Bernie was Martha Raddatz’s guest on This Week today. 3 alarm fire on the set! Watch that 2 minute video; he was jumping out of his skin! And for those who claim Bernie has no feel fro the working people of West Virginia, I just want to point out that when Bernie ran for president in 2016, West Virginia voters gave him a thumping win over Hillary Clinton— 123,860 (51.4%) to 86,354 (35.8%)— even if the corrupt Democratic Party just awarded him with 19 delegates (and Hillary 18 delegates).
It’s probably worth noting that not only did Bernie beat Hillary in all 55 counties in the state but on primary day he also beat Trump in 18 counties… and that every single one of those counties then went to Trump in the general election.
Boone Co.- Bernie 2,410, Trump 1,388
Braxton Co.- Bernie 1,321, Trump 861
Brooke Co.- Bernie ,1,966 Trump 1,963
Calhoun Co.- Bernie 803, Trump 480
Clay Co.- Bernie 754, Trump 568
Fayette Co.- Bernie 3,585, Trump 2,683
Gilmer Co.- Bernie 643, Trump 433
Lincoln Co.- Bernie 1,510, Trump 1,193
Logan Co.- Bernie 3,201, Trump 1,665
Marion Co.- Bernie 5,324, Trump 4,035
McDowell Co.- Bernie 1,453, Trump 760
Mingo Co.- Bernie 2,425, Trump 1,161
Monongalia Co.- Bernie 8,096, Trump 5,971
Randolph Co.- Bernie 2,492, Trump 2,206
Summers Co.- Bernie 1,060, Trump 942
Wayne Co.- Bernie 2,898, Trump 2,662
Webster Co.- Bernie 837, Trump 423
Wetzel Co.- Bernie 1,744, Trump 1,096
It might interest you to know that when Manchin last faced the voters of West Virginia— in his 2018 Senate reelection— he squeaked through with just 49.6% of the vote and lost five of the counties Bernie had beaten both Hillary and Trump in— Calhoun, Clay, Logan, Mingo and Webster.
This morning, Bernie came right out and said just what Manchin has been doing for his pal McConnell: “intentionally sabotaging the president’s agenda, what the American people want, what a majority of us in the Democratic caucus want.”
He didn’t stop there either. “The problem was that we continue to talk to Manchin like he was serious. He was not. This is a guy who is a major recipient of fossil fuel money, a guy who has received campaign contributions from 25 Republican billionaires. If you think this guy is serious… [West Virginia] is one of poorest states in this country. You ask the people of West Virginia whether they want to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and eyeglasses. You ask the people of West Virginia whether we should demand that the wealthiest people and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes. Ask the people of West Virginia whether or not all people should have health care as a human right, like in every other country on Earth. That’s what they will say. In my humble opinion, you know, Manchin represents the very wealthiest people in this country, not working families in West Virginia or America.”
Tom Nelson, Wisconsin' progressive Senate candidate trying to flip the seat Ron Johnson holds, has been campaigning not just by contrasting himself to super-rich, corrupt Wisconsin politicians like John, Alex Larry and Sarah Godlewski, but also by contrasting himself to Manchin. On Friday, he said "If you are mad at Joe Manchin, then help me defeat Ron Johnson, expand our majority, abolish the filibuster, and make Manchin's vote unnecessary to pass legislation." Two days earlier, he had tweeted "If you are also tired of Manchin obstructing necessary change, then join me, and let’s defeat Ron Johnson, flip Wisconsin’s Senate seat, and expand our Democratic majority." Two days earlier: "If you no longer want to rely on Joe Manchin to pass legislation, the solution is simple. Help me defeat Ron Johnson." And a few days prior: "If you are mad that Manchin and Sinema won't abolish the filibuster to codify Roe, then help me defeat Ron Johnson. I will vote to remove the filibuster."
Like Bernie and Tom Nelson, Lucas Kunce has also been pounding Manchin’s decision this week to kill the remnants of Build Back Better. Yesterday, for example, he tweeted "Joe Manchin is always a reliable 'Yes' vote on spending trillions of dollars sending us to fight and die in wars for oil. That's something I'll never forgive or forget." The day before, he sent out the graphic just above, along with these tweets: "You can only count on a YES vote from Joe Manchin when it’s handouts for his family coal company" and "Send me to the Senate, and you'll never have to wonder if I'm fighting like hell to invest in the American people vs. padding a family stock portfolio. If corrupt politicians like Senator Joe Manchin try to get in my way, they won't have to wonder either."
Kunce’s campaign sent out this graphic this morning showing what percentage of Democrats in Senate campaigns get their contributions from small donors. Notice who’s on the very bottom of the barrel:
