George Takei is unimpressed by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin refusing to support President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion Build Back Bigger bill.
While the Senate is split down the middle, Manchin, a Democrat, has infamously stood in the way of the bill’s progress. He has listed a variety of issues he has with the legislation, from its emphasis on clean energy to his belief that more federal assistance for the most in need fosters, “an entitlement mentality.”
Related: George Takei throws shade at William Shatner over his trip to space
The bill will also expand Medicare. However, after resistance from the likes of Manchin, the Biden administration has already dropped proposed dental care benefits.
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Earlier this week, HuffPost reported that Manchin privately told some colleagues about other concerns he had. Namely, that parents would waste additional monthly child tax credit payments on drugs instead of providing for their children. Manchin declined to comment on the story.
Takei told his 3.2million Twitter followers that perhaps Manchin had a point about parents: “In a way Manchin was right. Some of them will spend their Child Tax Credit on drugs. It’s called insulin and it should cost $35 not $1,000.”
In a way Manchin was right. Some of them will spend their Child Tax Credit on drugs. It’s called insulin and it should cost $35 not $1,000.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) December 22, 2021
His tweet has had over 118k likes and over 18k retweets.
Besides many in the Democratic party, Takei is not the only celebrity frustrated by Manchin’s stance. Bette Midler has also repeatedly questioned the Senator’s beliefs and motives.
What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out.
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) December 20, 2021
Then again, Manchin also has his supporters. Several Republicans have made it known that he’d be welcome to join the GOP, while evangelical, anti-LGBTQ preacher Franklin Graham praised him this week for “putting the American people first.”
Thank you @Sen_JoeManchin for putting the American people first. My prayer is that God will bless and strengthen you. Because of your stand, America will have a better Christmas and new year. https://t.co/3PQudjxrD8
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 20, 2021
Related: Franklin Graham says celebrating Pride Month is like celebrating murder
Yesterday, Manchin posted a Happy Holidays video message, reminding people of the importance of family and to count their blessings. It’s prompted over 7k replies, with many taking him to task over his stance and the impact it will have on families.
— HRC Orange County (@HRCoclbps) December 23, 2021
BigTX
Joe is a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). It is disgusting what he has done to the whole of the country.
Jer
Our antiquated system allows scum like Manchin to make life more difficult for the very people he is supposed to represent. He is the kind of person who makes me wish I believed in hell.
edensasp
Is that not great!! Freedom of association, a first amendment right. One year from the next, you can check a box and become a member of any number of perpetual, politically influential, economically powerful & profitable non profit corporations partisanship’s. What you can not do in direct contravention to the 14th amendment…. Register to vote solely as a United States Citizen.
jayceecook
“…Manchin privately told some colleagues about other concerns he had. Namely, that parents would waste additional monthly child tax credit payments on drugs instead of providing for their children.”
THIS from the guy who is a senator from the state that is #2 in most drug users in America! His comment actually makes sense when you take into account he’s done NOTHING to curb the opioid problem in his state. Sad that he’s punishing the whole country because he’s been bought by the coal industry and wants to keep his constitutes down in the gutter.
Mack
Funny, but the coal workers have asked him to vote for it. But the bill contains limits on prescription drugs and his daughter is CEO of Drug company. But he recently had a fundraiser by Republicans and Oil Companies.
Ronbo
I appreciate that Manchin provides the numbers for Democrats to be in charge. But like Joe Lieberman he is knowingly and intentionally blocking progress.
I want the Democrats to go back to the 50-state strategy so that we can have a 60 person majority in the senate – as we had in the past. The only reason to NOT use this effective strategy is so that nothing changes. Why is our own Democratic leadership NOT following their own proven, effective strategy? There are far more Democrats than Republicans.
Georgia went Democratic thanks to efforts from Stacey Abrams… why isn’t she in CHARGE?
Heywood Jablowme
“Georgia went Democratic thanks to efforts from Stacey Abrams… why isn’t she in CHARGE?”
