After the 2020 presidential election, Manchin said he opposed and would not vote for adding any additional seats to the Supreme Court, a process known as "court packing." This is the same guy who voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court after all, and only voted in favor of Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS conformation because he was up for re-election. As the Senate has become increasingly polarized, the filibuster has become a weapon enabling the minority party to obstruct rather than compromise. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., who opposed the $15 wage, has proposed an increase to $11. Manchin is an unusual character in the increasingly polarized Senate: a Democrat who voted in favor of Trump’s position on legislation more than half the time, and who seeks to split almost every issue down the middle. But his split-the-difference positions also reflect who he is and where he’s from: a culturally conservative, anti-abortion, pro-business Democrat from a desperately poor coal state. He’s disappointed that Biden, in pursuit of quick passage for his COVID-19 relief bill, has largely ignored his advice. Sen. Joe Manchin, the self-styled conservative Democrat from West Virginia, is driving progressives crazy — and he doesn’t seem to mind. Senate passes $1.9-trillion COVID-19 economic relief bill. MAGA. COVID-19 vaccines are now being administered to healthcare workers in the U.S. What are your questions about the timeline, the safety or the science? Long a dogged defender of coal mining — as governor of West Virginia, he sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its ban on mountaintop removal — he has seemingly come to accept that coal jobs will never come back and now focuses on attracting clean energy jobs to his state. I would never do that," he said. It's supposed to work in a bipartisan way. But the Senate’s Democratic leaders are staying out of the fray, giving Manchin a great deal of deference for a simple, practical reason: He’s their 50th vote. He hasn’t always sided with the Republicans – and it’s important to remember that he is, still, a Democrat. Biden moves quickly to tackle coronavirus, the issue that could define his presidency, Biden transition team announces coronavirus advisers, including whistleblower Rick Bright. Washington (CNN)Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, made it clear Tuesday he does not support expanding the Supreme Court, dampening Democrats' hopes of countering the court's conservative tilt even if they capture both US Senate seats in January's Georgia runoff races. He’s an example of how Democrats can win Senate seats in states where they need to begin winning again: in rural states that, thanks to the Constitution, hold a share of seats in the Senate wildly disproportionate to their populations. "I'm not voting for basically breaking the filibuster because that means that we've given up on the Senate. It’s hard to avoid the impression that Manchin enjoys being the man in the middle — the senator both sides want to woo. Being an outsider from Ohio, I asked to meet with the new secretary of state, Joe Manchin III, to discuss West Virginia’s finance rules. He says he strongly opposes a $15 federal minimum wage, one of Biden’s top campaign promises. Contracts. Washington, DC – U.S. Federal agents searched Klete Keller’s home on day he was arrested, Essential Politics: Newsom’s big speech as the recall looms, Jury selection is first battleground at Chauvin trial. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. He voted against confirming Amy Coney Barrett. In 2016, Donald Trump won West Virginia by a 42-percentage-point margin, the second-largest of any state (Wyoming came in first). He’s a throwback to the age when Southern Democrats like his predecessor Robert C. Byrd became power brokers precisely because their votes were unpredictable. Union Corruption. There are 1,176 people hospitalized with the disease. Libertarianism . Asked if his party has a Joe Manchin problem, Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois told a television interviewer: “We have a 50-50 problem.”. Newsom’s deliberations on choosing a new attorney general underscore the sea change when it comes to capital punishment, This high school reopened two months ago, with no COVID-19 outbreaks. News. Here’s how. Republicans have pointed to court expansion and the eliminate of the Senate filibuster, among other policies, to argue that Democrats would pass radical reforms. Forget it, Joe. Back in November, when Manchin said this, I was skeptical, and said so here. Northern California Catholic schools, including high schools, have opened campuses five days a week, with few virus outbreaks. “We’re generally disgusted with not getting anything done.”. He hasn’t decided whether to support Biden’s choice for Interior secretary, Deb Haaland, because she has advocated tough regulation of coal and natural gas, two important industries in West Virginia. That means recruiting and supporting candidates attuned to the problems of farmers, ranchers and miners — rural populists, not urban progressives.