I suspect that the people of WV are like people in every other state.

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

[The Magistrate]

1. Unfortunately, Sir

The ways they are like everybody else, of their sort, anyway, will not result in political support for any of these things.

The great bulk of that state is on welfare of one sort or another, and every recipient believes two things whole-heartedly. First, that no one else getting such aid deserves it like they do. Second, that they'd get more aid if it weren't for all those cheating freeloaders.

[raccoon]

2. thank you. Nt

[abqtommy]

8. +100 Well said. There's a very good reason why states are labeled "Blue" or "Red". nt

[Uncle Joe]

9. What color would Georgia be labeled? n/t

[The Magistrate]

11. Wife Suggests Chartreuse, Sir, With Sparkles

"Real sadism requires an air-horn, and glitter. Lots of glitter."

[TexasTowelie]

18. You're a lucky guy.

Mrs. Magistrate has a sense of humor.

[Bev54]

30. When polls done on specifics of the BBB

In WV, the approval rating was about 70%. This was a few months ago.

[yardwork]

39. That's been true for decades across the U.S. and people still vote for right-wingers.

Many voters are misinformed about the actual positions of the candidates. Poll after poll shows that most Americans want specific types of programs - better healthcare, etc etc - but the Republican messaging has convinced them that voting for Democrats will hurt them even more, not help them.

[sir pball]

43. And as of last month, 61% of WVirginians opposed BBB

Well, supported Manchin's opposition to it - potato pohtato. Something about a camel springs to mind.

[Bev54]

46. 68% of WV voters support the BBB programs.

That is the most recent poll, also highlighted by Hillary Clinton and numerous outlets.

[sir pball]

48. Then his rating should drop to the low 30s in the near future, yes?

Let's keep an eye out and see what happens. If Mr. Manchin isn't representing his constituents, they're sure to express disapproval. I'll be watching.

[yardwork]

38. That is correct, Sir.

I grew up in a deep red rural section of Ohio that is culturally very similar to much of West Virginia. These folks are profoundly racist, exactly as you describe. Their fears and resentments have been encouraged and exacerbated for 40 years by right-wing messaging. Every problem in their communities - loss of jobs, loss of economic vibrancy, opioid epidemic, loss of social fabric that sustains life - is blamed on Democrats, which is code for "took our money and things and gave them to..." They are stubbornly, willfully ignorant of facts. Anyone who tries to present information is instantly labeled as not just wrong, but part of the conspiracy. It's medieval.

I have never felt so despairing for our democracy.

[albacore]

4. Who cares what the people of WVA want? Certainly not Manchin.

Joe Manchin is a big NO on the infrastructure bill. Voting against his constituents' interests. Again.
WVA needs the money that would accrue to that state. That state gets 3+ times more in benefits than it pays in taxes right now, and it needs rebuilding from the ground up.
It won't happen with Manchin running the country.
A system that allows one person from a poor, low-population state to impede progress needs overhaul.
It's the second-poorest state, and has less than 2 million population. 93% white. Ranks 47th overall among the states.
Second-lowest life expectancy. Higher crime rate than the average US state. 47th in education. High unemployment... Virginia, next door, has a rate half of WVAs. WVA gets $3.74 back in benefits from the Federal government for every dollar paid to the Federal government.
WVA is second in drug overdose deaths .....51.50 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents.
ALL of this means WVA needs help. It does NOT need Manchin's obstructionism.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

6. Amen

[yardwork]

40. West Virginia is vulnerable to exactly the kind of con artist Manchin is.

The more misinformed a group of people, the more likely they are to support a con artist like Manchin. And Rand Paul. And Ted Cruz. And Josh Hawley. And Ron Johnson. And Mitch McConnell. LOOK at the Senate! We're a developed country?!

