The Biden administration’s nomination of the wife of increasingly influential Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin to a federal commission is drawing scrutiny.
The moderate West Virginia senator stands in the way of Democrats’ threat to abolish the filibuster so the 50-50 Senate can pass legislation proposed by the party’s far-left base without a single Republican vote, critics point out.
On Friday, Biden nominated Gayle Conelly Manchin, Manchin’s wife of 53 years, to be co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic organization that tries to boost investments in 13 states, Fox News reported.
Gayle Manchin is a teacher, former president of the West Virginia State Board of Education and former first lady of West Virginia.
But Democrats appear to be misreading Joe Manchin’s willingness to go along with their effort to change the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to move a bill to a floor vote, wrote National Review editor Charles C.W. Cooke.
Manchin told CNN repeatedly in an interview that he won’t give in to pressure to alter the 60-vote threshold, even if Republicans block a “voting-rights bill.”
Cooke explained that Democrats had hoped that when Republicans filibuster the election-overhaul For the People Act — which would gut voter ID laws that Democrats regard as racist “voter suppression” — Manchin would give in.
If the initial pressure from Democrats isn’t enough, a second effort would be to use the race card, according to Politico.
Politico cited Al Sharpton threatenind to put pressure on Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema by calling the filibuster racist “and saying that they are, in effect, supporting racism.”
“Why would they be wedded to something that has those results? Their voters need to know that.”
Sinema also has voiced opposition to killing the filibuster.
Fox News reported: “With Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities with a 50-50 split and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote, Manchin’s influence in the Senate has grown tremendously. As a moderate from a red state, Manchin has openly pushed back on some of the Democrats’ boldest ideas, including the $15 minimum wage, eliminating the filibuster and far-reaching gun control legislation.”
The report said he’s already forced concessions, including to a lower level of unemployment benefits in Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion payoff to political associates under the guise of COVID relief.
President Biden is nominating Gayle Manchin, Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife, to be what it calls a “key member” of his administration. pic.twitter.com/a79KvyBuxj
— Daniel Lippman (@dlippman) March 26, 2021
Via Wnd