Newt Gingrich: Every time Joe Manchin says no to left-wing Democrats he becomes more popular
The former House speaker discusses Mitch McConnell signaling openness to election reform and Vice President Kamala Harris laughing off questions about office turmoil.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is not exactly making friends among the corporate media. The New York Times appeared shocked that Manchin is still opposed to massive spending amid soaring inflation in a Friday report loaded with panicked language and disparaging quotes about the West Virginia moderate.
Sen. Manchin and his staffer told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D, N.Y., unequivocally Thursday that he is only willing to support a reconciliation bill in August that includes a provision to lower prescription drug prices and a two-year extension of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, according to a Democrat briefed on the conversations.
Manchin was explicit that he won't support a bill before the midterms with any provisions on energy and climate or closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy and biggest corporations, despite his support for those specific things during months of negotiations.
The New York Times appeared shocked that Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is still opposed to massive spending amid rising inflation. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
MANCHIN SAYS HE WON'T SUPPORT CLIMATE, TAX PROVISIONS IN SWEEPING DEMOCRATIC BILL
However, Democrats had hoped to pass a sweeping package to tout during the midterms. The Times published a piece, "Manchin Pulls Plug on Climate and Tax Talks, Shrinking Domestic Plan," by straight-news reporters Emily Cochrane and Lisa Friedman, that declared the West Virginia lawmaker "dealt a crushing blow to President Biden’s domestic agenda" and left Democrats "seething" as a result.
"The decision by Mr. Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat whose opposition has effectively stalled Mr. Biden’s economic package in the evenly divided Senate, dealt a devastating blow to his party’s efforts to enact a broad social safety net, climate and tax package," the Times reporters wrote. "In recent months, Democrats had slashed their ambitions for such a plan to win over Mr. Manchin, hoping that he would agree to support even a fraction of the sweeping initiative they once envisioned. His abrupt shift appeared to dash those aspirations."
The Times then pointed out that the decision "came seven months after the West Virginian abruptly walked away from talks and rejected a far larger plan," and by rejecting climate and energy provisions Manchin has now "appeared to have single-handedly shattered Mr. Biden’s ambitious climate agenda and what would have been the largest single federal investment in American history toward addressing the toll of climate change."
The Times scribes noted that prices "surged to 9.1 percent in June," which is a concern for everyday Americans who are impacted by inflation and rising costs.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was explicit that he won't support a bill before the midterms with any provisions on energy and climate or closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy and biggest corporations, despite his support for those specific things during months of negotiations. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"But while Mr. Manchin has long sounded alarms about inflation and the national debt, he had also maintained openness to overhauling the tax code, a position he appeared to have reversed," the Times wrote. "It stunned Democratic officials who had labored to win Mr. Manchin’s vote… But it was particularly devastating for those who had championed the climate and energy provisions."
The Gray Lady reported that "many were seething with anger" at Manchin over the decision.
"They criticized him as having strung negotiators along, while watering down a package that at one stage would have been sufficient to put a steep dent in emissions and also adding fossil fuel projects that cut against climate goals. In the final days of talks, the clean energy tax breaks had been slashed and Mr. Manchin had been working to include approval for offshore oil and gas leasing and permitting for a fossil fuel project in his state, congressional aides said," the Times reported.
New York Times reporters did not appear thrilled with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)
The anti-Manchin report concluded with a quote from a nonprofit group executive who declared, "There truly aren’t words, at least words that are suitable for printing in The New York Times, for how appalled and outraged we are."
Manchin has also been criticized across CNN and MSNBC on Friday morning.
Fox News’ Jason Donner and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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