On Sunday, the leftist media went to work slamming Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin for daring to oppose his party’s effort to waste trillions of taxpayer dollars on a radical socialist agenda. In multiple interviews, he was urged to abandon his principled objections and even accused of corrupt collusion with the fossil fuel industry to block climate change measures in the wildly expensive legislation.
“As you well know, dozens of House progressives are saying, no, they’re not going to vote for your infrastructure deal until you support what we’re talking about here, the overall budget bill, which has a lot of the President’s agenda, a lot of Democrats’ agenda in it,” host Dana Bash touted to Manchin on CNN’s State of the Union. She then bizarrely tried to preemptively blame him for the bill not passing: “By digging in your heels on this, aren’t you dooming your own infrastructure bill?” Manchin hit back: “Who’s digging in the heels here?”
Bash claimed the far-left lawmakers “have leverage” and pressed: “You take this threat seriously by the progressives?...they say you’re playing politics.”
“Clean energy provisions that are in this bill, they would use tax incentives and carbon capture technology to try to cut emissions in half and make the electric grid 80 percent clean energy by 2030. Do you support that?,” Bash asked as she referred to the extreme climate agenda being pushed in the massive plan to expand government.
After Manchin explained that many companies were reducing carbon emissions on their own and there was no reason to implement draconian government mandates that would harm the economy, Bash immediately cited vile, personal attacks on the Senator from the media’s favorite socialist member of Congress:
I’m sure you have heard that your fellow Democrat, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said this about you in a tweet: “Manchin has weekly huddles with Exxon and is one of many senators who gives lobbyists their pen to write so-called bipartisan fossil fuels bills. It’s killing people. Sick of this bipartisan corruption that masquerades as clear-eyed moderation.” This is your fellow Democrat.
The anchor demanded: “Is it true that you have weekly meetings with Exxon and other lobbyists for fossil fuels?” Manchin slammed the false claims:
Absolutely not. Absolutely not....I keep my door open for everybody. It’s totally false. And those types of superlatives, it’s just awful. Continue to divide, divide, divide. I don’t know the young lady that well. I really don’t. I’ve met her one time, I think, between sets here. But that’s it. So we have not had any conversations. She’s just speculating...
Bash followed up: "She’s not the only one. I’m sure you’ve heard. There are a number of your fellow Democrats who say that you’re opposed to this because you’re bought and paid for by corporate donors.” Manchin hit back: “I’m opposed to it because it makes no sense at all. I just gave you the facts.”
It’s no surprise that Bash would so eagerly recite Ocasio-Cortez’s nasty talking points. After all, just weeks earlier, the CNN reporter was swooning over AOC in a gauzy primetime special about the “glamorous” radical.
During an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd lobbied hard for the massive spending bill: “If $3.5 trillion is agreed to by 49 others...Are you going to be the lone vote against President Biden’s agenda?” Manchin pointed out: “Well, I don’t think that I am the lone vote. And I think you know that too.” Todd pestered: “But would you be willing to be the lone vote?”
On ABC’s This Week, host and previous Democratic Party strategist George Stephanopoulos seemed to forget he was a supposed “journalist” now:
You mentioned the bipartisan infrastructure bill that has the support of Republican senators, but it’s also drawn the opposition of progressives, who don’t think it should happen unless there’s also progress on the bigger reconciliation bill. Here’s a tweet last night from Senator Bernie Sanders....“We’re not going to build bridges just sort of people can live under them. No infrastructure bill without the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.” Are you concerned we’re going to end up with nothing?
Notice how Stephanopoulos included himself in the “we” when fretting over the fate of the costly left-wing agenda.
When the late-Senator John McCain would routinely break with the Republican Party, the media cheered him as a “maverick.” However, when Manchin now does the exact same thing to the Democratic Party, the press vilify him as a thorn in his party’s side and a tool of the fossil fuel industry.
The effort to trash Manchin was brought to CNN’s viewers by Amazon, to NBC viewers by Angi, and to ABC viewers by McDonald’s. You can fight back by letting these advertisers know what you think of them sponsoring such content.
Here is a transcript of Bash’s questions to Manchin on CNN’s September 12 State of the Union:
9:15 AM ET
DANA BASH: Welcome back to State of the Union. Democrats in Congress are making a big push this month to send two major priorities to President Biden’s desk, the bipartisan infrastructure deal and a massive $3.5 trillion budget filled with progressive priorities.
