Boy, West Virginia, you really have the socialist-leftists and their fawning followers of the mainstream media in a hissy. And from my home in the midwestern blue state of Illinois – a state that has been irreparably damaged by decades of liberal Democrat tax-and-spend policies – it is refreshing to watch a red state of less than two million people fiercely wield so much power on the national front.
While the press’s obsession with Donald J. Trump remains, and does not seem to be diminishing anytime soon, the media has an additional target of its frenetic ire: United States Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The liberal press is spending as much of its collective efforts attempting to coerce Joe Manchin into supporting President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending proposal, as it is trying to bully Kyrie Irving into submitting to a coronavirus-vaccine injection.
The liberal media’s tactics in trying to strong-arm Senator Manchin come off as a blend of anger and desperation. On the anger front, the media’s scornful voices seem to shriek: How dare some Senator from West Virginia stand in the way of Joe Biden’s proposal? On the desperation front, the media seems to be pleading: Why can’t Manchin just take one for the team and sacrifice West Virginia’s interests to help out his fellow Democrat, Joe Biden? Joe Biden needs a win, dammit! After all, the President’s favorability rating is in the gutter and he needs help!
In addition to the media pressure, there are the protestors. You have probably seen audiovisual footage by now of folks showing up by kayak in front of the Senator’s houseboat in a harbor in Washington D.C. chanting slogans such as “No citizenship, No deal!” and “Don’t sink our bill!” (See, audiovisual footage, ‘Kayaktavists visit Joe Manchin’s yacht’, streamed live on 9-29-2021, act.tv., youtube.com.). From the footage, it appears to have been a small group of protestors, but a vocal and exuberant one nonetheless. I am guessing that some, if not many, of the protestors could lay claim to being from West Virginia about as much as I could: After all, I sang Take Me Home, Country Roads once on a karaoke night in Delavan, Wisconsin circa 2014. Surely, that makes me as much a West Virginian as some of the folks showing up in a D.C. harbor by kayak to pester Joe Manchin. But, regardless of from what various states the kayakers may hail, it is impressive that Senator Manchin draws more enthusiasm on water from protestors than Joe Biden could muster on land from his supporters at his lackluster campaign events.
Despite having to tolerate the disruption of the peace of his dock-time, the seemingly unflappable and courteous Senator Manchin spoke to the group from the stern of his boat. (See, audiovisual footage of CPD Action@twitter.com, pinned tweet of September 30, 2021). Manchin engaged them in a conversational and non-confrontational manner, addressing their concerns in a pleasant and respectful manner. Notably, Senator Manchin’s dignified discourse with the kayakers struck a presidential tone: unlike that of the irascible and curt fashion in which Biden swats away the occasional substantive question from a member of the press or the contemptuous manner in which Biden speaks of the “distinct minority” of millions of Americans who have declined to consent to an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine.
But it’s not just Senator Manchin’s willingness to engage in congenial discourse with individuals who disagree with him; the substance of his objection to the $3.5 trillion dollar proposal is well-reasoned. Instead of being filtered by the media’s lens, you may want to read the Senator’s one-page statement of September 29, 2021 found on his official website which succinctly explains his position. The Senator concludes his position statement with the following: “If there is one final lesson that will continue to guide me in this difficult debate ahead it is this: “America is a great nation but great nations throughout history have been weakened by careless spending and bad policies. Now, more than ever, we must work together to avoid these fatal mistakes so that we may fulfill our greatest responsibility as elected leaders and pass on a better America to the next generation.” Manchin Statement on Infrastructure and Reconciliation Negotiations, Sept. 29, 2021, manchin.senate.gov.
All eyes are on West Virginia. Stay strong, West Virginia. The republic’s fiscal health depends on it.