Venting piece.
Seeing the news about Joe Manchin killing our hopes of making Washington DC a state has me feeling a little broken and powerless right now.
What does it matter that Republicans are the minority of public support and their numbers getting smaller when they have so many unfair advantages to help them overcome it being helped by “Democrats” who don’t get that their belief in “bipartisanship” is, at this point, based in an apparent denial of how monstrous the Republican party has gotten.
Maybe I, as a black man in Connecticut, really don’t matter. This electoral process really doesn’t give my voice much power compared to old rural white men. Never mind that the population of my state is close to twice that of West Virginia.
Maybe you’re jealous that more people live in DC than voted you in on your last win in West Virginia.
Why Joe Manchin did you make this decision? Are you letting this hype about you being the most powerful man in America now go to your head? At this point, we might as well still have Mitch McConnell as Senate leader if you and Sinema will effectively let him continue to screw a majority of us over?
Maybe you don’t want to make DC a state because it would make it harder for you and Republicans to hold the majority of us hostage for your ego? 2 more assumed Democratic Senators likely means no more having to be at your mercy to approve of our political agenda.
Do you believe the right wing “Democrat power grab” hype?
You think H.R. 1 is too lenient? Do you not see what Republicans are doing all across the country? But then, I’ve heard you repeating bits and pieces of their lies that Biden’s win was suspect.
Do you want your legacy to be that of an enabler to the Republicans’ racism and ongoing soft coup attempts? Right now, that’s what you are doing when you stand in the way Democrats doing anything to protect our democracy. Is your ego and power more important than protecting our democracy that got you in office in the first place?
Why, Joe Manchin? Who are you fighting for? A majority of people in West Virginia may not want DC statehood, but a majority of people in this country do.
I’m really irritated of constantly seeing the will of a majority of us get denied because the places that represent a minority and shrinking number of people in this country don’t approve!
Also, you stood against Neera Tanden’s nomination because you didn’t like some of her tweets. Where the hell were you when Donald Trump and a whole bunch of his cult have tweeted far worse? Maybe you “never paid attention” to their tweets. Did any of Tanden’s tweets promote racism, sexism, violence, insurrection, or death to political opponents? I’m pretty sure she didn’t!
You may call yourself a Democrat, but I’m very irritated by what you’re doing.
History is watching. History doesn’t care about your ego or hype as the most powerful man in America. History will care what you did with your power to help people and our democracy.
I may not live in West Virginia, but as a US Senator, the decisions you make affect me and all of us in the country and the world, and your decisions against DC statehood and reservations on H.R. 1/For the People Act are hurting all of us.