Progressive Groups to Schumer: Stand for the Resistance and Ditch Manchin

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/24/progressive-groups-schumer-stand-resistance-and-ditch-manchin?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork

Published on Friday, February 24, 2017
Progressive Groups to Schumer: Stand for the Resistance and Ditch Manchin

CREDO, #AllOfUs, Democracy for America, Other98, and 350 Action say West Virginia senator's recent record shows he doesn't stand up for progressive values
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer


A group of progressive organizations is calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to boot Joe Manchin from his party leadership position, saying the West Virginia senator's recent record proves he's unfit to be among those spearheading resistance to the Trump administration's right-wing agenda.

Drawing immediate ire from progressive advocacy groups, Manchin, who serves as Senate Democrats' vice chairman of the Policy and Communications Committee, was the only Democrat to join Republicans and vote to confirm former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin—dubbed by some the "foreclosure king"—as Treasury Secretary.

His was the only Democratic vote in favor of Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general. He also joined just two other Democratic senators—Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), and Mark Warner (Va.)—to "vote for climate disaster" and confirm former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.

On top of that, CREDO, #AllOfUs, Democracy for America, Other98, and 350 Action said in a statement Thursday, during a closed-door meeting President Donald Trump held with 10 senators this month, "Manchin reportedly remained silent while Trump launched a racist tirade against Sen. Elizabeth Warren." Trump reportedly referred to her several times as Pocahontas.

"Senator Schumer has the responsibility to stand up for progressive values and lead the Trump resistance in the Senate," said CREDO Action senior campaign manager Heidi Hess. "Joe Manchin's constant refusal to stand up against Republicans' racist, sexist, and misogynist agenda disqualifies him from serving as a leader of the resistance party," she said.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/02/24/progressive-groups-schumer-stand-resistance-and-ditch-manchin?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork

[rzemanfl]

1. Absolutely agree. K&R n/t

[monmouth4]

3. Me too. He's useless..n/t

[Warpy]

27. He's especially hostile to women's health issues

with a lifetime score of 0%. There's no way I could stand up for this one.

Progressive Punch gives him a progressive score of 58.02%. The best Republican is Susan Collins, with a score of 27%+change. That is a significant difference, meaning the worst Democrat is still better than the best Republican on progressive issues.

With a blind spot big enough for my half of the human race, I'd say he's got to go, though. I do hope the Democrats in WV can come up with somebody better to primary him out.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. This should be interesting...!

[nycbos]

4. Uh no.

While we might not like him he is a Dem in a red state and is 100% better than a Republican alternative. We have several Dem Senators in red states we need to defend in 2018

[stevenleser]

5. I agree. The lack of thinking necessary to support what is written in the OP is astounding. nt

[babylonsister]

7. I imagine they can find better candidates for

party leadership positions than this DINO, which is what the premise of the article is about.

[nycbos]

8. Leadership gives seniority which gives clout...

... which he can use to sell to the people of his state.

I know many progressives had their problems with Mary Landrieu but I know they will give anything to have her back over the Republican.

[rufus dog]

9. I disagree

Sends the wrong message. That is we will compromise. Boot him, make 4 repubs switch to stop tRump. Send a clear message about who we are and what we represent. That is a message that will resonate. He is wounded already by his ties to his daughter. Fuck him, cut him loose and make him run as a repub. Then go after him strong as anti worker.

[nycbos]

10. We will loose the seat.

That is one more Republican in office. That makes it harder to take back the chamber. And the phrase "anti-worker" doesn't work in a phrase like West Virginia.


The UMW has been decimated.

[Horse with no Name]

12. So what happens if we win a few elections

And this asshole changes parties?

[nycbos]

14. I think he just needs to be thrown a bone now and then.

[Demsrule86]

35. Well how is that different than if a Repubican is elected in WVA?

Of course, I doubt Joe will switch...he is one unique Senator in the Democratic Party...he would be one of many in the GOP party.

[mcar]

15. "Make 4 Repubs switch"

How, precisely, do we do that? And how is that not adding 4 more conservative Dems who won't vote with the party all the time?

[rufus dog]

16. McCain, Murkowski, Collins, and one

Hammer the living shit out of Republicans for being in bed with the enemy, Russia. Call them anti-America, un-American, traitors to our Country, at the beginning of every interview. Never, ever, back off, tie it all back to early summer 2016 when Obama warned them, tie it back to hindering investigations early in the tRump presidency. Clearly and consistently state what they did as Republicans, and never apologize. "I will never apologize to a person who put the interest of Russia ahead of the interests of our fellow countrymen and women." Their only excuse is to claim ignorance, then you knock the living shit out of them for being wrong and ignorant.

