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You are here: Home / Politics / This Fucking Guy- Joe Manchin Edition

This Fucking Guy- Joe Manchin Edition

by | 228 Comments

This post is in: 

Oh, you sweet, innocent child:

After airing Thursday evening, WSAZ’s exclusive interview with Vice President Kamala Harris drew national attention.

Friday morning, the White House answered questions about the vice president’s appearance on two stations — one in Arizona, the other on WSAZ.

The interview even took U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., by surprise. Friday morning, Manchin visited one of West Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics. His visit comes just one day after the vice president spoke with WSAZ’s Amanda Barren about the proposed “American Rescue Plan” (ARP).

“I saw [the interview], I couldn’t believe it. No one called me [about it],” Manchin said. “We’re going to try to find a bipartisan pathway forward, but we need to work together. That’s not a way of working together.”

During a press briefing at the White House, Press Secretary Jen Psaki answered questions around a number of topics, including the vice president’s appearance on two local television stations Thursday.

“We want to make the case to the American people across the country (…) This is a way to do just that,” Psaki said.

I know I have spent a lot of time defending Joe, but part of that defense has always been he’s not perfect. And while he’s smart enough to figure out how to stay alive politically in West Virginia, he’s not always the sharpest tack.

To be clear, Joe, this was not an accident or oversight. This is a professional comms team and professional legislative staff and Joe Biden was doing this shit while you were THINKING about running for the House of Delegates in WV. What they did here was politely put you on notice.

Yes, you have spent two weeks hearing about how you are now the most powerful man in Washington, and you may very well have come to believe your own bullshit, but here’s the drill. Yes, you’re on the bus for this road trip, but Joe is driving and Kamala is shotgun, the hotels and route have been picked and booked, and you’re not the one setting the itinerary. Sure, Joe and Kamala will listen to your opinion on which fast food joint y’all stop at for lunch, but you’re not the head dick in charge.

That’s what happened last night, Sen. Manchin. On top of that, the WH gets good press for reaching out to often ignored areas, all while applying a gentle nudge to you.

That’s how this game is played, and at the age of 73, you should have figured that out by now.

Reader Interactions

228Comments

  1. 1.

    Brachiator

    “I saw [the interview], I couldn’t believe it. No one called me [about it],” Manchin said. “We’re going to try to find a bipartisan pathway forward, but we need to work together. That’s not a way of working together.”

    I am confused. What political party does Manchin represent? Is he his own party, and the Democrats need to be bipartisan with him?

  2. 2.

    piratedan

    and conversely, you can count on the AZ interview as being an example of “we see you” to a certain Ms. Sinema.

  7. 7.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Richard M. Nixon @dick_nixon
    Sending Harris to Arizona and West Virginia without warning anybody is the sort of move I didn’t think they had in them.

  10. 10.

    PsiFighter37

    At the very least, Biden seems to be the first Democratic president in recent history who seems to have a better-than-average grasp of how party politics works.

  11. 11.

    jl

    I also think it could be a signal that crappy BS little political kabuki theater power plays are a two way  street. Seems to me that Manchin has made a point of piping up out of the blue for some PR purpose or as a negotiating tool with the Biden administration.

    Biden and Harris can do the same to him.

    If Manchin doesn’t want to seem like some punk whining outside of the quiet back room where the big players are, maybe he can shape up and come talk with Biden before he mouths off with his BS concerns in interviews.

    But that is just IMHO, I am not very sharp at this inside baseball  politics.

    Edit: I need to be more concise. In other words, Biden is saying ‘You dump a box of chocolates on me, then I can dump one on you.”

  14. 14.

    Yutsano

    Fired, shots were. It’s not like Biden has any obligation to say where or when they choose to communicate with any particular outlet. Not to mention this is genius communication. I can only imagine how the local interviewer felt. That has to be the get of their career. Do Wisconsin and Pennsylvania next!

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: “You want to be treated like you’re part of the team?  Then act like you’re part of the fucking team.

    edit: That was Biden-Harris to Manchin, not WaterGirl to Baud

  19. 19.

    jl

    @Baud: I have ‘concerns’ and am ‘troubled’ by how much we have been agreeing lately. I’ll take a time out and do some self-assessment.

    But thanks, nevertheless.

  21. 21.

    zhena gogolia

    News — With a little more than a week before his impeachment trial is set to begin, President Trump's legal team is up in the air. Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who were expected to be two of the lead attorneys, are no longer on the team, @GloriaBorger & I are told. Story TK.— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 31, 2021

  24. 24.

    CaseyL

    It’s starting to look like Joe and Kamala are awake on all fronts, and realize communicating directly to people via local media is the best way to get their message out.  Good on them.