[LeftInTX]

56. She ran against Joe Manchin and Shelly Capito and lost

Swearengin was born in Mullens, West Virginia to a family of coal miners historically affiliated with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).[8] One of her grandfathers served in the Korean War, and her father in the Vietnam War. She lost her grandfather and several uncles to black lung disease contracted in the coalmines. Her father died of cancer at age 52.[9]

Career
Swearengin was professionally employed as an office manager. She has advocated for economic diversity, clean air and clean water in her community, and all of West Virginia, since 2001. She is a former board member and representative of the Keepers of the Mountain Foundation, a West Virginia organization that opposed mountaintop removal mining.[10][11] She has also spoken on behalf of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and the Sierra Club at public fora and events, including EPA hearings on the Clean Power Plan.[12][13] She supported Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign.[14]

2018 election
Main article: 2018 United States Senate election in West Virginia
In May 2017, Swearengin announced her candidacy against Joe Manchin in the U.S. Senate election in West Virginia. She was one of the first candidates supported by Brand New Congress.[15][16] Swearengin refused all PAC donations in the election and received no contributions over $200.[17]

Swearengin's campaign was highlighted in the 2019 documentary Knock Down the House alongside the primary campaigns of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, and Cori Bush, three other Democrats who ran for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections, with Ocasio-Cortez winning her election. The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.[5] and was released on Netflix on May 1, 2019.[18]

Swearengin joined her three other Knock Down the House co-stars in endorsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.[24] Sanders endorsed Swearengin's campaign for Senate on July 8, 2020.[25] In the November general election, Capito defeated Swearengin.[26] Swearengin left the Democratic party less than one year later, writing in July 2021 of the West Virginia Democratic Party and the DNC that "I can't support racism or them ignoring Appalachian children dying & suffering."[7]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Jean_Swearengin

[BeckyDem]

7. Who does Manchin represent??

Link to tweet

[wellst0nev0ter]

12. Careful, some will call that poll fake

Or say that a push poll that falsely described BBB as deficit spending is the real poll

[BeckyDem]

13. Yes, I have read some interesting interpretations on the situation.

That's life on a political board but thanks.

[PatSeg]

21. I'm wondering how the people in West Virginia

are reacting to Joe Manchin's obstructionism. The BBB bill would provide so much meaningful help to his constituents. Are they even paying attention?

[BeckyDem]

36. I suspect they're upset because many of them know now, if they did not already know,

that he is their obstacle..not Biden.

I imagine Biden is looking at ways he can use executive orders at this point.

The whole thing is sad, we should be celebrating.

[PatSeg]

37. That's the impression I'm starting to get

Manchin has made himself too big a part of the story for it to be missed by voters in West Virginia. Manchin has put himself in a very awkward situation.

[BeckyDem]

51. +1.

[yardwork]

41. You're giving them WAY too much credit.

I guarantee that much of Manchin's base is happy that he's "standing strong" and "protecting" them from "Democrat social engineering" etc etc - insert blatantly racist fears and resentments about "undeserving" and "illegals taking our jobs and bringing crime and disease..."

[JI7]

42. They Also Support Joe Manchin with High Approvals while they give Biden very low Approvals

[BeckyDem]

53. No.

Groups urge Manchin to support child tax credit, Build Back Better Act

November 15, 2021 - 3:53 pm
https://wvmetronews.com/2021/11/15/groups-urge-manchin-to-support-child-tax-credit-build-back-better-act/


West Virginians Are Disappointed in Joe Manchin
The Build Back Better plan could set West Virginia on the path to prosperity, but the senator stands in the way

By Austyn Gaffney | Oct 21 2021
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/west-virginians-are-disappointed-joe-manchin

[JI7]

57. I'm talking about most of the people in the State

nobody has 100 percent support but the fact is Biden is very unpopular there and Most of the state agrees with what Manchin did .

[BeckyDem]

58. I believe it is obvious at this point who he is serving and how they appreciate his

efforts to exclude them may not be what you appear to expect. He is very wealthy with many connections in the state and federal government. Open Secrets is a good source too.

Poll shows WV voters support using tax hikes on rich, corporations, to help pay for Biden plan

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/poll-shows-wv-voters-support-using-tax-hikes-on-rich-corporations-to-help-pay-for/article_0df66787-202a-5b5e-8eb9-f20e0cd622da.html

[LeftInTX]

50. West Virginia also has another senator. Does she support BBB?

Will she be re-elected if she does not support it?

[BeckyDem]

52. I have no idea, but the ones who wanted Manchin to support it may let him know in 2024.

She is a Republican, probably not expected to vote for BBB. Where are WV voters supposed to turn to now?

[LeftInTX]

54. Well, they voted for her in 2020 and gave her 70% of the vote

They could have voted for opponent.

Manchin was primaried in 2018 by the same person that ran against Capito. If they wanted to give Manchin the boot and elect a more progressive Democrat, they could have voted for his Democratic opponent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Jean_Swearengin

[BeckyDem]

55. Yea, I bet she had as much money and connections as Manchin, huh?

I doubt Manchin will secure unity via House Dems and the Senate in 2024 when it comes to endorsements. He was lucky last time, I am guessing his time is up on that threshold.

[Irish_Dem]

10. I am beginning to wonder what the WVA people want.

Maybe we cannot make any assumptions about them.
I would like to see some data.

[Irish_Dem]

15. Manchin sounds like the people of his state don't want to enter modern world.

[2naSalit]

26. Or even...

the 20th century.

[PatSeg]

22. Oops, I was asking the same thing!

On the same wavelength yet again.

[Irish_Dem]

23. Hi Pat, we are always having a Vulcan Mind Meld.

[PatSeg]

34. It must be the Irish genes

[Irish_Dem]

35. Of course it is!

Great Irish minds and souls at work!

[JI7]

44. We have Data . Look at who they elect

[sir pball]

45. They want BBB dead.

From last month:

Nearly 74 percent of voters also said Manchin should oppose the president’s Build Back Better plan.

https://wvmetronews.com/2021/11/15/wv-voters-slam-biden-approve-of-justice-manchin-in-latest-mbe-research-poll/

[pecosbob]

16. ..except they have lower wages, fewer teeth, less education, worse medical outcomes, shorter lives

[BeckyDem]

17. Bernie Sanders Tells Joe Manchin He Will Pay for West Virginia Poll on Build Back Better

By Khaleda Rahman On 12/20/21 at 4:42 AM EST


Sen. Bernie Sanders has said he will pay for a poll to find out how the people of West Virginia feel about the Build Back Better bill after Sen. Joe Manchin said he would not support it.

Manchin, a moderate Democrat representing West Virginia, threw President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion domestic initiative into jeopardy when he announced on Fox News Sunday that he could not support it.

"If I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it," Manchin said. "And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation."

https://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders-joe-manchin-west-virginia-poll-build-back-better-1660974

[monkeyman1]

19. he don't plan on going back ! he knows he's toast !

[Irish_Dem]

27. Bernie knows Manchin is not interested in the people of WVa.

Bernie is speaking directly to the citizens of that state.

[KS Toronado]

20. I still love Bernie's arguments.

[48656c6c6f20]

24. I'm no fan of the Independent Senator from Vermont

however he seems to know how to get to the people in WV without calling it a shithole state. Joe Manson is a shithead, that doesn't qualify the state as a shithole. Some people are working to remove Joe Manson. Hope they are successful.

ReplaceJoeManchin.com

[pwb]

25. Medicaid covers the Medical needs for the poor. We fight for

benefits for them, they expect them and take them for granted and vote against us? All Americans should get the same benefits.

[CrackityJones75]

28. Uh no they are not.

people in historically deep red states are not like people in historically deep blue states. They have been voting to get fucked over for YEARS, as long as people they don’t like are getting hurt worse

[LoisB]

29. Looks to me as if West Virginia needs all the help it can get.

RANKINGS SCORECARD for West Virginia
#47Health Care
#45Education
#48Economy
#50Infrastructure

[mountain grammy]

31. Bernie is one of the best Democrats in the Congress

and he's not even an Democrat.. but he would never turn his back when it comes down to getting things done. He's compromised more than he should have for this bill and he's been out there with OUR message.

Bernie Sanders is and always has been the real deal.

[Emile]

32. As always Bernie is right!

[maxrandb]

33. That may have been true before Hate Radio

But now, there is a large swath of the country that would sell their own mother if it would result in harming the other side.

We're not Democrats to these people anymore. We're French Surrender Monkeys that hate 'Murika, and eat fetus topped pizza.

Seriously, there was never a time in this country where we saw all of us as Americans, but there was a large majority that did.

[Emile]

47. But Manchin says his voters would spend the money on drugs and he knows his voters.

Sarcasm

[LeftInTX]

49. West Virginia has another senator...Does she support BBB?