She is a great strategist and we wouldn’t have a Democratic Senate majority without her. But there’s one other person to credit: TRUMP! His endless squawking about the “rigged” November election, and his well-publicized, illegal efforts to overturn the vote (for himself, anyway, not for down-ballot Rs like Perdue and Loeffler) caused the morons who voted for him to avoid the Jan. 5 runoff election which they assumed was “rigged” also.
cuteguy
Manchin is a fraud. He was NEVER a Democrat. The Dems never had true majority bc of the deficit of having Manchin weighing us down. Unfortunately next year, it looks worse. God help us all.
jayceecook
Next year is going to be a bloodbath for Dems. The country will be stuck in the same holding pattern it’s been in for almost 20 years.
Jay Dawwg
See. Right there is the problem. Everybody on the left is bemoaning a bloodbath, or the Republicans retaking Congress. Stop planning a strategy for losing, and do whatever you can to get the left riled up. It’s only going to be a loss if you give up and don’t turn out. Let’s do 2018 again, only better.
Openminded
I don’t think it would matter if Manchin is a Dem or Repub., it pretty obvious that he is voting for his families best interest and not the country’s best interest. I can support some of what he claims, but supporting fossil fuels when your son is in the coal business should be seen as problematic.
canadiankid
What an idiot. If he’s worried people are going to spend the money on drugs, legalize drugs and the government will get their money back, it won’t even be a loss for them.
Kangol2
Well, legalizing certain opioids is a prescription (pun intended) for disaster, but as many states are now witnessing, the revenues from legalized pot are substantial. So to the extent that you decriminalize certain drugs and use any tax funds partially for better treatment and prevention, that should be the goal. Manchin’s stance is absurd, though. He barely said a peep when Don the Con and the GOP goons were giving away trillions to millionaires and billionaires!
Chrisk
I just find it incredible that we even have a system where this corrupt weasel can stop progress for the rest of the country.
They need to hit him hard. Show his State what he’s doing to them.
fur_hunter
…. Manchin is just a LYING, Scumbag, Piece of S HIT! Maybe we’ll get lucky and his boat will blow up with him on it. That would be some real Karma.
GrizzleyMichael
I love to see all those losers go broke that they have to beg on the streets for money
SDR94103
Manchin = the most hated man in America, at the moment.
Openminded
No, BBB isn’t true socialism, it’s worse than true socialism. At least with socialism, EVERYBODY gets the same handouts. Manchin is wrong with a lot of what he does, but he is spot on by calling out things like free dental care to low income when the majority of the population doesn’t have dental care themselves. He used poor choice of words with his parents buying drugs with more mailbox money, but anyone being honest, knows what he meant and knows it is a problem. There are a lot of people that no amount of assistance can get their life straightened out and I believe that is what Manchin was talking about. Now, his supporting fossil fuels while his son is in the coal industry is a whole different story which indicates to me that he is simply in politics for what it can do for him and his family.
[email protected]
Manchin is what used to be called a blue dog democrat…someone who believed in the social issues but also was fiscally conservative. They actually cared about the national debt and the effect that it has on the overall economy and effect on the ability of average Americans to have access to capital. When the government has to continue to borrow it will increase interest rates for everyone…supply and demand. The all or nothing approach that BBB proponents have is regrettably the new normal which is why very little actually gets accomplished legislatively anymore. Perhaps if the FED had acted to slow inflation instead of throwing gasoline on the fire (i.e. printing money that didn’t exist and releasing it into the economy) and instead of labeling it as transitory when it is obvious to anyone that printing money is by definition inflationary and a reversal of direction was required, Manchin might have felt more comfortable to make a deal. At this moment we have serious inflation that will get worse before it gets better. Blame Biden…not Manchin. Biden, immediately upon taking office, shifted us from energy independence to reliance on OPEC. Why? Wonder why gas prices went up? That’s your answer. Wonder why food and products are more expensive? Higher energy prices coupled with poor monetary policy by the FED. I am relieved that Manchin prevented runaway socialism (BBB)…he actually may have saved the Democratic party from itself but I think it may be too late for that. We’ll see in November.
