Manchin's going on a national 'listening tour' to decide what to do next (Instead of retiring to his floating DC apartment). He finds enough sugar/money in that tour, he'll try to run a 3rd party bid that will absolutely fail. In the mean time, he'll consume oxygen & occupy the media, keeping attention away from actual Democratic successes and programs, and feed the 'both candidates suck' narrative.
I hope his toes fall off and he gets large painful hemorrhoids.
I hope every woman goes and makes him listen to how his stonewalling and tradition and all the other bs he gave while in the senate about rules and decorum allowed freedom and rights to be taken away. Listen to the stories of women who nearly died while waiting for their miscarriage. Listen to the families who had to take their children to other states for medical care after they were raped by other family members. Sit there and listen to it all Joe.
Or maybe West Virginia will prove us all wrong and elect another moderate Democrat because even in West Virginia people still want abortions and legal weed.
The one good thing about him announcing now is the Democratic Party can move funds earmarked for WV to one of the other 3 states. McConnell is pouring money into MT and AZ with a fire hose.
All of that hemming and hawing and being a general houseboat livin' asshole for the sake of telling his constituents that he stands up to Democrats and it was for fucking nothing. Fuck Joe Manchin.
When I had a smidgen of hope that Manchin was at least a smidgen of a human being, I took a political canvassing training about reaching out to WV voters to share messaging with him. While those canvassing attempts did not work, the training did talk about how WV is somewhat of an outlier in that, while it's deeply red, it used to be purple/blue until voters felt that the Democrats left them behind in the 90s with new energy policies, but that Republicans left them behind after that too, and that few voters identify as staunchly Republican in the way some other red state voters do. It seems more like New Hampshire in that way, where they want to identify as free thinkers who subscribe to an ideology rather than a party.
I still have lower than low hopes that they'll replace Manchin with another (or an actual) Democrat, but I want to think that if the Dems can offer a decent candidate, there might be a smidgen of a smidgen of hope.
He had already made it impossible to get reelected. Now at least the Dems have a chance to try something else that probably won't work, but has a chance. If you look at the CNN exit polls from 2018 Manchin got 64 percent of the moderates, 23 percent of conservatives, and 80 percent of self-identified liberals. He only won by running up the numbers with voters on the political left. And has spent the last 5 years giving them very little in order to appeal to people who weren't his path to victory anyway. So, as far as I can see they have a better (I'm not insane, still small) chance of getting the 2018 voters out with a different candidate.
Thinking about it further, he was MORE beholden to the leftward end of the political spectrum than my senators (I'm in NY). Schumer and Gillebrand have margins for error. For any Dem in WV to win, they need every registered Dem they can get to get out and vote for them. By moving to the right, all you get is those voters saying "I approve" while the go out to vote for a Republican.
Manchin's going on a national 'listening tour' to decide what to do next (Instead of retiring to his floating DC apartment). He finds enough sugar/money in that tour, he'll try to run a 3rd party bid that will absolutely fail. In the mean time, he'll consume oxygen & occupy the media, keeping attention away from actual Democratic successes and programs, and feed the 'both candidates suck' narrative.
I hope his toes fall off and he gets large painful hemorrhoids.
I hope every woman goes and makes him listen to how his stonewalling and tradition and all the other bs he gave while in the senate about rules and decorum allowed freedom and rights to be taken away. Listen to the stories of women who nearly died while waiting for their miscarriage. Listen to the families who had to take their children to other states for medical care after they were raped by other family members. Sit there and listen to it all Joe.
Or maybe West Virginia will prove us all wrong and elect another moderate Democrat because even in West Virginia people still want abortions and legal weed.
Have to get those issues on the ballot for the turnout we’d need.
It was nice to feel good about the 2024 election mishegas and have the existential dread abate for almost a whole day.
**sighs and turns music back up**
The one good thing about him announcing now is the Democratic Party can move funds earmarked for WV to one of the other 3 states. McConnell is pouring money into MT and AZ with a fire hose.
Manchin sucked but he’s the reason Biden was able to confirm judges and pass anything in the senate. Math is math at the end of the day.
He picked the timing of his announcement to drown out the positive coverage of Tuesday night. Prick to the end.
Hey, remember when he sent millions of kids back into poverty because he's a monster? Good times, good times.
All of that hemming and hawing and being a general houseboat livin' asshole for the sake of telling his constituents that he stands up to Democrats and it was for fucking nothing. Fuck Joe Manchin.
When I had a smidgen of hope that Manchin was at least a smidgen of a human being, I took a political canvassing training about reaching out to WV voters to share messaging with him. While those canvassing attempts did not work, the training did talk about how WV is somewhat of an outlier in that, while it's deeply red, it used to be purple/blue until voters felt that the Democrats left them behind in the 90s with new energy policies, but that Republicans left them behind after that too, and that few voters identify as staunchly Republican in the way some other red state voters do. It seems more like New Hampshire in that way, where they want to identify as free thinkers who subscribe to an ideology rather than a party.
I still have lower than low hopes that they'll replace Manchin with another (or an actual) Democrat, but I want to think that if the Dems can offer a decent candidate, there might be a smidgen of a smidgen of hope.
How's that for optimism?!?
He had already made it impossible to get reelected. Now at least the Dems have a chance to try something else that probably won't work, but has a chance. If you look at the CNN exit polls from 2018 Manchin got 64 percent of the moderates, 23 percent of conservatives, and 80 percent of self-identified liberals. He only won by running up the numbers with voters on the political left. And has spent the last 5 years giving them very little in order to appeal to people who weren't his path to victory anyway. So, as far as I can see they have a better (I'm not insane, still small) chance of getting the 2018 voters out with a different candidate.
Thinking about it further, he was MORE beholden to the leftward end of the political spectrum than my senators (I'm in NY). Schumer and Gillebrand have margins for error. For any Dem in WV to win, they need every registered Dem they can get to get out and vote for them. By moving to the right, all you get is those voters saying "I approve" while the go out to vote for a Republican.