]

85. They Project and at heart are Social Darwinists.

Some of their rubes still hold to the I-don't-want-any-charity attitude.

[Jedi Guy]

88. "Some of their rubes still hold to the I-don't-want-any-charity attitude."

That attitude is fine, far as I'm concerned. If they don't want it, that's their business. The issue is standing in the way of charity/aid to others who legitimately need it.

The real underlying issue is that the libertarians/Social Darwinists hold that attitude right up until they need help. Then they try to shove their way to the front of the line with their hand held out. The hypocrisy is pretty stomach-churning.

[Lonestarblue]

32. Manchin has screwed the Democratic Party.

We simply have to elect more Democratic senators in 2022. I haven’t been paying as much attention to senate races recently, but I’ll get back to that in January and figure out where my donations will do the most good. Right now, I’m thinking Fetterman in Pennsylvania and Ryan in Ohio, plus Warnock in Georgia, though Georgia’s corrupt Republicans will do everything possible to throw out votes for Warnock.

I don’t remember who is running against Grassley at the moment, but I have friends in Iowa who think many voters known that Grassley will resign after winning and have the idiot governor appoint his son in his place.

Lots of work to be done in 2022!

[Midnight Writer]

34. Manchin has plenty of money. Does he spend it on drugs?

[Justice matters.]

78. On a yacht and a Masereti.

Too comfortable.

[DeeNice]

35. WV voters need to be reminded repeatedly between now and 2024...

That this is what he really thinks of them.

[AlexSFCA]

86. but before doing that, let's make sure there is another dem that can win senate seat in WV

[Farmer-Rick]

36. I spent mine on a new Lexus

But drugs sound fun too..........

Even if you had 3 kids, you would get less than a $1,000. Isn't it merely $300 a kid?

New Lexus here we come whoppie...oh wait.

[appalachiablue]

37. Maybe they'll spend the money on ultra luxury cars,

like a Maserati.

What a 'welfare queens driving Cadillacs, young bucks eating steaks' dog whistle straight out of the GOP. Like JD Vance, Libertarian 'Hillbilly' Silicon sellout who thinks poor Appalachian people use public funds to buy big color TVs and steaks.

[dalton99a]

38. Something Donald Trump would say

[The Magistrate]

40. Fuck This Asshole, Ma'am

He is hardly alone in such unbridled contempt for ordinary Americans.

This is a view that causes tremendous suffering and privation, and is false to the core.

[hatrack]

41. And he knows this . . . how?

.

[fwvinson]

42. Bring that mut#erf@cker in front of Congress.

Have him bring proof of that statement. Maybe that is how it works in WV. He can surely bring us proof.

[llashram]

45. exactly

Last edited Mon Dec 20, 2021, 11:14 PM - Edit history (1)

being the DINO he is. Who did he have in mind when making a Republikkkan statement like this? I easily know who. He's dirt thrown into a well oiled Biden machine.

[walkingman]

46. Sad for our nation - we are headed back to 1950.

[Collimator]

47. I know some people who think the same way.

They are far from being Trumpers, and even consider themselves Liberals. One of them is employed by the local school system, and does have experience with an array of irresponsible parents.

That being said, I am sure that there is a statistical sample of parents who would do what Manchin and others believe they would. As has been pointed out here, rich people--who get their share of tax goodies--also spend their money where they shouldn't.

What Manchin and other cynics chiming in on this issue need to remember is the principle of innocent until proven guilty. Yes, some parents buy drugs, but many more do not. Those parents struggling to do right by their children should not be penalized by the wrongful actions of other bad parents. The children, of course, should definitely not have to pay for the drug use of a portion of society by living out their lives in poverty.

[JI7]

48. Maybe it's true in West Virginia but not most other places

[BlueJac]

49. Jerk Joe Manchin...

The coal baron, passing out gifts of coal for Christmas!

[yardwork]

51. Sounds racist to me. Racism is at the core of most of our problems.

Manchin's attitude is typical of many white people in the U.S. They carry harmful stereotypes and biases around and it absolutely influences their attitude toward public good and government programs.

Racism is the reason we have the worst health care system of all affluent countries, little to no support for families, etc etc.

[Johonny]

69. It is certainly bigoted against the poor.

[yardwork]

103. I'm from rural Ohio. I know exactly what he thinks.

[whathehell]

100. Nah..West Virginia is overwhelmingly White -- about 93%

Non- whites make up.the rest, with African Americans coming in at under 4 percent. He's talking about those he likely.deems "white trash".

[yardwork]

102. He's not talking about West Virginians.

He's voting against a national program because he is biased against people of color. Many of his constituents feel the same way, so he knows his position will not hurt him at home.

[whathehell]

106. I don't agree with you

and neither, it seems, do most here, given the comments regarding his attitude towards his own constituents -- Enjoy your evening.

[Uben]

52. Manchin is all about himself...

...like all politicians, it's all about getting re-elected. Some sell their soul to preserve their power. Manchin is a classic example.

[Fiendish Thingy]

53. Surely this fine upstanding Democrat must have had a good reason for this opinion

I’m sure his fan club here at DU will be along to explain to us that, despite his despicable, contemptible conduct, we should thank our lucky stars he has kept the senate out of Mitch’s hands…

[durablend]

56. Of course

And some of them will no doubt say "Hey, maybe he's telling truth here and we do ourselves no favors by denying it"

[OldBaldy1701E]

58. So, he does not trust 'those people'.

He feels that 'those people' will not use the meager income to help themselves, but party their asses off. He feels that 'those people' cannot be trusted to..... do what? Remain wage slaves so that they will make him richer while slowly killing themselves off? Is it that 'those people' are somehow inferior to him?

