WASHINGTON – Sen. Joe Manchin refusal to change the Senate filibuster rules and his concerns about the Build Back Better plan “is being very protective of the West Virginia perspective,” according to a conservative former attorney general of Virginia.
He’s very in tune and reflecting West Virginia attitudes,” said Ken Cuccinelli, who also served as the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. He now leads the Election Transparency Institute. “He really is being very protective of the West Virginia perspective in all of this.”
Cuccinelli said he thinks part of what is going on regarding with Manchin (D-W.Va.) is that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Arizona) isn’t budging on her stances on the filibuster rules as well as headline-grabbing legislation such as voting reform and the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan.
Cuccinelli
“She (Sinema) has, on the filibuster in particular, been a rock,” Cuccinelli said. “She has never given a hint of movement. Whereas Manchin occasionally says things that make you scratch your head a little bit.
“And they aren’t alone, by the way. We talk about Manchin and Sinema. But there are other people like Diane Feinstein (D-California) who don’t want to get rid of the filibuster.
“But Manchin keeps circling back to any changes have to be bipartisan. That’s been a consistent position for him now for more than six months. Having said that, he’s also, put out memo on voting issues in June or so. But then, a month or two later, he promptly crossed his own memo in what he clearly was willing to support.”
In addition, Cuccinelli said, liberals are “casting their net so massively” despite knowing Manchin isn’t a “radical left-winger.”
“To say they’re overplaying their hand with the narrowest majority doesn’t give a full appreciation for what they’re trying to do,” Cuccinelli said. “They’ve thrown down the gauntlet and going for everything. It puts Manchin in a difficult spot in West Virginia. The Democrats in West Virginia are not like that.”
And Cuccinelli said that generally moderate mindset in most West Virginians is “a great safe harbor” for Manchin.
“It’s not like the left would have a chance against him in the primary if he did run again in 2024,” Cuccinelli said. “And, look at the flip side. Look at how John McCain milked that in the other direction in Arizona. But Manchin, unlike McCain, has never sought to antagonize the left wing of his party. He just hasn’t been part of it.”
West Virginia’s economic situation also helps Manchin on his stances regarding the filibuster and the BBB plan.
“I continue to be amazed that in the era of highest inflation that we’ve ever seen that some people think printing trillions of more dollars is a good idea,” Cuccinelli said. “West Virginia is a state more sensitive to inflation more than other states. Right now, there may be less economic opportunity in West Virginia.
“So again, opposing Build Back Better is consistent with that attitude that is pretty prevalent in West Virginia. However, if Manchin ever feels that he has to give Democrats something, one of these two things, then I worry, instead of him continuing to do the right thing on both of them.
“Now, I haven’t seen anything that suggests he’s going to do that, but he’s a human being like anyone else. I don’t know how long he can withstand the pressure.”
Cuccinelli also said the idea of a one-time carve-out on the filibuster for voting reform legislation isn’t a good idea for the Democrats.
“If they do that for voting legislation, couldn’t the Republicans just use that same carve out to reverse it in a few years?” Cuccinelli asked. “If they do a carve-out, you can be absolutely guaranteed we’ll come back and carve everything out. The Senate will become a majoritarian body.
“So, Manchin doesn’t want to do it as a nuclear option, especially in a state where he won a close race in 2018 during the Trump midterm election. Got as much of a tailwind as he could environmentally. In 2024, that wouldn’t hold up.
“If Manchin wants to run again in West Virginia, he’s going to have to stick with these positions if he wants to win.”