11/05/2021
From Robert Reich, who served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, as well as serving as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 under President Bill Clinton.
I seem to have fallen into the habit of writing letters to Joe Manchin. Here was my first one (from October 1st):
I’ve smelled the stench of the Washington cesspool, but this is among the most nauseating. West Virginia’s Senator Joe Manchin now says he won’t support more than $1.5 trillion of spending for the Democrats’ “Build Back Better” social and environmental package. This is less than half what Democratic leaders have been trying to push through Congress, which itself is half the size of the package Biden originally promised.
Democrats need every single Democratic vote in the Senate, so Manchin’s $1.5 trillion would set the ceiling. Manchin’s snarky advice for Democrats who want a larger package: “Elect more liberals.”
Sorry, Joe. This isn’t a choice between liberal and conservative Democrats. Or even between true Democrats and DINOs like you. It’s a choice about the survival of the planet, not to mention the future of America’s working class.
According to an agreement between you and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that was leaked to the press, you’re also demanding continued tax credits for fossil fuel and natural gas, and full control over crafting the central climate change provisions of the legislation. In other words, you intend that the climate havoc continue.
What could possibly be motivating you? Sure, West Virginia is a coal state. But we both know there’s no long-term future in mining coal, regardless of what happens to this legislation.
This legislation would, however, help West Virginians transition from coal to new and better jobs. And help them survive in the meantime. On a per-person basis, West Virginians would benefit more from the safety nets and public investments in this package than the residents of just about any other state.
So why are you blowing it up, Joe?
Is it because you own stock valued at between $1 million and $5 million in Enersystems, a coal brokerage firm you founded in 1988? Last year you made half a million dollars in Enersystems dividends (roughly three times the $174,000 salary you made last year as a senator).
Is it because you collect more campaign money from coal, oil, and gas companies than any other senator? (In June, Exxon lobbyist Keith McCoy told the Greenpeace investigative unit that Manchin participated in weekly meetings with company operatives.)
Say it ain’t so, Joe -- but how do you spell “corruption?”