Do you really think McCain is going to stand up and defend the Republican party on this issue?

[mcar]

18. McCain has voted to confirm just about all of Drumpf's appointees

Graham has voted Aye on all. They talk a good game but their actions betray them.

[OnDoutside]

45. Exactly. McCain and Graham could play the Lion in Wizard of Oz.

[Demsrule86]

36. No bad idea...he votes with us most of the time.

And you underestimate the courage of the 4 GOP senators who will not switch to stop Trump...in 2010...these same Senators did nothing to stop the GOP from destroying the economy in an attempt to make Pres. Obama a one term president...Manchin votes with us just under 79% and will help us take the majority if we can win in 18 and 20...that is the best you will do WVA...what these progressive groups are asking for is purity instead of victory, and it is a bad idea. If we want the majority, we will have some Senators that the are less progressive than you and me...that is the reality of our situation.

[Hortensis]

43. Rufus Dog, cooperation is the very basis of democracy.

The current extremist Republican leadership's refusal to cooperate instead of working to find that critical middle ground is literally threatening to destroy our democracy.

Compromise that arises from finding ways to satisfy most factions is not just good, it's an absolute imperative.

Isn't this a big reason why you are a Democrat? Because we believe in our democratic republican form of government?

[Hortensis]

42. Exactly, exactly, and exactly.

Senator Schumer knows what he is doing.

[truebluegreen]

53. Does he?

“For every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia, and you can repeat that in Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin.”

--Chuck Schumer, at a forum hosted by the Washington Post, July 2016

[alarimer]

50. Until he votes to kill the ACA

Which is what the Republican "reforms" amount to. Yet someone like Manchin is not someone to be counted on when an issue we care about is up for debate. Just wait until he goes against the rest of the Democratic caucus on something. It WILL happen.

[calimary]

51. Understood. Point well taken.

It's all in the numbers. Right now, his existence in the Senate gives us one more number closer to taking over the majority, as unreliable as he votes sometimes.

YES he's a DINO. YES, too much of the time, he can't be counted on to vote the way we want and need him to.

But that's all the more reason to make sure we get MORE Dems in the Senate and House - AND in state legislatures and governors' mansions around the country. In. The. Upcoming. Midterms!

Let's aim to do so well that we don't need his ass. Besides, if we were to get back the Senate next year, Schumer will move up to Senate Majority Leader, OUR party will dominate and set the agenda and OUR team members will chair all the committees, and he can be moved to some other committee where he doesn't have as much clout.

Joseph "Joe" Manchin III /ˈmæntʃᵻn/ (born August 24, 1947)[1] is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. Manchin, a member of the Democratic Party, served as the 34th Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010 and the Secretary of State of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005. He won the special election in November 2010 to fill the seat of Senator Robert Byrd, the longest serving U.S. Senator in history, who died in office. Manchin was elected to a full term in office with 60 percent of the vote in November 2012. Manchin became the state's senior Senator when Jay Rockefeller retired in 2015.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Manchin

So if I understand the math correctly, his six-year term that he won in 2012 is up NEXT YEAR (2018). So this might be moot. By then, perhaps another Democrat will primary him and then take his seat?

[mythology]

56. It's far more likely he will be replaced by a Republican

[JHan]

6. Do they have a better candidate to primary him?

[Staph]

11. No.

Not at the moment. He's most likely going to be running against a slimy Republican Congressman (and former Democrat) Evan Jenkins. Give us West Virginians some time to turn this state around!

[JHan]

24. I can imagine, W.Va is rough.

[Staph]

25. I'm no sure what is so hard to understand.

Do you want someone who votes with the Democrats 75% of the time or 0% of the time? (Not you personally, but the general you!)

Eventually we will find someone Blue to replace Joe. But not in 2018. In the mean time, our Indivisible group is working on reminding him of the beliefs and traditions of our Party. And we think we've got him primed for a town hall!

[OnDoutside]

46. Thanks for bringing commonsense to the thread, Staph.

[Demsrule86]

34. Listen we are in the same boat in Ohio

Sherrod Brown is running in two years in a state that went for Trump by about 10 points...more than went for Trump in Georgia. It is very tricky.

[stevenleser]

17. Exactly. People really need to engage that organ between their ears. nt

[JHan]

23. I could understand if they had somebody in mind..

perhaps that's too much to ask.

Manchin shouldn't be the nexus of arguments that really oughta be about supporting /buttressing democrats in red states.

but what do I know..?

[uponit7771]

30. Nope

[Progressive dog]

13. The solution to Republican control is

not to have Democrats expel Democrats from the party. Republicans probably agree with the "progressive groups" on this.

