 Senator Joe Manchin released an updated statement as to whether or not he'll be supporting his party's 3.5 trillion dollar reconciliation package and Spoiler alert he's not going to so alright if he's not gonna support that then progressives need to torpedo the bipartisan infrastructure deal That he desperately wants past that his donors more specifically want past and I'm gonna read you his updated statement which is just incredibly Stupid and bereft of common sense and just devoid of any understanding of what the country needs and wants currently But before we get to that I want to share an exchange that Joe Manchin had with the Bloomberg reporter Where he actually got really testy because that reporter actually asked him about his conflicts of interest and corruption And he did not like this at all So is Frank Thorpe on Twitter writes Manchin asked by Ari Natter whether an energy company Is a conflict of interest as he negotiates reconciliation Manchin says I've been in a blind trust for 20 years I have no idea what they're doing Ari says you're still getting dividends Manchin you got a problem. He actually said this Frank adds more from Ari Natter read the energy company Manchin founded your son still owns it doesn't he Manchin says you do best to change the Subject and if he doesn't change the subject, what are you gonna do? Hit him. Are you a big tough guy? What a fucking petulant child Manchin is and this is clearly corruption This is a violation of ethics laws because this is the same thing that Donald Trump was doing He did not place his businesses in a blind trust He still overall had control. He did delegate control to his sons But the stipulation was that he can retake control at any time. That's not truly Separating from that conflict of interest and we saw that Donald Trump did govern in a way that made his businesses money And there were many government officials Saudis and whatnot that would stay at his hotels to give him a profit They knew that that would butter up the president. So I mean Joe Manchin is doing the same thing here There's no difference really So when you ask him about it, he gets really mad. It's a very touchy subject So maybe more reporters should actually do their job and question this corrupt asshole About this conflict of interest why he's refusing to Place his businesses in a blind trust and actually give up control of his businesses because it's interesting He still does the bidding for the fossil fuel industry so maybe There's this connection there. Maybe that conflict of interest is influencing his decisions I don't know. Maybe it's just me. So anyways, he basically came out against the 3.5 trillion dollar price tag He still is refusing to state specifically what he'd cut if it's universal pre-k child care Expanding health care. He won't say but he's against it because Spending money is bad according to this Republican He writes every member of Congress has a solemn duty to vote for what they believe is best for the country and the American people Not their party respectfully as I have said for months I can't support 3.5 trillion more in spending when we already have spent 5.4 trillion since last March at some point all of us regardless of party must ask the simple question How much is enough now? And I just want to pause there because when Biden was coming up with infrastructure before Biden even named a Price Joe Manchin said we should spend four trillion But all of a sudden he's reversing what he said previously probably because you got a phone call from his donors saying Let's rain it in a little bit So they're not spending that much on infrastructure itself, but on reconciliation They can invest in infrastructure and all of a sudden when he sees that a lot of this money is gonna benefit normal Americans He's against it because in his view that money should be benefiting his corporate donors special interests And that that's what this is about. This is him tacitly admitting that he's not gonna say that directly But that is what it's about. Let's be clear But it continues what I've made clear to the president and Democratic leaders is that spending trillions more on new and expanded government programs When we can't even pay for the essential social programs like Social Security and Medicare That's a lie is the definition of fiscal insanity Suggesting that spending trillions more will not have an impact on inflation Ignores the everyday reality that America's families continue to pay an unavoidable inflation tax Oh, give me a break proposing a historic expansion of social programs while ignoring the fact We are not in a recession and that millions of jobs remain open will only feed a dysfunction that could weaken our economic recovery This is the shared reality We all now face and it is this reality that must shape the future decisions that we as elected leaders must make so we'll pause again He's so concerned about working Americans so concerned Okay, so if you are arguing that this is going to lead to inflation Then what do you cut be specific? What do you cut? Do you cut out the? benefits for workers Who are working during a pandemic or essential workers who get paid time off? Are you going to cut the expansion of Medicare that people desperately need? It's not a very vast Expansion but it would make a huge difference dropping the age from 65 to 60 over years and expanding it to include dental hearing and vision What what do you cut Joe Manchin if you care so much about working people be very specific about what you think they should be denied He won't say because there's always some sort of a fucking excuse. He's pathetic Now let's skip to the very very end here He says if there is one final lesson that will continue to guide me in this difficult debate ahead It is this America is a great nation But great nations throughout history have been weakened by careless spending and bad policies now more than ever We must work together to avoid these fatal mistakes so that we may fulfill our greatest responsibility as elected leaders and Pass on a better America to the next generation He says we must work together as he torpedoes his own party's agenda and he says I care about future generations Meanwhile, you're not supporting this bill and you're effectively denying One small step towards Arming ourselves to mitigate the effects of climate change. So you don't give a shit about future generations if you did You would fight climate change you would stop Funding the fossil fuel industry taking their donations their bribes. I mean, he's truly insufferable But okay, look if this is where we're at if we're at this point where both Kirsten cinema and Joe Manchin are going to torpedo this Then okay Progressives go nuclear vote down the infrastructure bill. They have enough votes about two dozen house lawmakers To torpedo everything. So if they're not gonna play ball Sink it all fuck it if they don't get what they want then Joe Manchin and Kirsten cinema Don't get what they want which was a really nice corporate giveaway in that bipartisan infrastructure proposal and Joe Biden I mean if he's okay with nothing happening just getting nothing Then I guess that's fine, but this is gonna be his legacy He has an opportunity to use his bully pulpit to actually exert influence over Kirsten cinema and Joe Manchin And he's done next to nothing. I mean he had a meeting with Kirsten cinema and he's barely saying anything publicly He's he's not calling out members of his own party that are obstructing his agenda. So, okay I mean Joe Joe Biden is also to blame here as well. It's not just Kirsten cinema and Joe Manchin He knows that he's the president. He has a lot of authority and influence and he could make a difference But he's choosing not to so if this all goes up in flames So be it but progressives have to vote down that infrastructure deal. It's just not good enough There's like barely anything in there. There's some provisions in there that are good I think that you know expanding infrastructure roads bridges replacing some lead pipes is important But ultimately that is a giveaway to corporations and the real prize for the left is in that reconciliation package So if they don't get that you don't get what you want what your donors are pushing you to pass so, you know, it's sad but You know if Joe Biden wants this he's got to fight for it. It's not gonna be Rested on the shoulders of progressives. They shouldn't get the blame for this There's two people who are the lowest common denominator who are obstructing everything that the party wants Joe Manchin and Kirsten cinema Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's them not progressives because progressives were willing to support their agenda the bipartisan infrastructure deal The only stipulation was you support the reconciliation package They're saying no so progressives have to hold the line and say no and vote that down as well. Fuck it