ABC’s ‘This Week’ Panel Attacks Manchin ‘He Represents Plutocrats’

It’s now been a week since Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) went on Fox News Sunday and tanked President Biden’s Build Back Better bill, drawing Audible sighsFrom the almost liberal panel ABC’s This Week. It was still a painful experience a week later. They spent the latter half of the so-called “Powerhouse Roundtable” railing against Manchin for not going along with their agenda. With one panelist claiming the Senator “represents plutocrats.”

Jonathan Karl (fill-in host) spent part of the segment discussing the aftermath of the defeat of Build Back Better with his panel that included Averi Harper, ABC’s senior national correspondent Terry Moran and Terry Moran. After that, the topic then inevitably turned to Manchin’s announcement the previous week, as well as his reasons for tanking the bill.

Karl turned to Averi Harper, asking: “there was some reporting about what Manchin was saying about how the child tax credit would be used or was being used in West Virginia. What was that all about?”

Harper then brought up comments Manchin purportedly made about potential taxpayer abuse of the child tax credit:

Reports indicate that Senator Manchin made private comments about concerns regarding parents buying drugs with child tax credits or whether family members were allowed to use the leave to hunt deer. You know what that means? It resurrects the Reagan-era myth of the welfare Queen, which used to advocate against entitlements. This implies that poor people are naturally irresponsible, incapable of using the government for its intended purposes and is a shocking statement.

After Harper whined about Manchin being out of step with the Democratic Party, Karl did make the point to Terry Moran that even though Manchin may be out of step with his party, he is in step with his home state of West Virginia which voted for former President Donald Trump over Biden by almost 40 percent: “And as you know, Terry he’s from a state that Biden only got, what was it? 30 something percent in?”

Moran apparently didn’t see it that way claiming Manchin represents “one of the poorest states in the union, and he seems to represent the plutocrats a lot”, while complaining that West Virginia is focused on issues like “inflation, pandemic, crime, the border.”

It’s clear Terry Moran doesn’t see the disconnect in what he is saying. Yes, West Virginians are more concerned about inflation and crime than the more liberal social issues that “Build Back Better” is supposedly addressing.

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You can click “expand”, to view the transcription.

ABC’s This Week
12/26/2021
9:00:58 am

(…)

JONATHAN KARL Is that what it was all about?

AVERI Harper (DEPUTY PHOLITICAL ADVISOR): Yes. Reports indicate that Senator Manchin made comments in private about concerns over parents buying drugs with child tax credit or whether family members were allowed to use the leave to deer hunt. You can effectively resurrect the Reagan era myth of the welfare Queen, which used to advocate against entitlements. It implies that the poorest of us are intrinsically irresponsible, incapable of using the government for its intended purposes and is a shocking statement.

KARL What is the percentage of 30 to 40% in?

TERRY MORAN (SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT): Yeah, so he’s got that to deal with. He represents one of the most poor states within the Union, but he also seems to be a representative for the plutocrats quite a bit. Manchin’s problem is not the only one. It is an ambitious bill that aims to reform health care, education and immigration. In other words, West Virginia’s public is focused on the borders, inflation, pandemics, crime and other issues.

KARL: Alright, Terry. We are running out of time. We appreciate your participation in the roundtable. We’ll see you next year.

(…)