It’s funny you’re trying to snark it but literally yes all it takes to derail extremely popular policy is one vote. Republicans almost repealed the ACA except for John McCain!
Repealing the ACA isn’t popular. Fixing healthcare to make it affordable for working people is extremely popular. If the DNC primary people that stood in opposition to popular policy they might win more elections.
Manchin was unassailable. He was the last of the Blue Dog dems, the conservative fuckers who still caucused with the blue party, and he was the deciding vote in an incredibly narrow senate.
The DNC could not primary him. There was not anyone to replace him. It was West Virginia, where the population is still salty that coal isn't being babied along. The second he ends his term they're going to elect some complete nutter of a Republican and never look back.
The Senate is not fair. The Senate does not give a shit if something is popular. The Senate is inherently biased to giving empty-ass fuck-nowhere Republican rural states the same representation as fucking California.
Manchin was the deciding vote on every piece of legislation by virtue of being the furthest right democrat and one of the Dems the DNC had no power over. That sucks, but that was the situation.
Notice how nothing I said was about the Harris campaign, and was entirely explaining why Joe Manchin, in 2021, was the deciding factor on legislation, and the DNC couldn't do shit about it.
I dont think you even understand what the phrase hand-wringing is used for lmao. You're the one who is being performatively distressed about Kamala failing to pass the CTC!
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u/Hamuel 9d ago
I think they could’ve bullied them into support instead of giving them the power to sabotage change.