Squeezing Joe Manchin
Senator Joe Manchin (Democrat-West Virginia) has been in the news a lot lately. There is also a lot of rage against him – way too much rage if you ask me. So let’s break it down.
Democrats – many of them – are infuriated right now. The media is gleefully fanning the flames. Just about every night, you see pundits wringing their hands and acting like the sky is falling because of Manchin. And this is not the way to handle things.
Think about it. What is to be gained by hate tweeting at Manchin or screaming about him? It might raise the blood pressure of the people doing the screaming, but it does not help in any fundamental way.
I also want to say this upfront: Manchin is not Mitch McConnell. Manchin may be a pain in the ass, but he isn’t evil. He is not sitting in a room somewhere like an evil wizard, thinking, “aha! How do I screw over my party today?”
So, I have made a shortlist of ways to help with the Manchin situation that are healthy, can work, and not raise your blood pressure because, above all, we want our fellow Democrats healthy and happy. Again, I will stress that not everything on this list is for everyone. But even doing one or two of these things can be helpful:
1) Call Manchin’s office. Speak professionally. Write out what you want to say if you have to. Let his office know what you’d like to see him do.
2) Call his office again. Seriously-don’t let it be a one-time thing-call as often as you can.
3) Attend protests and marches like the march planned by the Poor People’s campaign in West Virginia.
4) Donate where you can if you have the funds. Self-explanatory.
5) Sign petitions. There are many floating around. Change.org is an excellent place to find some. Send them to people you know as well.
6) Get your friends, family, anybody you know who is open to activism to do some of these things as well. Educate them on the Voting rights legislation and encourage them to encourage others.
7) Encourage Democrats and groups that support Democrats to run ads, letting the public know what is going on.
We can, and we will win. And there is much we can all do to make that happen.