All that hit a roadblock after my next guest called for a, quote, “strategic pause” on that bill, saying the price was too high. And with the 50/50 Senate, Democrats can’t even lose one vote.
And West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin joins me now. Senator, thank you so much for coming in.
SEN. JOE MANCHIN [D-WV]: Great to be with you.
BASH: I appreciate it. So, let’s talk about the op-ed that you wrote. You said you cannot support the $3.5 trillion bill until you get, quote, “greater clarity” on why that amount is necessary. Most of your colleagues have been trying to give you that clarity over the past couple of weeks since you wrote that. Your party leader, Chuck Schumer, says he’s moving, quote, “full speed ahead” with this package.
Will he have your vote?
MANCHIN: And that's fine. He can. He will not have my vote on 3.5. and Chuck knows that.
(...)
BASH: So, I want to ask you about a lot of that. But are you saying it’s the price tag, it’s the timeline? Both?
MANCHIN: It's the urgency. Do we have the urgency to do what they’re wanting to do in such a quick period of time?
BASH: But can you be specific? Okay, let’s just – let’s talk about the dollar sign.
MANCHIN: Yeah.
BASH: Do you have a specific number in mind?
MANCHIN: Here’s a number you should be getting to.
First of all, I have agreed to get onto the reconciliation, because that’s the time for us to make financial adjustments and changes. I thought the 2017 tax code and tax law, the way it was changed, was very, very unfair. And it was weighted to the heavy – to the wealthy.
BASH: So what’s the number?
MANCHIN: And bottom line is, what’s – the number would be what’s going to be competitive in our tax code. I believe the corporate rate should be at 25, not 21.
BASH: But what’s the overall number for the budget bill?
MANCHIN: You know, I think that you’re going to have to look at it and find out what you’re able to do through a reasonable, responsible way.
BASH: So, then how do you know that it’s not 3.5?
MANCHIN: And if that’s going to be at 1.5, if it's going to be 1, 1.5 – we don’t know where it’s going to be.
BASH: So, you think, ballpark, 1, 1.5?
MANCHIN: It’s not going to be at 3.5, I can assure you.
But, with that, whatever it is, once you have a competitive tax code that you can compete globally, and then you should look at what the need is. What’s the urgency and the need that we have?
BASH: And I’m – again, I want to get to that, but just because this is – this is the thing that people consume. Do you have a ceiling?
(...)
MANCHIN: No one’s concerned about the debt. Our debt as of Friday was $28.7 trillion? And we’re not even talking about that. No one is talking about that.
BASH: So, 1 – you just said 1.5. It sounds like $1.5 trillion is your number?
(...)
BASH: Okay. So let’s talk about how this would be paid for. The White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, told me on this show last week that you are, quote, “very persuadable” on this budget bill because he says it will be paid for, it won’t add to the debt, it won’t add to inflation. Your response?
(...)
BASH: Meaning don’t increase the...
MANCHIN: Well –
BASH: Don’t increase taxes on corporations?
MANCHIN: I’m just – no, no, I want to increase taxes on corporations. I’ve spoken to corporations.
BASH: So, what specifically are you saying?
(...)
BASH: Okay, and that’s – you have another side of this negotiation and some of your fellow Democrats, which I want to get to in a second, but let’s just stay on, what they call here in Washington the pay-fors, how the – your fellow Democrats want to pay for this. They’re looking at increasing the corporate tax rate, closing existing loopholes, raising taxes on wealthy Americans, trying to get money back from – get the IRS to get money back.
MANCHIN: IRS. I agree with all of that. I agree with all of it.
BASH: And they say they can add that up to 3.5, and there will be not a dollar –
MANCHIN: No, let’s –
BASH: This is what they’re saying – added to the debt.
MANCHIN: I understand, but we just disagree.
BASH: You just don’t believe them?
(...)
BASH: What does competitive tax rate mean? Can you define that?
MANCHIN: Yes, be globally competitive. Dana, you have to be globally competitive. You back can’t be –
BASH: Right. But can you give a – can you explain –
(...)
BASH: Okay, I want to – and I want to get to some of the specifics on this in a second. But you just said that you want to get the infrastructure bill that you helped to negotiate, a bipartisan infrastructure bill. It passed the Senate. You want to get it through the House.
MANCHIN: And the White House was very much involved every day.
BASH: And the White House was – but, as you well know, dozens of House progressives are saying, no, they’re not going to vote for your infrastructure deal until you support what we’re talking about here, the overall budget bill, which has a lot of the President’s agenda, a lot of Democrats’ agenda in it. By digging in your heels on this, aren’t you dooming your own infrastructure bill?