Halfnhalf
Joe Manchin isn’t a Blue Dog Democrat. He doesn’t support social issues. He’s a power hungry piece of shit. BBB isn’t socialism, you should know the meaning of words before you use them.
Jay Dawwg
Why do you people always do this. We were never energy independent. You act like all the oil produced in the country stayed in the country. No. It went on the global market. The Keystone pipeline being shut down didn’t stop tar sand oil from coming to the country. It just kept the current means of travel (train and rig.) And even had the pipeline been finished it would have been a great financial boon…to a Canadian oil company. Our high gas prices are the result of refinery shutdown, and reduced available supply caused by a lack of tanker drivers. If you don’t believe me look at the price of crude. We are paying gas prices identical to when crude was $90-$100 per barrel. Crude is currently $60 per barrel. And Biden didn’t shut down oil production. He just stopped new sites from being opened. Learn stuff so you know what you are talking about, BEFORE you start talking about it.
radiooutmike
Oh yes.
Everyone cares about the National Debt when it comes to social services. Not so much, for our “defense” budget and various subsidy programs for a number of industries. Meanwhile the Keystone Pipeline was bringing oil to Mexico.
americontrarian
Good comments.
GayEGO
Because Joe is a troubled Coal money recipient, his vote should automatically be a yes vote for the BBB bill. He is not capable of making the right decision.
Fahd
The democrats need to do better in 2022 to ensure that their majority does not hinge on a corrupt scumbag like Manchin. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Brian
Democrats will never have 60+ senators. As long as the senate keeps their current rules, Democrats will never pass legislation. (They are currently able to pass some laws about budgets because rules allow for 51 votes to do that. All other topics require at least 60.)
Fahd
@ Brian
You are only partly correct, but the Build Back Better bill, where Manchin broke his commitments to the President and other Senators, is an example of a bill that could pass with a simple majority. And now it appears that the President is supporting a lifting of the Filibuster rule as it applies to the voting rights act.
The party of “no”, that is, the Republicans have gridlocked the government long enough for most reasonable people, making these measures necessary. Si se puede.
CityguyUSA
Time to grab the torches and run Manchin out of the the senate.
Heywood Jablowme
I hope you’re being sarcastic, but that attitude is not helpful to anyone except Republicans. Manchin isn’t up for reelection until 2024. In 2028 he had a primary opponent, a Bernie Sanders type, who got 30% of the primary vote. If Manchin gets “run out of the Senate” his replacement will be a Rethug, unfortunately.
SamB
God forbid anyone not follow the hivemind. Respect everyone unless they don’t believe everything you believe in.
Chrisk
Is that the Fox News hive mind or something else?
cliche guevara
Says the person that mindlessly repeated the GOP talking points about gas prices being high due to taxes even when he didn’t know what the actual tax rate was, or that the president should lower the gas price despite not having the legal authority to do so. ….. kinda the expert on the hive mind.
SamB
chliche: Everything you accused me of is false. Did you forget our discussion? Your recollection of events is incorrect. You accused me of not knowing what the federal gas tax funds were used for (you were wrong) and you assumed me saying the president should put a priority on lowering/eliminating the federal gas tax meant that I thought he could do unilaterally. More misinformation from you.
americontrarian
Dems want Joe’s vote but only if he does as he’s told. Well, guess what? Y’all are kinda rude, kinda crude and maybe folks from West Virginia aren’t all the dumb, illiterate drug addicts you claim them to be and know that you don’t like people like them, don’t stand in solidarity with them and so are happy to clap back.
I admire his courage in standing up for what he believes in. Most Dems have gone off the rails, lost their minds and their decency over BBB. We need a reset in both parties. Dems will go first on that in 2022, I think.