    And, no, I didn’t realize Presidents and VPs had to clear their travels with Senators first.  Under normal circumstances, letting Manchin know ahead of time VP Harris would be in his state would be a courteous gesture.  But not if Manchin is talking trash about the Administration’s Number One Policy Priority!

  26. 26.

    Chetan Murthy

    No one called me [about it]

    1. Not a WVan.  So I’m not gonna bitch about Joe.
    2. But John is, and he has a right for sure.
    3. I really -do- wonder if this was kayfabe.  I think we find out in a few weeks.  What do I mean?  This is about slowly building the pretext for both Manchin and Sinema to in-sorrow-but-my constituents-are-screaming-out vote for relief.  And still be able to look their donors in the eye and say “it warn’t me, boss”.

    We all know that the voters aren’t the only constituency for conservatives, and that includes conservative Dems.

    OTOH, maybe Joe really was caught off-guard and dislikes this, in which case …. fuuuuck.  Dude, your constituents are *hurting*.  Fuuuuuck.

  27. 27.

    Miss Bianca

    Yes, you’re on the bus for this road trip, but Joe is driving and Kamala is shotgun, the hotels and route have been picked and booked, and you’re not the one setting the itinerary.

    So, why am I all of a sudden picturing Joe and Kamala as Mel and Zoe from Firefly…and LMAO.

    Who the hell that would make Manchin in this ‘verse, gods only know…

  28. 28.

    Benw

    Being the one whining WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED is never a good look LOL

    OT: my folks got their first vaccine dose today!! YES

  31. 31.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @zhena gogolia:

    Outside of the Republican Party and the far right, Trump is radioactive. Nobody wants to work for him. I wonder if Lin Wood, Rudy, and Sydney Powell are on his legal team? I saw that the state bar or something wanted Wood to do a psych eval

  32. 32.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Usually it’s the quiet guys that look you straight in the eyes and smile who will fuck your shit up when you get too damned cute for your own good. Obama knew what he was doing when he picked Joe as his VP.

  38. 38.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Bowers defended Mark Sandford, Nicki Haley, and some other SC governor I’d never heard of. He seems to be respected far more than Rudy (low bar, perhaps).

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    Ah, a thread where this will fit.

    If there was a futures market for fusterclucks, I’d invest heavily. It’s begging — nay, pleading — to be buried in an avalanche of sh*t.

    Facebook’s Oversight Board, the independent body empowered to review the social network’s most complex platform moderation decisions, is now accepting public comments on the company’s decision to “indefinitely” ban former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the US Capitol attack on January 6th.
    [snip]
    The Oversight Board says it will accept public comments until 10AM ET on February 5th, and it lists a number of requirements — submissions must be written in English and be no longer than two pages when written in 12-point Times New Roman font, to name a couple — that must be met to be considered. Source

  43. 43.

    CaseyL

    Not sure how big a deal it is who T*’s legal team is, or if he even has to have one for the Senate trial.

    The GOP won’t convict their Great & Glorious Forevermore Amen Leader.  Maybe Romney will vote to convict (and that’s a big maybe), but no one else.

  47. 47.

    waratah

    Thank you John I was hoping you would comment on this. I would like to see her interviews, I have not come across them yet.
    I think anyone going after the cash payments has problems and you could tell by watching that news cast he did not want his views known in WV.

    They might not keep up with most of what congress passes but as soon as cash payments are mentioned people on both parties know about it.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    I googled Kamala in WV and found several articles.  I hadn’t realized that Manchin had rallied a bunch of senators again the plan Biden had put out.  I thought he was probably in the doghouse about his stand on the filibuster.  No wonder Joe put him in his place.

    U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D- W.Va., is likely to play a critical role in the success or failure of the plan and is leading a bipartisan group of senators calling for revisions to the legislation. White House aides said Thursday that reaching out to West Virginia was not a tactical move intended to influence Manchin.

    “It’s a case we’re trying to make all across the country,” said David Kamin, deputy director of the National Economic Council.

    In a call he set up, Manchin and a bipartisan group of 15 fellow senators told White House officials Sunday the plan needs to be modified in order to win passage in the Senate, where Republicans are pushing back against the bill.

    In particular, the group raised concerns that a proposal to provide a third round of stimulus checks at $1,400 each would put money in the pockets of people with high incomes who don’t need the help.

  50. 50.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @NotMax:

    Public comment? What do they think they are, a public utility or something? ; )

    It’s Facebook, so I don’t expect them to do the right thing. Trump should not get his social media accounts back under any circumstances

  52. 52.

    Miss Bianca

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I love it. It’s one of my few annual must-sees. And only one season, so you can binge-watch in a hurry if that’s your fancy. Yeah, I love Nathan Fillion but it’s really the interactions of the whole cast with Whedon’s writing that just makes it all sing.

  56. 56.

    CaseyL

    @WaterGirl: Oh, ho, and aha.  I didn’t know Manchin had done that.  Twerp.  Yes, sending Harris to WV to talk to people directly is definitely a very nice shiv on the Administration’s part.

  57. 57.

    randy khan

    So who makes the call from the White House to “apologize”?  That’s another indicator that Manchin might want to watch.  It sure ain’t going to be Biden, Harris, or Klain.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    @NotMax: You have to admit, they know who’s likely to respond, and how.  The “two pages of 12 point” requirement will block two-thirds of them, or at least force them to severely trim their diatribes about Jewish Space Lasers.

  60. 60.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: In particular, the group raised concerns that a proposal to provide a third round of stimulus checks at $1,400 each would put money in the pockets of people with high incomes who don’t need the help.

    Oh, that’s easy to fix. Repeal the last round of tax cuts.

  61. 61.

    randy khan

    @WaterGirl:

    I will say that if I had to pick one thing that the Administration can give on without causing any real harm, it’s the upper income limit for the $1,400 checks.  Drop it by $25 or $50 K and you don’t lose a lot of stimulus or a lot of suburban white women, but you can say how you’re laser-focused on the people who need the money most.

    But, yeah, this probably is in response to that.

  68. 68.

    markg8

    Manchin ought to act like the Democrat he’s supposed to be and quit spouting dishonest Republican talking points. The $1,400 starts phasing out at $75,000 per person or $150,000 per couple not “$250,000 or $300,000” as he said. That’s just an easily refuted lie. If he doesn’t like Harris or Biden going over his head directly to his constituents then he ought to tell them the truth.

  69. 69.

    jl

    @WaterGirl: The CW I’ve heard is that Manchin needs to do a lot of posturing to cater to the proclivities of WV voters, not take blame for anything that happens to coal industry. Whether whatever happens to the coal industry helps or hurts most ordinary people in WV seems irrelevant, but what do I know. It seems to be a kind of fetish.

    Back to the point. Manchin is up for re-election in 2024. He seems like the type of Democrat who could go down in a rejection of the Democrats in a presidential election year if they don’t perform on helping people.

    So, maybe he should do something wild and crazy like support policies that help people who need it, and which have a low risk of failing, which is what I think Biden is aiming for.

    And I forget, is this measure going through reconciliation? If so, what does Manchin care how many GOpers go for it? If he’s the 50th vote, then Harris breaks the tie.

  72. 72.

    Ahasuerus

    Has anyone else seen this?

    “I am reading the letter by Acting Sec Defense Miller Jan 4 that essentially broke the normal response chain to deploy the Nat. Guard on Jan 6. It is also astonishingly specific, including not using Intel assets.”

    Is this a smoking gun?  I readily admit that I know nothing about the military in general or the national guard in particular, but this seems particularly damning.  Anyone with actual knowledge want to weigh in?

    There is a fark.com thread on this as well.  The general consensus is that is indeed evidence of prior knowledge and planning.

  73. 73.

    Mary G

    Manchin’s comments struck me as coming thisclose to calling Kamala uppity. How dare this woman challenge ME?

  74. 74.

    dmsilev

    @jl: 

    And I forget, is this measure going through reconciliation? If so, what does Manchin care how many GOpers go for it? If he’s the 50th vote, then Harris breaks the tie.

    That might be the problem for him. Being “the deciding vote” or “the key vote” or whatever could be what he wants to avoid, and having a “bipartisan” fig leaf would help. Unfortunately, he didn’t learn the lesson that the great majority of the rest of the Democrats learnt in 2009-2010 about the wisdom of trying to get even a fig leaf of bipartisanship from today’s GOP.

  77. 77.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:I came upon an interesting Nixon tape, yesterday.  He finds out Biden’s wife and daughter had been killed and he calls to offer condolence.  Of course Nixon is clumsy and begins to tell Biden something along the lines that at age 30 he’s young enough to start over, but he catches himself.  (video)

    Also an interview, with rare photos, of Nixon’s infamous and desperate unannounced attempt to meet with protesters at the Lincoln Memorial after the Kent State massacre (video)

    That said, Oliver Stone’s dramatizing of the event was a masterpiece (video)​​

  78. 78.

    jl

    @markg8: Well, to be fair to Manchin, he’s talking about what the group thinks.

    For the GOP these days, if you are a lesser person who is wealthy enough to not live in a hole in the ground and live off roots and worms, then just maybe you are living too high on the hog and are undeserving.

    OTOH, maybe Manchin could act like a leader and make his own case on what he believes, rather than acting like he is mere errand boy who’s job it is to repeat whatever the little self-appointed GOP and corporate Dem caucus claims to think.

    So, maybe somebody needs to make the case that Manchin should make the leap and try  to lead on good policy for once, rather than pose and posture.

