Freshman Democratic congressman from New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman called Sen. Joe Manchin (D. W. Va) the new Mitch McConnell after he came out in opposition to filibuster reform to pass voting rights legislation in an op-ed over the weekend.
“Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell,” Bowman said during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.” “Mitch McConnell during Obama’s presidency said he would do everything in his power to stop Obama. He has also repeated that now during the Biden presidency….And now Joe Manchin is doing everything in his power to stop democracy and our work for the people.”
Sen. Manchin wrote in an op-ed on Sunday that he would oppose the For the People Act, a voting rights legislation that passed in the House earlier this year.
“I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For the People Act,” Manchin wrote. “Furthermore, I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster. For as long as I have the privilege of being your U.S. senator, I will fight to represent the people of West Virginia, to seek bipartisan compromise no matter how difficult and to develop the political bonds that end divisions and help unite the country we love.”
Without Manchin’s support the bill is dead since no Republican so far have signaled they will support the legislation that will require 60 votes to pass in the Senate. Even if Democrats were to use the nuclear option, the votes simply are not there without the West Virginia Democrat support.