Any of this language sound familiar? As a southerner, it sure sounds familiar to me.

[benfranklin1776]

61. Drugs eh? You mean like the life saving EpiPen which your daughter obscenely gouged people for???

The EpiPen your daughter Heather Bresch, a chip off ol Dad’s soulless blockhead, while CEO of Mylan colluded with the CEO of Pfizer to jack up the price of over 400 percent over a seven year period so she could rake in more obscene “executive compensation” aka “ripoff loot” ?!?
Some of this money was then kicked back to Yacht/Maserati boy in the form of generous donations from Mylan’s PAC. 🤬
So yeah Joe your hard working constituents are FORCED to spend any meager extra money they might get on drugs-the kind needed to save their lives-because of the legalized extortion you and your daughter practice with lethal precision. 🤬

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/09/stop-calling-joe-manchin-moderate-greedy-reactionary

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/09/manchin-large-campaign-contributions-epipen-scandal/

[XanaDUer2]

63. Arrogant fucker

[Hotler]

64. That is a true repug thought and statement, text book selfishness. nt

[LiberalFighter]

65. What drugs does he spend money on?

[tiredtoo]

66. It is obvious

This dude only listens to his moneyed supporters, shameful too.

[world wide wally]

67. I always knew Manchin was an asshole...

What I didn't know was how much of a prick he is.

[mountain grammy]

68. What a sad, stupid man..shame on him for this,

and so many other things.

[packman]

71. Aww- You people just got it wrong-He's like your parents who do it for your own good

He sees himself as BIG POPPA JOE, just out to protect his poor, misguided, folks.

[jaxexpat]

72. Reagan's welfare queen meme lives on.

I reminded my boss once that most of the recipients of the various aspects of "welfare" were white people, even in the south. The conversation ended abruptly.

[peggysue2]

73. This attitude is not only conservative . . .

It's the mindset of the aristocracy, obscenely rich members of society who believe their wealth conveys a moral superiority along with the power to control the spigot of funds to the poor, those they invariably view as 'less than.' Think Ireland's Great Famine.

If Manchin were truly concerned about dispersal, he would recommend oversight. If he were truly concerned about his own constituency, he would find a way to get the job done.

But he's not and he didn't.

Instead he betrayed his constituents, his colleagues and President Biden pretending to be supportive when he was never a team player.

Remedy?

Expand the majority in November. Make Joe Manchin (and Sinema) irrelevant, a position they richly deserve.

Make heads explode. Get angry. GOTV!

[keithbvadu2]

75. Manchin must know his constituents.

[niyad]

76. When was th last time he ever met with any of them. .the ones he denigrates?

[keithbvadu2]

80. His constituents

https://anchor.fm/daily-joke/episodes/The-Grass-Is-A-Foot-Tall-e18f5pk/a-a6lkmi0

The Grass Is A Foot Tall

[heckles65]

83. As I've noted before, his constituents

are convinced that once the "govemnt regulators" are out of the way and the whole global warming thing is exposed as a big fraud, the pit jobs are going to reopen big time.

[Emile]

112. Wondering what his constituents think of him after he said that . .

[hay rick]

77. The baby and the bath water.

The fact is every benefit program can and will be abused by opportunists and the irresponsible. The object of such programs is to address unmet needs. A good program minimizes abuse, it doesn't eliminate it.

Joe Manchin is a small man on a big stage.

[happybird]

82. From my experience living in Martinsburg, WV

he’s not wrong. It is a sad fuckin’ mess up there.

So, why doesn’t he insist on some of that money be earmarked for more and better drug treatment programs, and programs to reduce the recidivism rate? Vocational training and other ways to move people off of generational welfare dependence? Ways to help people stand on their own feet and feel good about themselves and providing for their families? There are plenty of jobs available in the panhandle region– good paying jobs, like $17/hr to start at P&G with regular raises and benefits– but few can hold on to those jobs because they keep failing the monthly drug tests. It’s a vicious circle.

Like said above, there’s no reason to throw the baby put with the bath water. He has a real opportunity here to make a difference for the people of his state. It’s sad.

I love WV and get so bummed out when I ride up there to visit friends. They feel completely trapped and hopeless.

[heckles65]

84. Lived there too - in Logan, of all places.

The politicians are still telling the people coal's coming back, and soon!

[Duncan Grant]

96. Of all places.

The “Please don’t go to hell” sign at the Chapmanville exit on 119? That’s an old favorite.

[yardwork]

104. Hi Duncan.

How you doing?

[Ziggysmom]

90. My post on December 4th was removed when I made negative remarks about Manchin.

"It was judged to have broken this forum rule:

Don't bash Democratic public figures"

I still think he's an ass, others seem to agree.

[demmiblue]

105. I got one hidden for writing this:

"And yours, as well. n/t"

And yes, I think most here agree!

[Heartstrings]

99. I suppose he calls himself a Christian too.

How judgemental of him…..WWJD?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

101. Oh FFS

[Mad_Machine76]

107. Somebody clue me in

Does $250 go far in terms of street drugs? Or is he worried that people are using that money to buy drugs like epi-pens? Or insulin?

[I_UndergroundPanther]

108. Yep

Manchin hates.poor people. Believes that reagan bullshit about welfare queens and entitlement mentality.

Fuck him. I hope somehow he becomes poor. And suffers without help.

[alittlelark]

110. May his yacht become infested with bedbugs

[KY_EnviroGuy]

113. Does he mean drugs like insulin and beta-blockers? Wasn't it Reagan that said.....

"we should never waste tax revenue to save Americans from heart attacks and diabetic comas?.....


KY.......