AP Melts Down Over Manchin, While CNN Analyst Tells Him to Ditch Dems – Opinion

Media has started to melt down and blame Sen. Joe Manchin (D–WV) because the Build Back Better bill was killed at least this year. It will likely be permanently.

The AP scolded Manchin as the “single senator” who was about to “seriously set back an entire presidential agenda.” ABC News shared their story.

One senator could be the one to set back the entire presidential agenda. https://t.co/0pvzruT6mV

— ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2021

“In an extraordinary display of political power in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, a single senator is about to seriously set back an entire presidential agenda,” the AP wrote, adding, “despite Democrats slashing Biden’s big bill in half and meeting the senator’s other demands, Manchin is no closer to voting yes” on Biden’s massive Build Back Better domestic spending package.

“Failing to deliver on Biden’s roughly $2 trillion social and environmental bill would be a stunning end to the president’s first year in office,” the AP wrote.

The AP story called Manchin an “uneven negotiator” and said it was “unclear” what he wanted in a final package that he could stomach.

This is a great example of media bias. Now, first of all, they seem to have forgotten that it isn’t just Manchin, but that there are at least 50 other senators — namely, all the Republicans who are against this. Other Democrats might also be against the bill, like Sen. Kyrsten Sienema (D-AZ). It is opposed by the vast majority of the senators.

Perhaps if they were journalists, and not Democrats’ advocates, they would ask the question of why so many are against the Democratic Party and examine all its problems. Senators are not required to serve Biden’s agenda. Indeed, they’re there to check his agenda, if they don’t think it serves the American people.

Secondly, whether you agree with Manchin about his position or not, he’s been extremely clear that it’s the price tag that has been holding him up and the problem with more spending, given the rampant inflation. To lie and suggest he’s an “uneven negotiator” or his positions are “unclear” is just straight-up dishonest.

Third, had Manchin been John McCain standing up to the Republicans on Obamacare then he would have been celebrated as a “maverick” and lauded through the media, not chastised. The fact that we know that’s true just says something about the bias of the media.

But it wasn’t only the AP.

CNN’s Kirsten Powers said that the Biden team brought down the price tag a lot in response to Manchin in the bill negotiations. She was really stupid with her suggestion.

“Because the price tag has come down substantially, and at this point, there is no reason for Joe Manchin to believe that this entire bill should be written to his specifications as if the only opinion that matters is his,” Powers said.

She argued that “so many accommodations” had already been made for Manchin regarding the bill negotiations and that it was “time for him to step up” and make his own accommodations.

“Honestly, at this point I think it would be better off if he just became an independent or a Republican so that we can stop playing this game that Joe Biden has these Democrats that he’s not bringing around because there’s just no reason to not support this bill if you’re a Democrat,” Powers said.

“At least it would be very clarifying. He could still be an independent and caucus with the Democrats when he wants to, but be very clarifying because he’s not opposing this bill based on any issues that any Democrat wouldn’t support. The bill is supported by moderate Democrats in the House. It isn’t about being a radical bill. This is a perfectly mainstream bill,” she added.

You should be careful about what you wish for. She may end up saying Manchin should go to the Democratic Party. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R.KY), has stated that he will welcome Manchin. Manchin might just accept the offer if they continue pushing. But how silly is that bias of CNN, that they think it’s better that he leaves the party so Joe Biden doesn’t look bad? It makes absolutely no sense. No wonder Manchin lost it on one of the media the other day, when they kept pushing something which he said wasn’t true about his positions.

This just goes to show how deep the Democratic Party has gotten into the media.