  79. 79.

    guachi

    If you want to keep the filibuster around then what matters is vote 60 and not vote 50.

    Manchin isn’t vote 60 for anything.

  80. 80.

    Jay

    @Miss Bianca:

    “Serenity” lays out where Firefly was supposed to go after several years, but never got there, due to being cancelled.

    It was made and released to provide an ending for fans of the cancelled show.

    I like both, SWIMBO hates both.

  81. 81.

    Starfish

    @Ahasuerus: I think other people may have mentioned this.

    Who was at the meeting that Tuberville attended?

    Should the people who were suspected to be involved not be allowed to vote on the impeachment? That would mean Cruz and potentially Tuberville sit this one out.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: I don’t think Manchin’s comments had anything to do with race.

    I think Manchin is the one who got too big for his britches and he got slapped down and didn’t like it.

  83. 83.

    JMG

    Manchin’s 73? He looks pretty good for his age, I must admit. I say that as someone who’s 71.

  84. 84.

    jl

    @dmsilev: I don’t claim to be knowledgeable or savvy on this kind of inside baseball.

    But, I really cannot understand why Manchin would be reluctant to be the deciding vote. If I were him, and I was the deciding vote, then I’d be eager to cast it on this bill. Someone more knowledgeable is welcome to correct me.

    But, is Manchin the deciding vote? Any other Dems making a point of being squeaky wheels? Sinema? Coons?

  86. 86.

    CaseyL

    @Starfish: It is my great hope that the investigation turns up solid evidence of Senatorial involvement, like Hawley and Cruz, (as well as any Representatives that aided and abetted, like Roebert) and that the evidence is presented at trial.

  87. 87.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: You know this is Balloon Juice, right?  :-)

    And to keep up our reputation as a full-service blog, tonight’s orthographic trivia: The only English word that normally has three double letters in a row is “bookkeeper”.

  89. 89.

    jl

    @Baud: I always trust information relayed by other BJ commenters, for they  are gracious and merciful, as well was friendly courteous kind… lemee see… it’s in there someplace. OK.. brave clean and honest.

    Edit: oh shit. I looked it up and it’s not ‘honest’, it’s ‘reverent’. Uh oh. No ‘honest’ in there. I’ve been letting that damned Scout Law thing hold me back for decades.

  90. 90.

    Miss Bianca

    @Jay:

    “Serenity” lays out where Firefly was supposed to go after several years, but never got there, due to being cancelled.

    It was made and released to provide an ending for fans of the cancelled show.

    Yeah, I’m aware of that.

    SWIMBO hates both.

    INFIDEL!!

  92. 92.

    Martin

    @Brachiator: It was a test, and a notice. It would have been exceedingly easy for Manchin to give the WH credit here, not mentioned the lack of comms, and simply stated that it shows how much the Democratic party cares about WV that they are taking the time to do this.

    In his head, he should be wondering why they didn’t call (don’t say that part out loud, idiot) and realizing as John notes it was a power move, that the WH is not going to tolerate 50 plans, there’s going to be one – theirs.

    Manchin both failed the test and the lesson. Personally I think the WH should give WV something here – I think WV needs it – to get Manchin on board. Also push DC statehood through so they don’t have to rely on that to get anything done.

  94. 94.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yeah, it’s good.  I’d watch it -before- Serenity, b/c “spoilers”, duh.  Seriously, watch firefly first.

    Also though: be prepared for at least a soupcon of “Lost Cause” vibe.  Yeah, it’s there.  But otherwise, sure, it’s a fun “Western in Space”.

  97. 97.

    Martin

    @CaseyL: I would hope the Dems are smart enough to pick up on Romney’s reference to ‘the big lie’. Focus the incitement both on what Trump said that day, and the 2 months of saying the election was stolen. That’s the big lie. That’s the source of the problem. That needs to be the narrative to the American people – and if the people start to accept it, it puts everyone else who went along with that lie in a pretty uncomfortable spot.

    I think they should still be charged with sedition over that lie.

  100. 100.

    Ken

    @jl: Whether whatever happens to the coal industry helps or hurts most ordinary people in WV seems irrelevant, but what do I know. It seems to be a kind of fetish.

    A hundred years from now, anthropologists will report the WV rituals where elders smear graphite on their faces and wave pickaxes in the air to get the coal jobs to come back, in a modern incarnation of the rot bilong kako.

    Meanwhile, WV’s actual economy will be based on tourism, healthcare, and the Federal jobs at the Joe Manchin Memorial Space Force Headquarters.

  101. 101.

    AnotherBruce

    I know I’m going to get beaten up. But Joe Manchin had every right to be pissed. He found out about this when he was checking in about Covid. Which was the same focus the white house had. It was rude that he had no warning. I think that if Manchin showed up in the white house without notice, it would not go over well. Really, Joe was  protecting his turf.  And that’s what every Poll has to do.