[wildeyed]

20. Other than DFA, I never heard of the groups they list in the article.

I Googled and they are shady AF. Only one even lists staff members. The rest are completely opaque as to who is running or funding them. People are so gullible.

[wildeyed]

19. Oh please.

Manchin is a Dem Senate vote from a bright red state. The alternative is a Republican. It's not like we could do better there. It doesn't matter how he votes. His existence puts us one seat closer to taking the majority.

We have REAL problems right now, but by all means let's circle the firing squad up and shoot at each other while Trump and Bannon burn it all down.

[dlk]

21. Is There Such a Thing as a DINO (Democrat in Name Only)?

Manchin's recent votes for Trump cabinet nominees demonstrates his serious lack of Democratic Party values. Of course, one need only look at the recent actions of his daughter, Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch, who randomly raised the price of epi pens over 600%, just to increase her profits, not caring about the financial hardships or deaths her pathological avarice would cause. Could Manchin be seeking preferential treatment for his daughter by cozying up to the Republicans? Regardless, he is a disgrace to the Democratic Part!

[truebluegreen]

59. Thank you.

[BzaDem]

22. That would be an excellent strategy if the goal is to produce a permanent Republican Senate.

Trump won 30 states. Hillary won 20. If Democrats only win Senate elections in Hillary states, Republicans would have a minimum of 60 Senate seats (and Democrats would have a maximum of 40). Furthermore, that doesn't even take into account the fact that the electorate is older and whiter in midterms, which means we often lose some Senate seats in Hillary states during midterm elections (such as Colorado, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Illinois). This means that in order to have any hope of a majority, we need to win Senate seats in at least 5-10 red states.

Good luck doing that without Senators like Manchin.

[JI7]

26. these "progressive" groups are not interested in actual progress

[Demsrule86]

38. They have 'principles'...and one of them seems to be losing is some sort of badge honor...

Winning is the only thing that matters right now. Trump must be stopped. And consider in 2008 we had a majority that included conservadems ...now we have literally nothing.

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Five Democrats will be fending off Republicans in states that Trump won by double digits in 2018.

I don't see how the strategy laid out in the o.p. helps that cause. We only need a couple of defections to put us in the minority for years & years to come. Instead of bowing to pressure from these so-called progressive groups, I think it's incumbent upon Schumer to explain that not all democrats claim to be progressive, and Joe Manchin is one of them. Republicans know he's vulnerable, and they don't care how much money they have to spend to take his seat.

I wish people would think before they take pen to paper. This is not a well thought out plan, it seems to be based purely on emotion. That would make us no better than Greens. Sure, they have their principles, but can't win an election to save their lives.

[Demsrule86]

31. We shoud call Schumer and tell him not to bow to progressive groups

who apparently want to lose.

[Tarheel_Dem]

55. I will definitely let his office know that I, personally, don't agree with these so-called....

progressives. I mean, first of all, how do we know they are who they say they are? And secondly, they don't speak for the whole of the Democratic party. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are the congressional leaders of this party.

[Demsrule86]

61. Me too...this helps Trump and the GOP.

[RoadhogRidesAgain]

29. Fuck him

Joe munchkin is literally a democrat in name only. West Virginia is ground zero for the kind of mentality that gives a bloodline to Trumpism.

[Demsrule86]

32. He votes with us 80% of the time. That is the best you will get in WVA and some other

red states...I think many who demand purity from all should face reality.

[Demsrule86]

39. How nice of you to join us and explain how losing WVA is really a good thing.

[boston bean]

33. No, people want a 50 state strategy.. well, you get people like manchin.

No need to cut one member out because of purist politics.

This has always been the disconnect of some. If you want a 50 state strategy and play everywhere, you are going to get conservadems. Those are the only people who win.

Then they want to kick these people out of the party.

Damn what a vicious cycle some are in.

[stevenleser]

37. As far as strategy is concerned, those folks should stick to bowling

That's the level of strategic thinking that they can handle. This is really simple. Most fourth graders would be capable of getting it.

Adults on DU shouldn't be having this conversation. It's like folks having a tantrum because 2+2=4 and they are angry that it doesn't equal 5. That's not a conversation adults need to have.

[Demsrule86]

40. 1000+ That is an excellent point...you are correct. nt.

[babylonsister]

41. Y'know, you can lighten up

with your patronizing us and these organizations. I'll start with the first one, CREDO. These are progressive actions from this group that I applaud.


https://credoaction.com/about/

Over the course of our history, CREDO has donated over $82 million to Democracy Now!, Brennan Center for Justice, Doctors Without Borders, ACLU, EFF, Planned Parenthood, 350.org and hundreds of other nonprofit groups.

