 Representative Jamal Bowman said that you're the new Mitch McConnell. I understand what you're thinking. I understand what you're thinking. You got dust in your eyes. That's business we're in. That was Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia assuring his biggest critics that he understands how frustrating it is to watch him single-handedly torpedo one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent history knowing that there's not a single thing you can do to stop him. I mean, look at him. He loves all of this attention that he's getting. But lucky for all of us, you know, contrary to popular belief, he's a reasonable guy. At least that's what he wants us to think about him because he did meet with some civil rights leaders, the president of the NAACP, Al Sharpton, and he had with them what he calls a constructive conversation, which is actually pretty encouraging to hear. So how did that go? Well, he described the meeting as a listening session where everyone described their position, telling reporters that it was a very, very good meeting. I'm very honored that we all got the chance to speak, listen to each other. That's really what it's about. We learned and we listened, he said. We had a constructive conversation. I think everybody pretty much knows the importance of what we're doing and I think I'm very much concerned about our democracy protecting people's voting rights, Manchin added. Wow. Okay, that actually sounds pretty fantastic. So the question is, did he have a change of heart? Well, that would be a big no. Because asked if the meeting changed his position on S1 known as the For the People Act, he added, no, I don't think anybody changed their position on that. In other words, after he met with civil rights leaders who explained the importance of voting rights to him, he still was unmoved. But look, he's in a really difficult position like this is one of the few Democratic senators who comes from a very deep red state that went overwhelmingly to Donald Trump in 2020. So what he has to do is he has to walk this fine line and he has to do things, make these hard decisions, go against his own party to appease his constituents, except that's not actually a valid excuse because people in West Virginia overwhelmingly support the For the People Act, including the overwhelming majority of Donald Trump voters in 2020. So that's not actually a viable excuse, but this time he's not using that excuse to be fair. This time he's saying he can't support the For the People Act, something that he actually co-sponsored back in 2019, because this time it's just too partisan. Last time it was still partisan, it was supported along party lines, but this time he just, he feels a little bit different about this. So the question is why is he all of a sudden having a change of heart? This is something that his constituents support, his party overwhelmingly supports it, and on top of that he supported it before, so he changed his mind at some point. Why will this article should clear it up? Quote, Joe Manchin is opposing big parts of Biden's agenda as the Koch network pressures him. Author Brian Schwartz explains the political advocacy group backed by billionaire Charles Koch has been pressuring Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to oppose key parts of the Democratic agenda, including filibuster reform and voting rights legislation. That lobbying effort appears to be paying off. Manchin, in a recent op-ed, wrote that he opposed eliminating the filibuster and that he would not vote for the For the People Act, which advocates say would limit the influence of big donors on elections. CNBC reviewed an episode of a Koch policy group, Americans for Prosperities video series, along with ads crafted by the organization. The network specifically calls on its grassroots supporters to push Manchin, a conservative Democrat, to be against some of his party's legislative priorities. Americans for Prosperity launched a website titled West Virginia Values, which calls on people to email Manchin to be the voice West Virginia needs in DC, reject Washington's partisan agenda. So it's interesting to me that they're specifically yelling at him right now, reject the partisan agenda in Washington DC, and he's literally rejecting the Democratic Party's agenda on partisan grounds. He's actually copying the rhetoric that they're using. So I mean, obviously the lobbying has been effective, but that's what it is. He's corrupt. He's being influenced by the Koch network. And as a result of their lobbying, he's buckling to that pressure. He doesn't care about what the people of West Virginia wants. He doesn't care about what the people in America overwhelmingly want. This is all about the Koch brothers because part of the For the People Act would ensure that super PACs have to disclose their private donors. And the Koch network, it operates. The reason why it's so effective is because it does all of this through these covert methods, right? Anonymous donors, dark money. And so the For the People Act, it's not the end all be all, but it would solve some of the issues with our democracy. And the Koch network doesn't want that to happen, which is why they're putting all of this pressure on one of the most spineless senators knowing that he'd be pretty easy to break. And they were right about that. So the media needs to stop pretending as if Joe Manchin is some maverick who is above the fray and he's rejecting this hyperpartisan culture in DC and he's just doing what's right for his constituents. He's making a decision based on his own opinion. No, this is a stooge who represents large multinational corporations and whoever is in his ear the loudest. That's how you can predict the behavior of Joe Manchin and it doesn't hurt that he's getting all of this attention, which you can tell he's enjoying it. He's soaking it in. But it's disgusting. This is why he's doing what he's doing. People in media need to stop pretending as if he's operating on the basis of principle. This individual has no political ideology. He has no principles. He's corrupt. Period end of story. Occam's razor. That's the easiest explanation. I mean, if you're wondering why he changed his position so quickly in 2019 supporting the For the People Act and in 2021 single-handedly torpedoing it, it's because he's quite literally a sellout. I know that word gets used a lot and gets thrown around a lot, particularly in leftist circles online. But he is like the definition of a sellout and everyone who lives in West Virginia should be furious. They should be calling his office, emailing him, letting him know that he's not representing their interests. He's representing the interests of corporate America, in particular the right-wing donor network that's fucking over normal Americans, especially people in West Virginia who suffer from a lack of education, jobs, and healthcare. He's siding with the oligarchs and not the people of West Virginia and he should absolutely be shamed and named until he breaks.