Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, echoing the complaint of the Democratic Party establishment, believes that Sen. Joe Manchin engaged in an “egregious breach” of President Joe Biden’s trust by refusing to support his welfare expansion plans.
“The idea that Joe Manchin says that he can’t explain this back home to his people is a farce,” Ocasio-Cortez said. Elsewhere, Bernie Sanders similarly noted that Manchin would have to do a lot of explaining in West Virginia after abandoning Build Back Better.
The reality, as they know, is that the Democrats’ legislation is probably more unpopular in Manchin’s home state — with 74% opposing — than any other in the nation. So it’s somewhat odd to hear people who claim to be guardians of “democracy” arguing that a senator owes his loyalty to his party over his state. That is, until you quickly remember that the selective and temporary championing of crude majoritarianism by Democrats is a cynical play for power.
“I mean, it’s a farce in terms of plain democracy because I represent more or just as many or more people than Joe Manchin does — perhaps more,” Ocasio-Cortez went on. As a factual matter, this is incorrect — West Virginia has a little under 1.8 million residents, and Ocasio-Cortez’s district a little over 700,000 — but, far more importantly, it is completely irrelevant.
There is no “plain democracy,” as anyone with a rudimentary understanding of basic civics already knows. Indeed, one of the reasons the Senate exists is to stop people in dense places such as Queens from lording over people in places such as rural West Virginia. This is how we keep a diverse country intact.
Whenever you point out that we’re not living in a democracy and that majoritarian rule is fundamentally un-American, illiberal and authoritarian, you get lectures about how “democracy” doesn’t mean direct democracy. But what does it mean when historians, politicians and left-wing leaders make statements such as, “Last time I checked, I didn’t vote for Joe Manchin for president”? Surely they understand that the president isn’t a legislator. Surely they comprehend that every senator is imbued with exactly the same amount of power. Or do they take the view of Bernie Sanders, who already speaks as if he’s living in a one-party state, that 51 senators are a minority if Democrats happen to make up the other 49?
After all, when Democrats lose a presidential election, progressives demand that we eliminate the Electoral College. When Democrats don’t get their way in the Supreme Court, progressives demand that we pack the courts. When Democrats can’t get the votes to pass their legislation, progressives demand that we end the Senate. “What we really need to do is crack down on the Senate,” Ocasio-Cortez said, “which acts like an old boys’ club.” (Isn’t a senator, supposedly acting alone against the wishes of his entire caucus, in a club of one?) Now, maybe progressives are just spinning their wheels in the short term, but they’re also normalizing a kind of radicalism within their ranks that threatens American governance.
Of course, in this case, even after circumventing normal and open debate by leaning on reconciliation and a simple majority, Democrats were still unable to pass Build Back Better. And it’s unlikely Manchin is alone in opposing the bill. There might well be another handful of Democrats in the Senate who would put themselves in a vulnerable position supporting a massive, debt-fueled, welfare-state expansion in the middle of a weak economic recovery and high inflation. These politicians may not hail from states where three-quarters of the population are antagonistic to the president’s agenda, but how popular could Biden really be in Montana or New Hampshire or Arizona?
Build Back Better’s failure — should it fail in the long run (Manchin is a mercurial sort, after all) — was predicated on Biden’s ill-conceived decision to cast his lot with the hard left. The modern Democratic Party is increasingly led by what seems like cocooned social-media influencers, people who are good at ginning up progressive mobs, dunking on West Virginia senators and complaining about the alleged inadequacies of the republic but terrible at real-world governance.
And frankly, in the end, that’s probably a blessing for the nation.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at National Review and author of “Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.” To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
The treachery of the traitorous, socialist Democrat Party know no bounds.
The “Socialist Democrat Party State” political officers, Gestapo, Woke and Cancel Culture are just getting started.
You will obey, be loyal and support the policies of the “Socialist Democrat Party State” or you will be classified as “Enemies of the State”.
It will be complimentary to be “Enemies of THEIR State”, for their state is not my state just as their god is not my GOD (Deuteronomy 32)
I am proud to be an “Enemy of the Dem controlled state””
Instead of increasing welfare ,we need to defund welfare. Schools already serve 2 meals a day. Just have schools give out a bag supper to take home.after school. Equal rights mean you finance your own children ,just like we do.
JUST as long as only THOSE WHO HAVE KIDS, pay taxes, to FUND THOSE schools handing out all those “Free” meals..
I AM SICK TO DEATH, of paying taxes, that go to schools, to essentially PARENT KIDS not my own.
The people of West Virginia did not vote for Joe Manchin to vote for the agenda of the radical Socialist Democrats, they voted for him to represent their interests as a sovereign state which ceded power in order to form the Republic made up of fifty sovereign states, not subjected to the will of one political party whose philosophy has become corrupted by Marxist teachings.
BUT to AOC and others of her ilk, THEY CARE NOT what the people of the state want, ONCE THEY GET INTO OFFICE, what THEY want, matters more than what “WE the people” want or need.
Over-educated fools like AOC, educated way beyond their mental means to process information are exactly what Marx and Lenin had in mind when they concocted the term Useful idiots. Nothing is so dangerous to the truth than a half truth, told by a half-wit who can only process half the incoming information. Add in greed and the pathological need to power and social acceptance, and the monster that is created becomes most dangerous to those who first laugh her off, then later cry for what evil she accomplishes. Explaining to your people back home who elected you to represent the will of THE PEOPLE, is what democracy is all about, yet she accuses Manchin and other REAL Americans to be the destroyers of American Democracy, rather than the protectors they are who stand the way of her naked power grabs, clothed in the invisible robes of being what is best for the very people she consistently dumbs down with her lies, prevarications and beguilements. She claims to represent more people than Manchin, but represents none of THEIR best interests, just her own pathological pride in the ability to socially re-engineer their brains to become half of what their CREATOR intended them to be.
AOC is just another one of the SHEEP in the flock!
Too much alcohol and uncontrolled sexcapades will result in std’s & alcohol attacking the brain. When one has limited brain matter it isn’t wise to engage in these actions. Proof is clearly there!
Such a pretty face on such an empty head. I don’t remember anybody hollering about an “egregious breach” of President Trump’s trust for not supporting his plans. As I recall, Congress put up every conceivable roadblock to derail Trump’s agenda. And those were things that were good for the country—even good for AOC—but there was little-to-no Congressional support.
“I mean, it’s a farce in terms of plain democracy because I represent more or just as many or more people than Joe Manchin does — perhaps more,” Ocasio-Cortez went on.” Well, you did get enough votes to get elected, but evidently all you represent is a large block of low-information voters who share your ignorance concerning the issues and how our governing system is supposed to work. There’s nothing there to brag about.
In AOCs case, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Inside ugly people like her only succeed for a while because like Hitler they organized first and fastest. Once the truth gets out and THEY PEOPLE wise up and organize themselves its case closed for the weak and half witted. The greatest threat to socialist dictator wanna-bees is when they begin to believe their own press and their own lies. Then the end comes quickly.
She’s ugly, OUTSIDE as well as in!
AOC is college educated. She proves time and time again why we need to raise the standards for college.
ITS almost to the point, i say SCRAP THE ENTIRE bloody college system, burn it all to the ground.
THEN REBUILD IT UP the right way.. if that’s possible.