caller: i will tell you, i supported joe manchin. i helped joe manchin. i have literally worked for him. host: doorknocking? caller: yes. this is west virginia. i know his family. my dad used to go to his house. he is wrong. there is right and there is wrong. this does not have anything to do with anything. he represents the people of the state of west virginia. when he has an issue i feel is republican, bipartisan, democratic issue, the party has nothing to do with this. this is for the people of this country so we can have a republic democracy. this is wrong. i do not know what he is doing. host: has there been a time in the past where he is made about you disagree with? caller: absolutely. host: what specifically? caller: let me think. i just got up and have not had my coffee. one, i'm trying to think, this was when they were in the minority, i cannot remember the vote specifically. usually i keep track of that. host: a few high-profile ones from the profile of joe manchin that has been coming out in the past when he for hours since he has been in the

joe manchin may not agree with joe manchin about that. because ten years is such a long time in the united states senate now. ten years ago was a long time ago, so long ago that joe manchin might before getting wet he supported himself ten years ago. what he said himself ten years ago about what happens today. he predicted this ten years ago. that the senate would be dysfunctional if you allowed a votes like this on a simply the motion to proceed to debate. ten years ago was a long time ago. ten years ago, donald trump was delayed deif tv clown, and a con man running frauds out of trump university. and mitch mcconnell ten years ago was completely in favor of the voting rights act. the last time the voting rights act was reauthorized, it passed the senate 98 to 0 with mitch mcconnell voting to reauthorize the voting rights act for 25 years. and then, the republican appointees on the united states supreme court got to it and they struck down key provisions of the voting rights act which mitch mcconnell had supported. senator kirsten cinema

joe manchin got an agreement with chuck schumer that the democrats would adopt the manchin compromise version of the bill, and still joe manchin could not get a single republican to go along with that, and so the republicans won today by preventing the bill from reaching the necessary 60-vote threshold to proceed. senator manchin released this statement today saying, quote, unfortunately my republican colleagues refuse to allow debate on this legislation despite the reasonable changes made to focus the bill on the core issues facing our democracy. as i have said before, the right to vote is fundamental to our american democracy, and protecting that right should not be about party or politics. i remain committed to finding a bipartisan pathway forward because the future of our democracy is worth it. after the vote, reporters asked joe manchin once again about the possibility of him supporting reformibuster rule. >> no, guys. i think y'all know where i stand on the filibuster. >> i think you all know where i stand on the filibuster. well, no, senator manchin, we do not. in one of joe ma

manchin. this is what he wrote about the s-1 for the people voting rights bill and the filibuster in that op-ed. joe manchin writing some in my party have argued that now is the time to embrace election reforms and policies solely supported by one party. respect philfully, he said, i do not agree. i believe that partisan voting legislation will against the for the people act. furthermore, i will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster. for as long as i have the prifl of being your u.s. senator, i will fight to represent the people of west virginia no matter how difficult and bonds that end divisions and unite the country we love. part of his op-ed in the gazette. no surprise, he has talked about them before. a renewed focus amid the latest push for joe biden's agenda, leading to questions in the white house briefing room. this is white house press secretary jen psaki on joe biden's relationship with joe manchin. >> i can certainly tell you that the president and senior members of the ad

here's the thing about joe manchin. it's very simple. joe manchin is about west virginia. so the way this is going to play out is, how do you make sure that joe manchin gets a deal that he can sell back home in west virginia? and i think that's very doable. look at what happened with the covid relief package. manchin was a tough negotiator, but he got a lot for west virginia. so i think democrats have to just remember, we may be frustrated, but as jeff pointed out, this is what we have to deal with. and we have to remember his motivation is very much focused on delivering for west virginia. so make it in his interest to vote for this package. >> so scott, you know, as karen points out, making it in his interest. that will speak to joe manchin. mcconnell, on the other side who -- you have worked with him so well, you speak to all the time, is pulling the strings on the gop side, even though he may not be the face of the negotiations right now. so since you do really have, you know, talk to him all the time, what is he thinking about all of this and about manchin? >> well, n

caller: i will tell you, i supported joe manchin. i helped joe manchin. i have literally worked for him. host: doorknocking? caller: yes. this is west virginia. i know his family. my dad used to go to his house. he is wrong. there is right and there is wrong. this does not have anything to do with anything. he represents the people of the state of west virginia. when he has an issue i feel is republican, bipartisan, democratic issue, the party has nothing to do with this. this is for the people of this country so we can have a republic democracy. this is wrong. i do not know what he is doing. host: has there been a time in the past where he is made about you disagree with? caller: absolutely. host: what specifically? caller: let me think. i just got up and have not had my coffee. one, i'm trying to think, this was when they were in the minority, i cannot remember the vote specifically. usually i keep track of that. host: a few high-profile ones from the profile of joe manchin that has been coming out in the past when he for hours since he has been in the