  102. 102.

    jl

    @Lapassionara:  Manchin better be able to give a very good explanation for switching to R, or even going independent, and actually use whatever he does to deliver good policy to WV. Otherwise, he’ll just be another Democratic target (however he labels himself) to remove from office in 2024 by  pissed off voters in primary or the general,  if the Biden administration doesn’t deliver noticeable improvements.

  106. 106.

    dmsilev

    Assholes of the Day, California Man edition:

    Dodger Stadium’s COVID-19 vaccination site shut down after protesters gather at entrance

    Dodger Stadium’s mass COVID-19 vaccination site was shut down Saturday afternoon as about 50 protesters gathered at the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours.

    The Los Angeles Fire Department closed the entrance to the stadium — one of the largest vaccination sites in the country — for about an hour starting just before 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials said. Several LAPD officers also responded to the scene; a spokeswoman for the department said no arrests were made.

    The demonstrators included members of anti-vaccine and far-right groups. While some carried signs decrying the COVID-19 vaccine and shouting for people not to get the shots, there were no incidents of violence.

    A post on social media described the demonstration as the “Scamdemic Protest/March.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.

    “This is a sharing information protest and march against everything COVID, Vaccine, PCR Tests, Lockdowns, Masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital tracking, etc.”

    Edit: Wake up Sheeple!

  107. 107.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: Hah! It’s my petty revenge for you correcting me when I mixed up Anne Laurie and Tamara.  I thought I’d have to wait years, but you gave me an opening the same day!

    (I’m still not sure how I did that. I hope I just glanced at the wrong header on the front page. I’m too young for senior moments, no matter what the AARP and their damn mailers think.)

  109. 109.

    Ken

    @dmsilev: “This is a sharing information protest and march against everything COVID, Vaccine, PCR Tests, Lockdowns, Masks, Fauci, Gates, Newsom, China, digital tracking, etc.”

    They forgot contrails and space lizards.  Unless they’re covered by “etc.”?

  114. 114.

    jl

    @Ken: From the link it seems to be their ‘etc.’ so they left out the other important stuff.

    Seems like laser beams from space that created a hoax epidemic that still kills mass quantities of people should rate a mention.

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Lapassionara: He hasn’t yet.  This question comes up almost every tome he is discussed.  I think the evidence out there is that he is simply a rather conservative Dem, but a loyal Dem.

  121. 121.

    PJ

    @satby: ​
     No one ever teaches us how or why to hold a grudge, but I have this trait, too. I wonder if there is a genetic component, or if it has something to do with the powerlessness of a child, learning you can’t do anything about this situation now, but you may be able to extract some satisfaction later (but if that’s the case, wouldn’t everyone be super grudge-holders?)

  123. 123.

    Martin

    Can we get some competent IT in government? Obama made some pretty good progress on that front with the US Digital Service. We need a lot more.

    In response to questions about the flaws with VAMS, a Deloitte spokesperson sent a statement that the company was proud to support the vaccine campaign and “help end the covid-19 pandemic so that our families and communities can recover and thrive.” He did not address specific questions.

    Deloitte may be representative of a broken system, but it’s certainly not alone. CGI Federal, for instance, has landed over $5.6 billion in federal IT contracts since getting fired after its disastrous development of the Healthcare.gov website.

  125. 125.

    Jay

    A third attorney, Josh Howard, who was also recently added to Trump's defense team, has also left, I'm told. Trump wanted the attorneys to argue there was mass election fraud and it was stolen from him rather than focus on proposed arguments about constitutionality.— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 31, 2021

  128. 128.

    SFAW

    @jl:

    “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”

    Interesting what well done rote learning can accomplish. Learned that 50-plus years ago, will probably still recall it when I’m in the throes of advanced dementia.

  130. 130.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Martin: I looked into joining the digital service a few days ago. I really wanted to join the administration somehow and I’ve got the skills.

    But I’d have to move to DC for this, which my wife has vetoed. And evidently you can only apply once per year.

  131. 131.

    Ken

    @Jay: Trump wanted the attorneys to argue there was mass election fraud and it was stolen from him

    Ah yes, the insanity defense.

  134. 134.

    Lapassionara

    @sanjeevs: ok, but he could lose an election to a Republican.

     

    @Omnes Omnibus: but he holds the balance of power in his hands. Why would the Biden Admin knowingly irritate him? Either they dropped the ball, which they do not usually do, or they are working with him to get some other goal accomplished. In either case, I think we can cut him some slack and show him some respect.

  135. 135.

    SFAW

    @dmsilev:

    A post on social media described the demonstration as the “Scamdemic Protest/March.” It advised participants to “please refrain from wearing Trump/MAGA attire as we want our statement to resonate with the sheeple. No flags but informational signs only.

