SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Rev. Dr. William Barber speaks during a demonstration at the U.S. Supreme Court on November 15, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)
Rev. William Barber Condemns Manchin's 'Immoral, Unmerciful, Economically Insane' Obstruction
Manchin is "a plutocrat who only cares about what his corporate backers and profit-driven masters want," said the co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign.
Dec 16, 2021
Rev. Dr. William Barber, the co-chair of the national Poor People's Campaign, lambasted Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday for endangering both the Build Back Better Act and voting rights legislation, two central elements of the Democratic Party's popular legislative agenda.
"December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
"Manchin's immoral, unmerciful, economically insane, and constitutionally inconsistent blocking of both Build Back Better and voting rights protections is at the heart of this havoc," Barber said in a statement as Senate Democrats scrambled to find a way forward for their flagship reconciliation package, which--thanks to Manchin's opposition--likely won't receive a vote in the upper chamber until next year, if at all.
Barber accused the West Virginia Democrat of lying to President Joe Biden to secure final passage of the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill last month because he is "a plutocrat who only cares about what his corporate backers and profit-driven masters want no matter how many people--the 140 million poor and low-wealth people--are hurt."
Manchin's continued opposition to the Build Back Better Act imperils Democrats' chances of approving billions of dollars in investments in green energy, Medicaid expansion, and other priorities that President Joe Biden touted on the campaign trail in 2020.
Failure to pass the reconciliation package before the end of the year would cause the expanded child tax credit program to lapse, potentially pushing 10 million kids back into poverty or into deeper poverty--an economic travesty and a potential political disaster for Democrats going into the 2022 midterm elections. Manchin reportedly wants to zero out the program, which would be extended for another year under the Build Back Better Act.
"Meanwhile," Barber continued, "other Democrats hide behind [Manchin] and 50 Republican senators sit on their hands and watch the economic disaster and destruction of our democracy with ghoulish glee."
Since the beginning of the year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, 19 states have enacted at least 33 Republican-authored laws that restrict ballot access--and congressional Democrats have repeatedly failed to pass legislation that would thwart the GOP's nationwide voter suppression push, due in large part to opposition from Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
"It's not too late, however, if we come together right now in a fusion movement and put massive street pressure on him and the political process as we move into the new year," said Barber, who earlier this week helped lead a protest at which dozens were arrested as they demanded passage of voting rights legislation and the Build Back Better Act.
"This December, a new intensity has been born as the Senate's failure to act is another link in the chain of events that served to only embolden us and intensify our moral dissent," Barber added. "December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Rev. Dr. William Barber, the co-chair of the national Poor People's Campaign, lambasted Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday for endangering both the Build Back Better Act and voting rights legislation, two central elements of the Democratic Party's popular legislative agenda.
"December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
"Manchin's immoral, unmerciful, economically insane, and constitutionally inconsistent blocking of both Build Back Better and voting rights protections is at the heart of this havoc," Barber said in a statement as Senate Democrats scrambled to find a way forward for their flagship reconciliation package, which--thanks to Manchin's opposition--likely won't receive a vote in the upper chamber until next year, if at all.
Barber accused the West Virginia Democrat of lying to President Joe Biden to secure final passage of the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill last month because he is "a plutocrat who only cares about what his corporate backers and profit-driven masters want no matter how many people--the 140 million poor and low-wealth people--are hurt."
Manchin's continued opposition to the Build Back Better Act imperils Democrats' chances of approving billions of dollars in investments in green energy, Medicaid expansion, and other priorities that President Joe Biden touted on the campaign trail in 2020.
Failure to pass the reconciliation package before the end of the year would cause the expanded child tax credit program to lapse, potentially pushing 10 million kids back into poverty or into deeper poverty--an economic travesty and a potential political disaster for Democrats going into the 2022 midterm elections. Manchin reportedly wants to zero out the program, which would be extended for another year under the Build Back Better Act.
"Meanwhile," Barber continued, "other Democrats hide behind [Manchin] and 50 Republican senators sit on their hands and watch the economic disaster and destruction of our democracy with ghoulish glee."
Since the beginning of the year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, 19 states have enacted at least 33 Republican-authored laws that restrict ballot access--and congressional Democrats have repeatedly failed to pass legislation that would thwart the GOP's nationwide voter suppression push, due in large part to opposition from Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
"It's not too late, however, if we come together right now in a fusion movement and put massive street pressure on him and the political process as we move into the new year," said Barber, who earlier this week helped lead a protest at which dozens were arrested as they demanded passage of voting rights legislation and the Build Back Better Act.
"This December, a new intensity has been born as the Senate's failure to act is another link in the chain of events that served to only embolden us and intensify our moral dissent," Barber added. "December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
Rev. Dr. William Barber, the co-chair of the national Poor People's Campaign, lambasted Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday for endangering both the Build Back Better Act and voting rights legislation, two central elements of the Democratic Party's popular legislative agenda.
"December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
"Manchin's immoral, unmerciful, economically insane, and constitutionally inconsistent blocking of both Build Back Better and voting rights protections is at the heart of this havoc," Barber said in a statement as Senate Democrats scrambled to find a way forward for their flagship reconciliation package, which--thanks to Manchin's opposition--likely won't receive a vote in the upper chamber until next year, if at all.
Barber accused the West Virginia Democrat of lying to President Joe Biden to secure final passage of the $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill last month because he is "a plutocrat who only cares about what his corporate backers and profit-driven masters want no matter how many people--the 140 million poor and low-wealth people--are hurt."
Manchin's continued opposition to the Build Back Better Act imperils Democrats' chances of approving billions of dollars in investments in green energy, Medicaid expansion, and other priorities that President Joe Biden touted on the campaign trail in 2020.
Failure to pass the reconciliation package before the end of the year would cause the expanded child tax credit program to lapse, potentially pushing 10 million kids back into poverty or into deeper poverty--an economic travesty and a potential political disaster for Democrats going into the 2022 midterm elections. Manchin reportedly wants to zero out the program, which would be extended for another year under the Build Back Better Act.
"Meanwhile," Barber continued, "other Democrats hide behind [Manchin] and 50 Republican senators sit on their hands and watch the economic disaster and destruction of our democracy with ghoulish glee."
Since the beginning of the year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, 19 states have enacted at least 33 Republican-authored laws that restrict ballot access--and congressional Democrats have repeatedly failed to pass legislation that would thwart the GOP's nationwide voter suppression push, due in large part to opposition from Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
"It's not too late, however, if we come together right now in a fusion movement and put massive street pressure on him and the political process as we move into the new year," said Barber, who earlier this week helped lead a protest at which dozens were arrested as they demanded passage of voting rights legislation and the Build Back Better Act.
"This December, a new intensity has been born as the Senate's failure to act is another link in the chain of events that served to only embolden us and intensify our moral dissent," Barber added. "December is the Senate's deadline, but the deadline for the movement is when we win."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.