Our customers and activists have generated over 16 million letters and phone calls to elected officials, decision-makers and corporate headquarters across the country. Our activists have submitted their signatures over 137 million times on CREDO petitions and in public comments to government agencies.

[wildeyed]

44. Who runs that group?

Where does their money come from? They say they did those things, but how do I know that they actually did?

I'm not saying they aren't legit. But I have no way to know since they are purposefully opaque. Some sort of PAC funding? C4 or C3? Who knows....

[babylonsister]

49. I found this...

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/CREDO

They sell phones but are invested in progressive causes. Used to be something called Working Assets.

[wildeyed]

54. It's not clear to me that any of that info is current.

They also started a superPAC in 2012, it was active in 2014 and then went to ground in 2016. When I Google the founders' names, there is not much that is current.

They all have a ton of liberal cred, but not sure they are still running CREDO or what the group is actually involved in now. CORE was great until it wasn't anymore. Groups can change. Again, not saying there is anything amiss, just that it is strange that there isn't anything on the website about who runs it now.

[Progressive dog]

52. Credo Action wants to sell

their phone plans. They have lots of on-line petitions and that seems to be the extent of the action. If you sign one, count on getting lots of e-mails about their phones.

Most of you probably have heard about Credo Mobile - its associated Credo Action is supposedly a liberal activist organization that often takes the form of hair-on-fire propagandists for the president's detractors on the Left. On TPV, I have pointed out Credo Action's follies on more occasions than one. For an organization that ostensibly bashes large mobile carriers for being anti-causes and anti-consumer though, Credo Mobile is itself a pretty big ripoff.

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/epeoplesview.net/2013/12/why-progressives-shouldnt-fall-for.html

[wildeyed]

58. It just seems suspicious that a bunch of opaquely financed "progressive" groups

want us to do the exact thing that would most benefit the GOP in the next election cycle. This year we learned that a few well placed online posts from opaque, unfriendly sources can influence elections. Seems smart to be VERY suspicious when a bunch of them show up wanting to eviscerate an at-risk Democrat from a red state.

[KittyWampus]

47. pointing out the stupidity of primarying a Democrat in a red state isn't "patronizing"

I'd be embarrassed to post something like this on DU.

[babylonsister]

57. Maybe my memory isn't so short.

I remember Lieberman wreaking havoc for years; I feel the same way about Manchin. And I got this today in an e-mail from Democracy for America. Seems we're not alone.

He did it again. Joe Manchin, Democratic Senator from West Virginia, once more voted to confirm one of Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees. This time it was Scott Pruitt, the oil and gas shill Trump picked to destroy the Environmental Protection Agency.

Joe Manchin has voted for 11 out the 14 Cabinet nominees the Senate has decided on -- that's worse than any other Senate Democrat. Manchin even voted for the white supremacist Jeff Sessions. And he remained silent when Trump launched a racist attack on Elizabeth Warren.

We cannot allow any Senate Democrat to undermine the resistance or enable Trump like this. There need to be some consequences. Joe Manchin is a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. Democracy for America is joining CREDO Action, #AllofUs, Other98, and 350 Action to tell Chuck Schumer that Manchin shouldn't serve in Senate leadership any more.

Will you join us? Sign the petition and tell Chuck Schumer: Drop Sen. Manchin from your leadership team.

Manchin has a long record of undermining Democratic, progressive values and siding with extremists like Trump. Those actions include:

Voting to defund Planned Parenthood and supporting the Hyde Amendment
Voting with Wall Street banks against helping foreclosure victims
Telling Fox News that President Obama's climate policies are a "war on America"
Attacking Harry Reid for criticizing Trump's election

There are plenty of Senate Democrats from red states who don't undermine us and aid Trump like Joe Manchin has. With Democrats holding 48 votes in the Senate, we need unity from every last one of them.

That's not what we're getting from Joe Manchin right now. It's time for Chuck Schumer to act.

[wildeyed]

48. You know who consistently wins statewide in NC?

Big, handsome white men with moderate politics. Sometimes they are moderate GOP, sometimes moderate Dem. The last one, McCrory, ran as a moderate and then went full-blown rabid RW on us. He was beat by a big, handsome moderate Democrat named Roy.

NC is not going to elect a screaming liberal right now. But we do ok with the moderates. Governor Easley was a very conservative Dem (and also corrupt on a few land deals), BUT he did allow a bunch of very progressive legislation to pass. He was a big lesson to me about the value of conservative Dems. Some of them are stealth liberals. They say what they need to say to get elected, but behind the scenes they are getting progressive bills out of committee and to a vote. Too bad about the shady business dealings....

[BainsBane]

60. Yeah. Another seat for the GOP!

Trump and Putin approve.