JOE M

The mention of Manchin elicits anger and frustration from Democrats for his recalcitrance regarding the voting rights bill, HR 1 and the elimination of the filibuster. While the Country’s political process is rapidly being subverted by Trumpers, Joe continues the argument for bipartisanship in the Senate. His explanation for this choice centered on the idea that taking those two actions to give all Americans the right to vote would further alienate the two political parties from each other.

The true rationale for Joe’s decision might rest in his home state. Trump carried West Virginia by 40% in the 2020 election. West Virginia’s population is 92% white. One might conclude that Trump’s victory was motivated by white grievance and racism. Why would Joe then vote for a bill that would end his political career? Joe’s public rationale is weak and poorly constructed. Joe is really like most politicians. He is afraid of losing his base. So, Joe is not really a hero but a man serving his own self-interest at the expense of voter protections.

Unfortunately, it is too late in the game of Republican authoritarian behavior to even contemplate bipartisanship. Trumpers have infiltrated and politicized the mechanics of the American electoral system. The voting rights bill, HR 1 is really a defensive measure to counter voter suppression on the state level.

There is no victory here for Joe. Ultimately, the loser will be the 330 million Americans. Regardless of who wins the 2022 or 2024 elections, one side will be the loser. The intractable problem is racism and white supremacy. Republicans might choose to further suppress minorities, causing a violent reaction. If Democrats are the winner, a similar reaction from Trumpers might occur with enactment of loose voting laws and civil rights protections at the federal level. Both parties might protest the elections as fraudulent, causing a constitutional crisis.

The problem started in 1877 with the withdrawal of Union occupation troops from the South. Outright and systemic racism has continued in America for a century and a half.  America must reckon with its dirty past of racial discrimination and poverty among Blacks, Latinos and Asians. Trump loyalists are focusing on re-writing the past by suppressing educational material that includes information of the Country’s racial history and treatment of ethnic and religious minorities.

In perspective, America is not alone in the human tradition of violence, suppression and scapegoating. British, French and Portuguese colonial history was filled with horror. Russia, under Stalin, executed 32 million people between World War I and World War II who were “dissidents”. History must be allowed to teach citizens about the pain of the past in order to avoid it in the future.

The essential truths in the Constitution and its amendments have been abridged on a daily basis by Trumpers. A blatant disregard for the law is eroding the foundation of the last bastion against autocracy. Manipulation of the legal system, control of the electoral process, and misinformation now form the basis of the challenge to American Democracy. The thought of bipartisanship is not even part of the Trump world. How Joe perceives the political universe is behind the times and out of sync with the issues facing America. Certainly, Joe is not big enough to change this national crisis with dialogue about bipartisanship. Joe is walking the tightrope of political survival. Unfortunately, it is at the expense of American Democracy.

FW 6/8/21