For all their praise of “bipartisanship,” the media actually hates bipartisanship -- when it’s Democrats siding with Republicans, anyway. The media was in lockstep meltdown mode today, after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin wrote that he would oppose the massive overhaul of our election system put forward by Democrats called H.R.1 or its euphemistic name, “For the People Act.”
All three networks gave the news attention Monday morning, with each reporter revealing their own irritation at Manchin for going against his party’s radical agenda.
On ABC’s Good Morning America, co-anchor George Stephanopoulos decried Manchin’s opposition as a sign of his disloyalty to the Democrat party.
“President Biden's push for voting rights and his big infrastructure package took a big hit Sunday from a fellow Democrat,” he critiqued, adding, “Jon, the blow comes from West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.”
The network’s chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl fretted over Biden being able to get his agenda done without Manchin’s support for this bill.
“George, when there's a 50/50 senate and all Republicans are in opposition Joe Biden needs every single Democrat to get anything done,” he warned, adding that Manchin was a “firm no” on the president’s massive infrastructure package and “the big voting rights bill that many Democrats say is their top priority.”
The Democrat hack seemed frustrated by Manchin’s reasoning that this important of a bill had no bipartisan support. He snarked: “Not a single Republican supports that bill, then again George, that bill is largely designed to respond to changes made by Republican-dominated state legislatures that are entirely partisan.”
CBS This Morning also did a full report siding with progressives to attack the West Virginia Democrat. Co-anchor Anthony Mason wailed Manchin’s vote “could sink the move to override Republican state laws that limit voting access.” He worried to correspondent Weijia Jiang: “What are the odds that the president can get Manchin to change his mind?”
Jiang also wasn’t hopeful: “At this point it looks like it is close to zero.” She did quote Manchin’s concern for the importance of a bill like this having GOP support, but pivoted back to hit him from the far left:
“Some progressives were quick to criticize Manchin like New York congressman Mondaire Jones who tweeted, 'Manchin's op-ed might as well be titled Why I'll vote to preserve Jim Crow.'”
Like Karl on ABC, Jiang was annoyed by Manchin’s call for a bipartisan bill. She jeered, “[M]anchin made his case for why the GOP would actually help support a narrow bill even though we've seen time and time again Republicans in several states push for more restrictive voter laws.”
Over on NBC’s Today, co-anchor Craig Melvin offered only a brief to the topic, but shamelessly parroted White House and Democrat party talking points without any Republican counterpoint.
Meanwhile, a key democratic senator says he will not vote for a massive overhaul of U.S. election laws, which the White House says is crucial for protecting voter access….Without Manchin's vote, there appears to be no path forward for the bill which would make it easier to vote and bring transparency to the campaign finance system.
The media’s treatment of Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D) stood in stark contrast with how they fawned over Republican John McCain (AZ), who famously sided with Democrats to keep ObamaCare.
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Read the transcripts below:
ABC’s Good Morning America
06/07/2021GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We're going to stay in Washington where President Biden's push for voting rights and his big infrastructure package took a big hit Sunday from a fellow Democrat. Chief Washington Correspondent Jon Karl joins us now. Jon, the blow comes from West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.
JONATHAN KARL: George, when there's a 50/50 senate and all Republicans are in opposition Joe Biden needs every single Democrat to get anything done. When it comes to changing the senate rules to get that infrastructure bill through without Republican support, Manchin is a firm no. He's also firmly against the big voting rights bill that many Democrats say is their top priority. He says the bill is too broad and that major changes to our election systems, the way we run our elections, should not be made on a partisan basis. You have to have bipartisan support. Not a single Republican supports that bill, then again George, that bill is largely designed to respond to changes made by Republican-dominated state legislatures that are entirely partisan.
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NBC’s Today
06/07/2021CRAIG MELVIN: Meanwhile, a key democratic senator says he will not vote for a massive overhaul of U.S. election laws, which the white house says is crucial for protecting voter access. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Sunday that without support from both parties, he thinks the bill will further divide the country. Without Manchin's vote, there appears to be no path forward for the bill which would make it easier to vote and bring transparency to the campaign finance system.
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CBS This Morning
06/07/2021ANTHONY MASON: An effort by Democrats to create new federal laws for state elections has hit a roadblock in their own party. West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced in a Charleston newspaper that he will not support it. That could sink the move to override Republican state laws that limit voting access. Weijia Jiang is at the White House. Weijia, what are the odds that the president can get Manchin to change his mind?
WEIJIA JIANG: Good morning, Anthony. At this point it looks like it is close to zero. Senator Manchin made clear in that op-ed and in interviews that he is not opposed to all of the substance of the bill. His biggest issue is that not a single Republican has signed on board. Manchin wrote that "I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy --and for that reason I will vote against the For the People Act."
The bill would require states to offer 15 days of early voting and no-excuse absentee voting, restrict political gerrymandering and change campaign finance laws among other things. Some progressives were quick to criticize Manchin like New York Congressman Mondaire Jones who tweeted, "Manchin's op-ed might as well be titled ‘Why I'll vote to preserve Jim Crow.’” On "Face the Nation," Manchin made his case for why the GOP would actually help support a narrow bill even though we've seen time and time again Republicans in several states push for more restrictive voter laws.
SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I can tell you what goes around comes around. It could be more damaging to them too. The bottom line is the fundamental purpose of our democracy is the freedom of our elections. If we can't come to agreement on that, God help us, John.
JIANG: Manchin also repeated that he would not vote to weaken or get rid of the filibuster, and that may jeopardize several other items on President Biden’s agenda like police reform, immigration reform, and gun control.