    It would not surprise me if the author(s) was/were among those who attempted to claim January 6 was antifa and a “false flag.”

  137. 137.

    JanieM

    @Ken: If he needed brain surgery, I suppose he’d insist on telling the brain surgeons how to do that job, too. Because he’s a genius, doncha know.

  140. 140.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Martin: I’ve been working for the same company for 12 years and have done well – it might be time for a change. So I looked into it, and it’s a pity it wouldn’t work out :/

  142. 142.

    Barbara

    @HumboldtBlue: ​
      The letter is dated January 4, and although I would be willing to point fingers at DOD, the reporting in the Washington Post has consistently noted that Mayor Bowser did not want the NG to be too prominent and asked that they be used mostly for crowd and traffic control. These restrictions may have reflected that request. There were a lot of points of failure, but I am not sure this letter is a smoking gun.

  146. 146.

    PJ

    @Lapassionara: it’s either kayfabe or a brush back pitch.  If it’s the latter, it’s a sign that Biden will hang the failure to pass the relief bill around Manchin’s and Sinema’s necks.

  149. 149.

    Ken

    @JanieM: If he needed brain surgery, I suppose he’d insist on telling the brain surgeons how to do that job, too.

    Nah, he’d do it himself with a couple of mirrors and a penknife.

    Which reminds me, in a roundabout way, to recommend Ted Chiang’s story “Exhalation”.

  151. 151.

    patrick II

    @HumboldtBlue:

    You can combine that with the Maryland governor telling us that Miller made himself unavailable to phone calls from the governor urgently seeking assistance during the riot. It was a planned insurrection.

  156. 156.

    Jay

    “We broke into the Capitol…we got inside, we did our part. We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the friggin’ brain but we didn’t find her.” — Dawn Bancroft, arrested in Pennsylvania today, along with Diana Santos-Smith. pic.twitter.com/8uDSehLC7q— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) January 29, 2021

  158. 158.

    BR

    Hopefully this ends with Manchin getting a meeting with Biden and they hash it out and agree to build a monorail in WV or a coal-themed amusement park or whatever it is he wants and get his vote.  Happy to spend $10 billion extra on something for WV if the rest of the country gets what it needs.

  161. 161.

    Barbara

    @Jay: ​
      I am considering whether that quote is an admission that they were carrying guns — and I think it would be if the prosecutor can show some evidence that one or both own guns.

    Also, they apparently repeatedly lied to the FBI about whether they were in the Capitol and so on. When the FBI asks you questions there is a better than even chance they actually already know the answer.

  164. 164.

    Geminid

    @Lapassionara: If Manchin wanted to switch parties he would have done it already. He’s in the spotlight now because of the 50-50 Senate split, but he’s been the same Manchin ever since he entered the Senate. He’ll vote against the big trump tax cut, then he’ll vote to confirm Kavanaugh, then he’ll vote to convict trump in the Ukraine matter. Mitch McConnell would welcome him to the Republican caucus any time. But Manchin won’t switch, and the Democrats are not about to kick him out of their caucus. They can try to influence him, though, and that’s what the Vice President was about. Presumably at the direction of the President, possibly in consultation with Chuck Schumer.

  168. 168.

    WV Blondie

    @Lapassionara:  There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that Manchin will switch. I’ve got a good friend who’s a Manchin staffer; he and I have discussed this several times, most recently just yesterday.

    1. Joe Manchin is the Democratic Party in WV. As anemic as it is, he’s still the Boss, and he’s not about to give that up.
    2. Despite the WH smackdown (good for them!), Joe is still probably the single most powerful senator right now. I made that observation to my friend – he laughed when I pointed out that he didn’t deny it.
    3. As much as I disagree with many of Joe’s positions, I’ll give him credit – he’s 100% about what he thinks will benefit WV. The whole point of #2 above is for him to be able to do that.

  169. 169.

    cain

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): ​
    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): ​
     

    It’s damn good. So damn good that my ex-wife who hates star trek and every other tech show – loved firefly and it was one of the few scifi shows we could watch together.
    It’s really a brilliant show – and a lot of us were very disappointed when it got canceled. It would have been as good as star trek if it kept going.
    It’s the brainchild of Joss Whedon who of course did the story for Avengers and more famously Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

  172. 172.

    Ken

    @Jay: naw, for now, Rudi Tutti Fruitie Deludie noun verb 9-11 is still available.

    I thought he and Trump had a falling-out?  Something about Rudi not being paid the $20,000 a day he was asking for his expert legal advice?

  173. 173.

    Connor

    @Jay:

    Bellingham is my home, and there’s a LOT of us here who are seriously appalled by what the mayor has done with this. It’s not what this community is supposed to be AT ALL.

