Joe Manchin's Problem Is All Our Structural Problem

[ancianita]

McConnell is from Kentucky, a Trump state. He's likely doing his constituents' bidding by filling the Supreme Court with justices who will lean right on the Constitution.

Joe Manchin, from West Virginia, betrayed his fellow Dems because he was scared of getting his ass kicked there next month, since his state went for Trump by like 20 points. Manchin and McCaskill DO fear spiteful constituents and the opposing party's politics of spite.

The system is rigged structurally. It's obvious sometimes, but sometimes we forget in the heat of issues.

Sparsely populated states get too many senators and densely populated states get too few.

Add to that the gerrymandered Congressional districts, and the fact that the Electoral College reflects the Senate misrepresentation in favor of rural states.

The game is rigged against not just progressives, but the rise of any new majority party in those rural states.

We're being ruled by a tyrannical anti-democracy minority.

Restructuring begins at the ballot box. Every last goddam election.

[BigmanPigman]

1. Thank YOU! Every word is spot on!!!

[pintobean]

2. Manchin didn't betray anyone.

The people of WV elected him, a Democrat, to represent them. He's doing that.

[pnwmom]

4. Right. 68% of his state chose Trump. If he ever forgets that, he's out of a job

and we have one less Democratic Senator.

[Raine]

5. Exactly

he was put in to office to do what his voters in WV put him in to do and that's what he's doing.

[BlueStater]

12. He's done a shit job of communicating with those morons.

I know those stupid assholes won't buy that Brett is a creep who sexually assaulted several women, so why couldn't of Manchin just made the effort to explain to them that Brett disqualified himself by lying under oath, by acting like a partisan hack when he attacked a former Democratic president, and by his over-the-top, unprofessional behavior for what is basically a job interview? That there are plenty of other judges out there who are just as right-wing as Cryvanaugh and that they don't need this specific one?

But, no, let's just give the colossally ignorant buttheads their beloved rapey judge and don't even bother to fight something that is obviously wrong.

[Bradical79]

15. He's rotten, but yeah, it's West Virginia

I can hate that shithead all I want, but when it comes down to it, I'm not in WV. Good people in WV are badly outnumbered.

[pnwmom]

3. His state actually chose Trump by 40 points -- 68% to 26% for Hillary.

So it's a miracle they chose a Democrat for Senate and we need to cut him some slack. His key function is being in place to help us get to and keep the majority.

[melman]

8. 'we need to cut him some slack'

Counterpoint: no we fucking don't.

[oberliner]

7. The Senate is not meant to be proportional, the House is

[Vinca]

9. That's pretty much the problem.

I doubt the founders would have thought it fair if they knew how many people lived in California and West Virginia today.

[Amishman]

11. They probably would have, the colonies had a wide range

Virginia had 20x the population of Georgia, and double that of the second largest state. The Senate was set up this way because the population was so imbalanced in 1776, the smaller colonies did not want to be marginalized by VA, and to a lesser extent PA and MA.

[duforsure]

10. The people of WV have done this to themselves again

And have no clue he's working against them and their futures. He'll go along now with them , but he'll continue allowing them to destroy all health care,all social programs , and he'll allow them to destroy Social Security, but he won't tell you that. Just like the trump and gop tax scams , passed to transfer huge amounts of wealth to their donors for paybacks for them giving huge amounts for their campaigns, or bribes, and allowing corruption to run wild out of the White House . Manchin is really a republican , and no Democrat, and he should face many people for what he's done to them now. Many who voted for him onto the court will hear from the American people, and trump and the gop aren't going to like it, and the American people will never forget this con job they used to do this to us all. The opposition was just energized many times over against them and all their corruption . The majority in America aren't on their side at all ,and will soon show their real power, especially women, and they'll be sorry for getting them so stirred up against them now. Obstructing an FBI investigation of a nominee like this is going to haunt them very soon.

[Demsrule86]

13. Manchin won't have to vote for social security reforms...they are very unpopular WVA.

He was also able to vote for the ACA which is popular. He is way better than a GOP and votes with us when it matters...many votes he casts for the GOP are votes they have anyway... can't think of one vote where his was the deciding vote. The ACA would be gone without him. Why should he fall on his sword when the GOP has this anyway? How about strategic thinking...you want to stop the GOP, we need a majority and the only way is to keep Senators like Manchin. We only have a majority with a big tent which is why we need moderate and liberal senators. It is the only way.

[pnwmom]

16. They voted for Trump vs. Hillary by a 42% margin. 68% v. 26%.

So no Democrat who they would pick would meet DU standards.

And yet Manchin's vote has brought us one vote closer to getting the majority in the Senate -- which would bring us control of the Senate, which is more important than his vote on any particular bill or judge.

[Gothmog]

14. If the GOP control the Senate after the midterms, Lindsey Graham will be the head of the Judiciary

Committee. I do not want Lindsey Graham to be the chair of the Judiciary Committee

[ancianita]

17. What would you say if Graham wants to be Attorney General? Just a rumor 45 wants to replace

Beauregard.

I can't begin to recover from this debacle and hear that crap.

[Gothmog]

19. Graham stated that he will be chair of judiciary committee next term

If the democrats win control of the senate, then I can see Graham becoming AG. We need MAnchin and Breseddn is we want control of the senate

[LiberalFighter]

18. Lawrence O'Donnell made a point about that problem with the Senate Friday nite.

[Trumpocalypse]

20. Manchin's vote was irrelevant

after Collin’s decided to vote yes. Having him fall a his sword just to make a political point only helps the GOP.