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In an interview, Manchin said Biden did not count on him to support the sweeping election bill that the moderate Democrat publicly rejected over the weekend. Nor has Biden privately asked Manchin to support another Democrat-only spending bill focused on jobs and the economy. Until now.
“The president respects the establishment a lot because he has been here and knows it better than anyone else. I already know where he is,” Manchin said Tuesday at the Capitol. I know the challenges he’s facing, and I basically know the pressure he’s under all the time. We’re just trying to find a balance for that.”
Despite his run-ins at Mansion, Biden has remained largely quiet about the senator’s insistence that infrastructure bills be bipartisan and his opposition to stalling reforms and a sweeping election bill that expands access to voting. According to one of his White House aides, Biden and his top staff are in regular contact with Manchin. Biden named Manchin’s wife, Gayle, to the Appalachian Regional Committee.
Manchin described Biden as “just a good human being, but he’s also a smart politician who understands the process in the Senate.” However, they do not see everything eye to eye.
“Biden is very puzzled by Manchin. He doesn’t know how or what to think. Or what he really wants,” a lawmaker who spoke to Biden recently said. “That makes it hard for the president to ‘get,’ so to speak.”
Manchin and Biden’s relationship, known within their party’s caucus as “The Gooseberries,” is a cornerstone of the Democratic Party’s success over the next 18 months. Manchin is the Senate’s toughest 50- to 50-year-old wheel that is incredibly difficult to tame, while Biden has forged his reputation for striking deals with lawmakers like Manchin, one of Washington’s last conservative Democrats.
Without Manchin, Biden cannot win — and the always cited senator says he is committed to making the president successful. What’s more, they are both pillars of throwback from the small states where everyone knows them, often both dating back to a time when the Senate was not a quagmire of partisanship and inertia.
It’s all part of what Manchin colleagues see as a larger strategy. Biden can win Mansion when it counts, but the former longtime Democratic senator must be strategic in terms of timing and substance.
There is a personal relationship between the president and Senator Manchin. Senator Ben Cardin (Democrat) said. He knows he will have an impact on Senator Manchin. It will not be effective at this very moment. But I think he’s waiting for that opportunity.”
Bipartisan talks are still revolving around infrastructure, for example, which means it is not yet time for Biden to secure a Manchin vote on a more aggressive partisan proposal. And the Senate’s 50-member Democratic majority lacks the votes to change the disruption rules even if Manchin completely reverses his hardline stance against his reform, making West Virginia’s support for the sweeping election bill a less pressing issue for the White House.
However, there will come a time when Biden needs Manchin to back him up. Democratic senators are confident the president will be more successful with Mnuchin than previous presidents Barack Obama or Donald Trump.
“Sen. Strong-willed Mansion,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), “But President Biden has dealt with a lot of strong-willed senators.”
Obama’s former chief of staff, Bill Daly, said the White House carefully controls what is said about Manchin’s outsized influence in the Senate from the 50s to 50s.
“I don’t need someone to smash a politician. [Biden] He’d be angry if that happened, Daly said. “Other politicians might do that, but you haven’t seen a single hint of Mansion’s disgruntled and angry White House staff pissing on it.”
However, Biden’s comment about Manchin’s record made waves in Democratic circles. Manchin said Biden’s strike on his electoral record was “out of context” and ignored. Then, on an elevator ride with Senator Steve Daines (Republican for Mont.), Daines said he was Manchin’s “body man” and briefly protected him from the reporter.
“Joe Manchin is saving our country. Joe is trying to get a bipartisan partnership,” said Daines, “I want you to help me with that.”
Working with Republicans like Daines, Manchin sees his job as “save democracy.” But Manchin’s bipartisan ethos at all costs has infuriated progressives and activists in the House, particularly because of his stand against the sweeping Democrats election bill and his defense of obstruction.
When asked about the growing anger toward Manchin and his refusal to support sweeping legislation to reform access to voting, White House Press Secretary Jen Baskey said Tuesday, “We’ll let the name call out to others.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a daily press briefing in the James Brady press briefing room of the White House on May 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. | Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
“President Senator Manchin is a friend,” Psaki continued. “He disagrees with him about voting rights and the bill that the senator has expressed his lack of support… We will continue to look for ways we can work with Senator Manchin even in the areas where we disagree.”
Psaki did not say whether the liberal attacks on the Mansion have alarmed the White House because she is working to ensure that Mansion is in line with Biden’s infrastructure proposals and other key agenda items. She said she suspected Manchin, rather than feeling hurt, had a “stronger backbone” and colleagues said that being imitated by liberals actually helps him in West Virginia.
Democratic senators held two caucus meetings on the expanded election bill, and Manchin attended only the second meeting, listening intently throughout. Just a few days later, he opposed his colleagues’ bill – leading to a torrent of private conversations with Democratic senators aimed at influencing him.
“I don’t think it’s ‘can Joe Biden get to him or not,’” a Democratic senator, who estimated that as many as 10 Democrats have spoken to Manchin about voting rights in the past two days, said one senator, “and that’s the end of the conversation.” The senator also said Biden would be a key component of the Manchin swing.
As one source familiar with the dynamics put it: “Manchin still gets everything he wants and unless you take something from him, he’s not going to move.” That source said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is the only person who can move Manchin, describing Schumer as the person Manchin has “the strongest personal relationship” with and “whoever respects him.”
However, the majority of people who spoke about the relationship between Biden and Manchin said the president is key to moving Democrats forward. “President Biden understands West Virginia. I think Joe wants to work with the president,” said Senator Debbie Stabeno (D-Mitch), a member of the Democratic Leadership.
Manchin has always gone to his own tunes in the caucus, voting more often with Republicans than his colleagues and opposing things like blocking nominations in 2013. But now he does so at a time of full Democratic control and in a divided Senate, making him the toughest Democrat in Impact on today’s big issues and a pivotal vote that determines the success of Biden’s agenda.
Former Senator Max Baucus (Democrat for Mont.), who has worked alongside Biden and Manchin, said it’s in Biden’s “dna” to “try to find agreements. And he will keep trying.”
“Joe Mansion is the same,” Bocuse said.
Sam Stein contributed to this report.
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