  174. 174.

    cain

    @Jay: naw, for now, Rudi Tutti Fruitie Deludie noun verb 9-11 is still available.

    ? Tutti fruittie, oh rudy! Tutti Fruity! oh Rudy! A bop bobba rooma, a bop bang boom! ? Come on – a little Little Richard, y’all!

  175. 175.

    Honus

    @Ken: it already is. There are fewer than 20,000 coal jobs in West Virginia today, and that’s been the case for almost ten years.

  177. 177.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Holy crap

    Rams trade Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-round pick to Detroit for QB Matthew Stafford.

    Hasn’t Detroit suffered enough?

  178. 178.

    Suzanne

    @piratedan: Sinema sucks. She frustrates me because I voted for her very early in her career, back when she was running for state rep or something. And she was much further left and very principled. She tacked toward her bullshit centrist position because she’s ambitious, not because she believes anything. UGHHHH.

  181. 181.

    Martin

    @Honus: Biden should hand Manchin a bill to bail out the United Mine Workers pension. Federalize it, give them health benefits, bolster the black lung benefits act, and extend the benefits to anyone who lost their job prior to retirement age – both forward and back. Use the tariffs on solar panels to pay for it. Let Manchin be the figurehead for the bill and push it through. It’ll be cheap, and it’ll be popular in Kentucky as well.

    This is what happened to the longshoremen – containerization was such a radical improvement in costs that they just bought everyone out for life. It was cheaper than not  containerizing. This isn’t hard.

  183. 183.

    dmsilev

    From the FTNYT:

    Mr. T**** had pushed for his defense team to focus on his baseless claim that the election was stolen from him, one person familiar with the situation said. A person close to Mr. T**** disputed that that was the case but acknowledged that there were differences in opinion about the defense strategy. However, Mr. T**** has insisted that the case is “simple” and has told advisers he could argue it himself and save the money on lawyers. (Aides contend he is not seriously contemplating doing so.)

  184. 184.

    West of the Rockies

    @Martin:

    I hear that, but the Rams should have gotten an excellent QB whisperer instead.  How many playoff games has Stafford won in, what, a dozen seasons in the black and blue division?

  185. 185.

    RaflW

    @NotMax: I pretty much make a point of never watching Zuckerberg. I find him to be among the most robotic squelchers of life-energy.

    That said, have folks seen the SNL cold open tonight? What was that Zuck character doing? Has he really acted like that on camera somewhere?

  188. 188.

    Cam-WA

    I think we may be missing something here…although Manchin talks like a DINO, his voting record, when his vote is really needed, is quite good.  He votes R when it doesn’t matter.  It’s probably the only way he survives as with a D after his name in a very red state.

    The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.  With the 50-50 split, he’ll have to vote D more frequently than he has in the past, and we’ll see if he’s up to it.

  189. 189.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @West of the Rockies:

    However, Mr. T**** has insisted that the case is “simple” and has told advisers he could argue it himself and save the money on lawyers. (Aides contend he is not seriously contemplating doing so.)

    Narrator: He was seriously contemplating doing so

  194. 194.

    Starboard Tack

    @RedDirtGirl:

     Oh, to watch Firefly for the first time….

    Oh, yes. Maybe if I get dementia I can do that a few times before I’m completely doolally.

  196. 196.

    Ruckus

    @WaterGirl:

    Do they think the $600 that is supposed to arrive some time is all that’s necessary? Freaking senators make $174,000/yr. Average income in WV is $72,858. Median is $46,711 which is only higher than Mississippi. By $1700. Joe makes $101,000 higher income than average in his own state. And he’s worried about $600. He makes 100k higher than the median income in all but 9 states. He makes 90K higher than the median in every state.

  197. 197.

    OGLiberal

    @Ahasuerus: From the Vanity Fair article, quoting Ezra Cohen-Watnick.  If he’s saying this, then 1/6 was really worse than we imagined.  Remember, this is a late term Flynn guy Trump forced into the Pentagon (he has also recently come out to strongly refute Q…many Q folks think he is Q):

    “The president threw us under the bus. And when I say ‘us,’ I don’t mean only us political appointees or only us Republicans. He threw America under the bus. He caused a lot of damage to the fabric of this country. Did he go and storm the Capitol himself? No. But he, I believe, had an opportunity to tamp things down and he chose not to. And that’s really the fatal flaw. I mean, he’s in charge. And when you’re in charge, you’re responsible for what goes wrong”

    ETA: Could be damage control.

  198. 198.

    Ruckus

    @Amir Khalid:

    Worked in a city mental health center for 3 1/2 yrs as a volunteer. I have no need to listen to a certifiable lunatic rant and rave and prove how absolutely mentally fucked up he is. I might find it entertaining to listen to the roll call vote to impeach, to see how many of those on the right are also certifiable. I’m going with, at the very least, most of them.

