Waiting for Manchin to talk to Warnock (#4451)

      Yesterday Joe Manchin was pressed by CNN about the voting rights bill and his response was to say he was going to talk to Raphael Warnock about it. That these two haven't yet talked might explain why Manchin is clueless about how his stubborn stance on the John Lewis voting rights bill is going to make reelecting Warnock in a suppressed Georgia a near impossibility. I have little doubt now that Warnock will give Manchin the heads up on all that is at stake here including Manchin losing his senate committee chairmanships when the republicans are able to win back the senate in 2022 because Manchin doesn't want to protect voting rights out of some duty to the filibuster.
     I expect that in the next few days that Manchin will have a change of heart and be open to carving out an exception to the filibuster that will allow a 50 plus one vote on fundamental voting rights legislation. I may be a bit angry, but it has baffled me that Manchin could not see that his obstinance toward an exception for elections issues was fully thought out by him. I now understand that he basically doesn't understand the consequences of his unfounded albeit altruistic stance in relation to bipartisanship. It takes two to negotiate and when one is not willing to negotiate in good faith then the idea that bipartisanship should overrule common sense and logic is illogical itself.
     I also do still believe that Manchin will fall in line on many issues that we democrats are eager to make law but it will take a bit of time so I must be a little more patient. Remembering that we are only 79 days into the Biden administration is important. We are just beginning to adjust to how our new administration will reinvent our society. Keeping pressure on Joe Manchin by explaining in real simple terms the detriments that come with his flawed but noble stances will be critical. I do admire that he wants bipartisanship to work and that in the different world would be the correct approach but this reality is nothing like one in which the party out of power appreciates the will of the people. Instead this iteration of republicanism is more determined to undermine democracy than accept it's judgement.