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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is reportedly leaning yes on Kavanaugh
The Week ^ | October 4, 2018 | Brendan Morrow

Posted on 10/04/2018 12:21:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Brett Kavanaugh may have the support of at least one Democratic senator.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) now seems to be leaning towards voting "yes" on Kavanaugh, according to a new report from Politico, which also says Manchin "certainly is gettable" for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky). Kavanaugh needs at least 50 votes to be confirmed (Vice President Mike Pence would break the tie), and since there are 51 Republicans in the Senate, a "yes" vote from Manchin could make up for a "no" vote from another swing senator like Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) or Susan Collins (R-Maine). President Trump clearly sees Manchin as gettable, as Politico reports the two have spoken about the confirmation.

However, there's a catch: Politico notes Manchin "doesn’t want to be the 50th vote for Kavanaugh," but he's okay being the 51st or 52nd vote. In other words, Manchin seems fine with voting for Kavanaugh in a scenario where GOP senators don't defect and Kavanaugh's confirmation is assured. But if it becomes clear that he's the deciding vote, that's where he's more conflicted. Manchin is up for re-election this November in a state Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016.

Though Manchin hasn't made many public remarks about Kavanaugh, and while he told Politico that he's still undecided, he also noted that he sympathizes with Kavanaugh and is "not hearing anything [disqualifying] from the 30 years as an adult, in his professional life." Manchin also recently told Al Jazeera that he is "looking at the gentleman as an adult from 22 to 53" and "trying to put the human side to it." —


TOPICS: West Virginia; Campaign News; Parties; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: democrats; kavanaugh; manchin; westvirginia
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1 posted on 10/04/2018 12:21:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You mean giving Trump his nominees the way the GOP gave Odumbass his?

How unusual!


2 posted on 10/04/2018 12:23:10 PM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gotta love a man who sticks to his convictions. /S


3 posted on 10/04/2018 12:23:30 PM PDT by pnut22
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Trump needs to hammer Manchin day in and day out even if he votes “yes”, by pointing to this column as evidence that the guy’s a snake in the grass.


4 posted on 10/04/2018 12:23:34 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (They can have my pitbull when they pry his cold dead jaws off my ass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ed Rollins said if any Republican votes aginst Kavanaugh, except Flake of course, he is going to primary them with his PAK. I don’t think Murdowski and Collins are up for reeclection ore they?


5 posted on 10/04/2018 12:23:53 PM PDT by nikos1121
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

He likes his job.


6 posted on 10/04/2018 12:24:31 PM PDT by sitetest (No longer mostly dead.)
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To: pnut22
Gotta love a man who sticks to his convictions. /S

Manchin has no convictions.

We haven't been able to pin anything on him.

7 posted on 10/04/2018 12:25:13 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
doesn’t want to be the 50th vote for Kavanaugh

So Manchin will do what is convenient for Manchin, as always.

8 posted on 10/04/2018 12:25:40 PM PDT by scottinoc
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To: Zhang Fei

“Trump needs to hammer Manchin day in and day out even if he votes “yes”, by pointing to this column as evidence that the guy’s a snake in the grass.”

Sometimes it’s not too bad to have a weak enemy you can coerce over a strong-headed ally jerk who won’t give you the time of day. I don’t know who is running against Manchin, but I’m sure Trump will make the right call.


9 posted on 10/04/2018 12:26:02 PM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: nikos1121

Primaries are long over. But We have Paul LePage and Joe Miller waiting in the wings to replace Collins and Murkowski respectively in 2020 and 2022.


10 posted on 10/04/2018 12:27:30 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (They can have my pitbull when they pry his cold dead jaws off my ass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Joe is a POS. Who cares what that snake does.


11 posted on 10/04/2018 12:28:18 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: NorthMountain

We all know that accusations are worse than convictions.


12 posted on 10/04/2018 12:28:43 PM PDT by pnut22
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To: Gen.Blather

[Sometimes it’s not too bad to have a weak enemy you can coerce over a strong-headed ally jerk who won’t give you the time of day. I don’t know who is running against Manchin, but I’m sure Trump will make the right call.]


Manchin is worthless. He has *never* been the deciding vote on *any* GOP legislation. And he is far more liberal than Susan Collins. Far, far more.


13 posted on 10/04/2018 12:28:54 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (They can have my pitbull when they pry his cold dead jaws off my ass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"doesn’t want to be the 50th vote for Kavanaugh,"

As I have said from the beginning, Manchin will vote as told by Schumer. In this case, Chuck will give Manchin permission to vote for confirmation only if his vote has no impact on the outcome. It doesn't matter if he is the 49th yes vote or the 51st, as long as his vote doesn't matter he will be allowed to vote yes.

14 posted on 10/04/2018 12:30:24 PM PDT by ETCM
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To: Zhang Fei

“Trump needs to hammer Manchin day in and day out even if he votes “yes””

I doubt he can go the lengths the rat party will with Manchin...threatening family, pets, etc.

Color me skeptical whether Manchin will be a ‘yes’ vote.


15 posted on 10/04/2018 12:30:50 PM PDT by Electric Graffiti (Jeff Sessions IS the insurance policy)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

TOLD YOU... there is no LEANING.. he was ALWAYS a yes...

The only way he wasn’t going to vote to confirm was if HIS vote would have been the 50th vote, then he may have taken the democratic bribe and golden parachute and ended his political career with a no vote...

Same is true of a few other Dems.. now that its obvious Kavanaugh has the votes, expect a few more to come out yes....

Was always going to be a 52-55 vote approval... This has all been political theater.

My bet, Donnelly will likely be the next to start floating he is thinking yes.


16 posted on 10/04/2018 12:30:52 PM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“doesn’t want to be the 50th vote for Kavanaugh”

This is everything wrong with politics. His only job here is to make up his own mind on whether or not the nominee is qualified.


17 posted on 10/04/2018 12:31:36 PM PDT by trublu
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To: Electric Graffiti

Manchin was probably the most likely of the Red State D’s to survive... a NO vote was always going to seal him in a loss and he knew it...

However, even with a yes vote, I don’t think at this point he survives.. the behavior of the Dems has likely sealed his fate, regardless of this vote.


18 posted on 10/04/2018 12:32:40 PM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I certainly hope that no one in West Virginia drinks as much as Christine Crazy Fraud or Ms. Gang Bang of 1982-2012, so that they don’t inadvertently vote to re-elect Senator Spineless Sack of Schit.

The good thing is that he’ll likely tick off those few WV residents who are hard-core Leftists, and probably not fool that many others, so he’ll be consulting starting in January.


19 posted on 10/04/2018 12:33:04 PM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt, The Weapons Shops of Isher)
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To: Mr. K

Flake is a goner. So this whole think is problematic.


20 posted on 10/04/2018 12:33:13 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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