Joe Manchin’s Foolish Demand for Bipartisanship

 By Mildred Robertson

Bipartisanship is a key component of a healthy democracy. It is a tool that allows thoughtful consideration of all sides of a political situation.  Impartial deliberation is a method by which a governing body can arrive at a solution that addresses the desires of the majority while considering the needs of the minority. It is the foundation of good government striving to meet the needs of all its constituents. However, this methodology requires good-faith negotiations on the part of all participants. Therein lies the problem with Sen. Joe Machin’s demand that any legislation to which he adds his support must be based on bipartisan consensus.

The Republican Congress, led by Senator Mitchell McConnell, has vowed over the past two democratic presidencies to oppose any legislation proposed by Democrats. He showed his skillfulness in keeping that vow during the Obama presidency, when he blocked all meaningful legislation except the Affordable Care Act known as “Obama Care”, which he successfully weakened before its passage.

Now, faced with legislation critical to the survival of self-governing rule in this country, Machin has made the irrational decision to reject the Democrats’ move to kill the filibuster, and allow majority rule to prevail. He insists that his crucial vote will be withheld unless Democrats are able to bring along ten Republicans to support any legislation, thereby bringing the 117^th Congress to stalemate. This decision is either disingenuous or delusional, depending upon whether Machin’s position is based on his desire to be pivotal in the political landscape, or that he truly believes that he can negotiate with a McConnell-led Republican Party which has already demonstrated its penchant for opposing rather than governing.

Manchin has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory…invalidating the hard-fought win that seemingly resulted in a Democratic majority when Georgia elected two democrats to the Senate in January 2021. When senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won their run-offs in January, it appeared that America had turned a corner, leaving behind the destructive politics of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. But with Manchin’s decision to oppose legislation that would strengthen voting rights, he denied Democrats the edge it needs to move forward without Republican support in the Senate. Manchin has single-handedly blocked progressive legislation that is overwhelmingly supported by the voting public; though possibly not by the majority of his constituents in West Virginia.

This conundrum has placed Democrats in a peculiar position. The will of the people, I believe, is clear. In 2021 they voted for leadership with a purpose and a plan. But with the defection of Manchin, and possibly one or two other democrats, the nation continues to be held hostage by the narrow, bigoted, and fruitless rule of the likes of Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump. Seemingly the majority; Democrats still languish in the halls of Congress, trying to determine a way to enact meaningful legislation to actually make America great again.  

Meanwhile, Manchin foolishly continues to attempt negotiation with an adversary who definitively states that negotiation is not an option; and he continues to fight efforts to eliminate the outdated and racist fillibuster which allows the minority to prevail.