So, Joe. How Ya Feelin’

Manchin Didn’t Get Even One Republican For His Compromise ‘Bipartisan’ Voting Bill

No, really, Joe, how are you feeling today? Maybe a little embarrassed? Or, maybe a little exposed – ya know, for once again shown to be the huckster* and blowhard* and hypocrite* that you are.

*HUCKSTER: Someone who sells or advertises something in an aggressive, dishonest, or annoying way.

*BLOWHARD: 1) A very boastful and talkative person; a braggart. 2) A self-important egomaniac who likes to toot his own horn.

*HYPOCRITE: A person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs

The vote was 49-51 along party lines (Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, switched to vote no at the last minute in a procedural maneuver that will allow him to bring up the bill again for a vote). Because the filibuster requires 60 votes to proceed, Republicans succeeded in blocking the measure.

The bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, would impose significant new guardrails on the American democratic process and amount to the most significant overhaul of US elections in a generation. It would require every state to automatically register voters at motor vehicle agencies, offer 15 consecutive days of early voting and allow anyone to request a mail-in ballot. It would also set new standards to ensure voters are not wrongfully removed from the voter rolls, protect election officials against partisan interference, and set out clear alternatives people who lack ID to vote can use at the polls. from The Guardian

Rachel Maddow on the voting rights bill that Senate Republicans filibustered to failure, and points out that this was the bill that Joe Manchin wrote himself in place of the Democratic bill because he said Republicans would vote for it and not use the filibuster. No Republicans voted for it. Aired on 10/20/2021. (A short video – must see TV)

NOTE: I read somewhere that Huckster, Blowhard and Hypocrite are requisite characteristics if one wishes to enter the bizarre world of politics. I would venture to guess that 86% of federal politicians and 96% of state pols meet at least two if not all the criteria. Some – and we know who you are Joe of W.Va., Krysten of Arizona, Ted of Texas, Ron of Florida, and the grand daddy of them all, Mitch of Kentucky – have become award-worthy performance artists.