  200. 200.

    Martin

    @Amir Khalid: Honestly, I think the President should be required to respond in person for their actions. Not representing himself, but these are elected officials and as such should have to personally answer for their actions.

  201. 201.

    fuckwit

    Fuck that guy. Make DC and Puerto Rico states. Do it RIGHT NOW. We get 4 new Senators, problem solved. Nothing else is more important, except maybe putting Hawley and Cruz behind bars, thus removing their votes.

  202. 202.

    Chris T.

    @Baud: When I learned there’s no “I” in team, I realized it wasn’t for me.

    There may be no “I” but there is “meat”. Also “me” and “tea”. Meat me a tea, mate!

  204. 204.

    rikyrah

    I hope a frontpager sees this.
    Absolutely amazing???

    My mom and step-dad have spent the better part of quarantine building what they call their "Mini Modern House."It is, quite literally, a miniature marvel, and the world needs to see it.Fully built and designed from scratch, the MMH comes with…+Functioning electricity pic.twitter.com/t4TONj0ynJ— Scott T. Miller (@byscottmiller) January 30, 2021

  210. 210.

    Chetan Murthy

    @rikyrah: These fuckers shot down the site for an hour.  They included a protestor dressed up as a cop who tried to direct people to exit the site.  The cops came and dispersed them gently and without violence.  Gosh I wonder why.  Impeding access to needed medical care.  Impersonating a police officer.  All they got was a gentle tap on the shoulder and “please disperse”.  Fuckers.

    They’re gonna do this again in an open-carry state, strapped.  This ain’t the end of these shenanigans.

  213. 213.

    LeftCoastYankee

    To quote an old coach I (briefly) had:

    There’s never an “I” in team, and sometimes there’s no “U” either…..

  214. 214.

    NotMax

    @fuckwit

    Neither can be done (snaps fingers) like that.

    There are Constitutional wrinkles to be ironed out or amended regarding D.C., and in Puerto Rico the main political parties are deeply split three ways – for statehood, for maintaining status quo or for independence.

    Also, assuming representation from Puerto Rico will be solidly D is not by any means a guarantee. For one thing, traditionally conservative church dogma holds powerful sway among swaths of the population.

  218. 218.

    NotMax

    @Chetan Murthy

    Non-binding, and not sanctioned by the DOJ.

    There’s currently a simmering brouhaha going on over the new governor funding a team of “shadow representation” to be sent to D.C.

  219. 219.

    NotMax

    @Chetan Murthy – @NotMax

    Further, from your link,

    In Puerto Rico, the three political parties with elected representatives in 2020 each take a different position on the issue of the island’s relationship to the United States. The political parties are not affiliated with U.S.-mainland parties, such as the Democratic Party and Republican Party, although individual members may be affiliated. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), “[Political] status is the lifeblood of Puerto Rican politics, spanning policy and partisan lines in ways that are unfamiliar on the mainland.”

  220. 220.

    burnspbesq

    @Yutsano:

    Fired, shots were

    Indeed, and not just at Manchin and Sinema. If they can get over their institutional hubris, there’s a message there for FTFNYT and WaPo as well.

  222. 222.

    Starboard Tack

    @rikyrah:

    There’s lots of beautiful places in W. Virginia. Lots of recreation possibilities. It’s touched by the Appalachian Trail in the east. I did a rafting trip on the New River yonks ago, and there’s other rivers, too. Better roads couldn’t hurt.

  225. 225.

    Miss Bianca

    @The Pale Scot: And, I am chagrined that I wrote “Mel” not “Mal”. I would plead typo, but the “e” and the “a” aren’t even next to each other on the keyboard!

  226. 226.

    evodevo

    @PJ: ​
      Grudge-holding is embedded deep in our evolutionary history…a LOT of mammals hold grudges, as any farmer/horse owner can testify….I’ve watched horses I owned wait till the dominant mare in the pecking order, who was a total bully toward subordinates, was tied up for hoof inspection and dart in quickly to administer a nip and then dash for cover, knowing the boss mare was not able to retaliate at that moment lol – tit for tat is the rule among herd animals…and they remember each and every slight.

  228. 228.

    J R in WV

    @WaterGirl: ​

    Did Kamala actually travel to AZ and WV? Or were the interviews with those stations, from DC?

    I dunno about the AZ station, but WSAZ has a reporter in DC, probably a free-lance who works for many TV stations in the fly-over land to give the impression they have a bureau in DC.

    They do have multiple studios in WV, based in Huntington, WV they also have a complete modern studio in Charleston, which is the state capitol.

    [ETA: Their local news is hosted from both locations, they are the only real TV news in central and SW WVa.]

    In this case Joe is making himself look like a raw beginner.

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