The politicians who take the largest sums of money from billionaire and corporations are often the obstructionists to progress for the good of the country. Both Manchin and Sinema aren’t hurting in the amount of money/ donor cash flowing their way. Their obstruction on a much needed change to the filibuster rule in order to pass voting rights legislation is baffling. They know Mitch McConnell has modified the filibuster to advance his agenda and the filibuster did not permanently go away. So their concern appears to be a Trump- like spin to block the strengthening of democracy. It may be to feed their egos, line their pockets with cash, or be in collusion with Republicans to damage Joe Biden’s presidency. This obstructionism labeled by the senators as principled patriotism is a transparent, dangerous move that will diminish democracy, cost people their livelihood and maybe even their lives.
How Rich, Deep In Dark Money or Corrupt Are Manchin or Sinema? Democrats Are Not Believing It’s Their Worry About A Temporary Change In The Filibuster That Explains Why They Are Obstructiong Biden’s Build Back Better Policies And Blocking Federal Voting Rights Protection Legislation.
Manchin and Sinema and their donors and special interests:
The Data For Progress Organization has reported voters in Arizona and West Virginia support voter protection rights legislation and Biden’s Build Back Better plan. However, along with all 50 Republican Senators, Manchin and Sinema are obstructing the passing of the bills that would protect democracy from the MAGA efforts to destroy it and would economically help the average American family. “Manchin opposes popular provisions such as paid family leave and a clean electricity program that would boost wind and solar power while phasing out coal and gas, while Sinema rejects an increase of personal and corporate income tax rates. Their stances have not gone unnoticed by Wall Street and wealthy conservatives.”(The Guardian, Nov. 2021). The newspaper also revealed Manchin of West Virginia and Sinema of Arizona traveled to an $18m mansion in Dallas for a summer fundraiser attended by Republican and big business donors who have praised their efforts to pare down the Build Back Better bill.
Over the last five years Sinema has received contributions from more than 50 billionaire supporters, all but one of whom hail from outside of her home state of Arizona. (Forbes Magazine, Dec. 2021). Additionally, veteran groups are deflecting from supporting Sinema due to her opposition to certain aspects of Biden’ a Build Back Better Plan, while it has been noted she supports legislation that favors the success of her hedge fund and big pharma donors. Manchin is well-known to have financial interests in legislating in favor the coal industry.
The influence of money in politics is rampant, corrupt and should be grounds for elected officials to be expelled. Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, said: “It’s an outrage. Candidates are in such a hunger for amassing large campaign war chests that they’re going to provide privileged access to the very interests are supposed to be regulating.”(Guardian, Nov. 2021). Alaska voters overwhelmingly want their Senator Lisa Murkowsky to get voting rights passed. It’s about those voters, not Murkowsky’s partisan embracing of the racist, outdated filibuster.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Enemy of The Democracy Intented By The Founding Fathers
It should be noted that the filibuster rule appears nowhere in the Constitution. Claims by Mc Connell of it’s importance to democracy is BS. It is an action that goes back to the 1880s whose purpose was to block or prolong debate on an issue and prevent or delay a vote on a bill or amendment supported by the majority party. The legacy of the filibuster is tainted as it has often been used to block civil rights legislation intended to combat racial discrimination. (Brennan Center for Justice, April, 2021). It has become a much abused action which gives the minority party the power to block the agenda of the majority party that has been put into power by the vote of the people.
When Democrats talk of changing the filibuster rule, Mitch McConnell calls it bartisan power- grabbing. When Republicans, led by McConnell’s corrupt hypocrisy, use the filibuster to advance their agenda, he calls it legal, smart politics. The only thing accurate and funny Trump says is that Mitch McConnell is a ” loser” and an ” old crow.”
McConnell’s filibuster history shows he had no problem changing the filibuster rules to a majority vote only to seat Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and the beer-loving, angry, alleged sexual assaulter Brett Kavanaugh. In 2009, when Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid changed the filibusterto stop Mc Connell and the Republicans from blocking President Obama’s picks to fill appellate judge seats and positions at agencies and boards that served vital oversight and watchdog functions”(Las Vegas Review-Journal, April 2019), Connell was livid. McConnell’s hypocrisy is so blatant and his corrupt character is akin to a cancer dispensing the Senate.
This week Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will bring a vote to the Senate floor on the bills that protect easy, fair access to vote for all Americans. Sinema and Manchin have declared their support to preserve the filibuster over safeguarding voting rights. Let’s watch for how much their personal and campaign funds increase after the vote.
Pro-democracy demonstrations should sweep the country targeting Manchin, Sinema, and the Republican party for conspiring to create a MAGA, anti-democracy America.