MANCHIN: Who’s digging in the heels here?
(...)
BASH: But they have leverage. I guess they’re – they have leverage...
MANCHIN: If they can home and tell...
BASH: ...just like – just like you have leverage. They’re using their leverage, the House progressives, just like you are.
MANCHIN: That’s fine.
(...)
BASH: You take this threat seriously by the progressives?
MANCHIN: They will have to do what they have to do. I mean, I don’t – I’m not involved with the House and the House rules or any of that, okay? They’re going to do what they think is best. And if they play politics with the needs of America, I can tell you, America will recoil.
BASH: And they say you’re playing politics.
MANCHIN: I don't think so. But the bottom line is, if it’s such good politics, and they think $3.5 trillion, why are they rushing it now? Why don’t they use that for a political?
BASH: All right, let’s talk about what’s in it.
MANCHIN: Use that next year on the campaign trail and say, elect for me, and we will spend $3.5 trillion.
BASH: Let’s talk about some of the specifics, because I want to get to the substance of what we’re talking about here.
MANCHIN: Sure.
BASH: Because I don’t think that gets enough attention. What President Biden and the Democrats say is, the child tax credit, which has been expanded, make it permanent. They’re saying it’s already having a major impact on poverty and hunger for children. Do you support making it permanent?
(...)
BASH: So, let’s talk about universal pre-K. West Virginia, your home state –
MANCHIN: I have been all for that. I'm all in.
BASH: You want to make it a federal program?
MANCHIN: Well, it’s fine to be federal, but the states can do it too. And the states have a responsibility.
BASH: But should universal pre-K be in a bill like this that you would support?
MANCHIN: I don't have a problem because I universal pre-K.
(...)
BASH: Clean energy provisions that are in this bill, they would use tax incentives and carbon capture technology to try to cut emissions in half and make the electric grid 80 percent clean energy by 2030. Do you support that?
(...)
BASH: So, it sounds like a no. You don’t support the provision?
MANCHIN: It makes no sense at all.
BASH: Okay.
MANCHIN: Makes no sense.
BASH: I’m sure you have heard that your fellow Democrat, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said this about you in a tweet: “Manchin has weekly huddles with Exxon and is one of many senators who gives lobbyists their pen to write so-called bipartisan fossil fuels bills. It’s killing people. Sick of this bipartisan corruption that masquerades as clear-eyed moderation.” This is your fellow Democrat.
MANCHIN: Well –
BASH: Is it true that you have weekly meetings with Exxon and other lobbyists for fossil fuels?
MANCHIN: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And you ask them if they have ever – no, they don’t – weekly meetings, I don’t –
BASH: It’s just false?
MANCHIN: I keep my door open for everybody. It’s totally false. And those types of superlatives, it’s just awful. Continue to divide, divide, divide. I don’t know the young lady that well. I really don’t. I’ve met her one time, I think, between sets here. But that’s it. So we have not had any conversations. She’s just speculating and saying things because she wants to –
BASH: She’s not the only one. I’m sure you’ve heard. There are a number of your fellow Democrats who say that you’re opposed to this because you’re bought and paid for by corporate donors.
MANCHIN: I’m opposed to it – I’m opposed to it because it makes no sense at all. I just gave you the facts. I’ve said this, you’re entitled to your own facts – I mean, your own opinions. You’re just not entitled to create your own facts to support it.
And that’s exactly what they’re doing. The facts I’ve given you is that the transition is happening, reliability. Look what happened in Texas. It was natural gas that basically shut down in Texas that caused all that horrible carnage of people. It was awful.
BASH: You have said pause. What the Senate wants to do is get this worked out by this week, so that the House can vote on it September 27. Is that a timeline that you can support in any way?
(...)
BASH: Real quick on another topic.
MANCHIN: Okay.
BASH: Because I have been traveling, working on a project on voting. I’ve been to Georgia and Texas and Arizona. Every Democrat I talk to there say that they need the federal government to act, you to help find a way to get a federal voting rights bill passed. I know you’ve been working on it this summer.
MANCHIN: I’m doing everything I can.
BASH: Where are you?
(...)
BASH: Do you think you will get this done before the next midterm – before the midterms?
MANCHIN: Oh, I definitely believe we can, if we work hard.
(...)
BASH: Senator Joe Manchin, thank you so much for your time this morning. I appreciate it.
MANCHIN: Thanks, Dana. Appreciate being with you.
