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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed each other’s re-election campaigns Sunday in what was to be a moving show of bipartisanship.
And I saw right through their act.
I should preface with this: I don’t see anything valiant about bipartisanship and I carry disdain for those who suggest we pursue it over all else. To me, it’s an immature and immoral act of cowardice for lawmakers to prioritize getting along with their colleagues over passing positively life-changing legislation.
Nonetheless, both senators, conservatives in their own right, were singing bipartisanship’s praise together during an interview Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
“I’m endorsing my dear friend Lisa Murkowski,” Manchin of West Virginia said. “Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them.”
“It’s hypocritical to basically work with a person day in and day out, and then when they’re in cycle, you’re supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name,” he added.
Their performance was self-congratulatory. The two patted themselves on the back for their work on the Electoral Count Act, an election reform bill widely viewed by Democrats and civil rights activists as an insufficient alternative to voting rights bills blocked by Republicans. Eliminating the filibuster would allow the Democratic-led Senate to pass those voting rights bills, but Manchin and fellow conservative Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema have opposed doing so (at least, in the matter of passing voter protections).
The two spent no time reckoning with who and how many people would be harmed by their voting rights obstruction.
“Now, there will be some people saying it’s not enough," Manchin said of the proposed Electoral Count Act reform. "There’ll be other people saying that it’s more than what we should do or we don’t need it."
Murkowski chimed in: "I’ve kind of said, ‘We’re going to take the Goldilocks approach here. We’re going to try to find what’s just right.'"
Nursery rhyme references aside, the two spent no time reckoning with who and how many people would be harmed by their voting rights obstruction. And the theme of self-praise continued as the lawmakers went on to tout their involvement in a bipartisan committee of senators who negotiated the infrastructure bill passed last year.
The only problem? The group of senators they were praising was criticized for being all-white, which perfectly encapsulates the fundamental criticism about Manchinian (or Murkowskian?) bipartisanship: It’s too focused on policies that make its practitioners feel good, and not focused enough on maximizing benefits for the people who need them the most.
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