and so as a result, manchin, we now have manchin at the table saying, you know what, we do need to do some sort of voting rights act. let's sit down, let's roll up our sleeves, and let's come to the negotiating table. i have to share with you, we do a lot of work on voting rights. this is a huge deal that we now have a pathway for conversation to modernize our election system for the 21st century. >> maria teresa, gene robinson, thank you both for joining our discussion tonight. >>> coming up, fighting for voting rights 60 years ago could get you killed in this country, and it did get medgar evers killed and martin luther king killed and it got their dear friend and favorite comedian dick gregory arrested over 100 times. the new showtime documentary "the one and only dick gregory" tells the story of a man i'm proud to say was a hero of mine and appeared on this program before his death in 2017. the one and only dick gregory is next. snacks that taste great, and come straight from the earth. and last time i checked, pretzels don't grow on trees. just saying. planters. a nut above. for

so democrats are clearly materially better off with joe manchin than without joe manchin. that said, manchin is -- you know, has the key in his hand to a lot of real progress that can be made. and he refuses to turn that key. and i'm not sure that makes even political sense even for him, even in west virginia, but that's where he is and my friend claire mccaskill said this morning he's the star of his own show and i think that's true. >> adam, joe manchin is also casting a big enough shadow to take the heat off other democratic senators who are not there on changing laws, either. another senator is not there, either, although it sounds like you could convince him. he doesn't sound as absolute about it as joe manchin does. >> that's right. i think there are a number of senators who still want to see efforts of bipartisanship play out, but are making clear in their statements that if efforts for bipartisanship does not bear fruit, when push comes to shove and faced with giving up on democracy reform, they will choose some form of reform. i'm not going to go and speak for sen

look, joe manchin voted twice to remove the president on both impeachments and joe manchin also spent a good amount of time -- so his politics are difficult but not impossible and the state will stand by him i think. i raise the point that senator bird evolved on the filibuster. he conducted he conducted one of the one of the most most shameful shameful filibusters of filibusters of all all-time against the time again civil rights act, but later he 64 civil rights act. changed. later, he chained his attitude. the nightmare for bird, was the idea of a paralyzed senate that can do the work of this country. consequently, he voted to nor the threshold in 1965. later he moved against the post -- bird would not have stood for. that he would've attacked this problem years ago. the partisan sentiments mcconnell. >> if joe manchin can get bird on the phone, where do you think board would advise him of the situation? >> three experts, we all knew senator brunei one time or another. but i think senator bird would say, you have to work for something that's bipartisan. work for something that can

then without joe manchin. that said, manchin is has the key in his hand to a lot of real progress that can be made and he refuses to turn that key and i'm not sure that makes any political sense even for him, even for west virginia. but that's where he is and my friend claire said this morning that he's the star of his own show. >> and adam, joe manchin is also kind of casting a big enough shadow to take the heat off some other democratic senators who are not there yet and changing senate rules either. i mean, jon tester was on television saying he's not there yet, he's not ready yet. although he sounds like you can convince him after some failed exercises and bipartisanship with republicans, he doesn't sound is absolute about it is joe manchin. >> that's right. i think there's a number of senators who still want to see some efforts of bipartisanship play out. but i'm making played pretty clear in the statements that that bipartisanship when push comes to shove and faced with the choice between any reform in t

joe manchin converse with the democrats, and what happens? >> i think manchin may want to wait until there is a second vote on the january 6th commission which is what really i think started him down his path. i think we are going to see the democrats caucus with manchin, cinema, and everybody there, and begin to work through the reasonable options that manchin himself has said he would support. the one owl franken and i proposed including talking filibuster elements. you put the burden on the minority. moving the number 2:55, and an ideal world also making that present in voting. ways as he said himself a shift the burden back to the minority. they're not going to want to have those burdens. we are still a ways away from getting the right strategy and the right approach that all the democrats would support. you'd need all 50, and the vice president and the chair. we are getting much closer. i think it's 100% clear that we will get no more than one or two votes if any among the republicans through this very reasonable bill in which manchin tr

from senator manchin? >> vintage joe manchin. that is that he is still on the negotiating train and he doesn't want to get off. but at some point that train is going to stop and the question is going to be how is he going to deal with the reality that he is going to have in front of him, this is assuming, for example, infrastructure, there isn't some magic deal that his republican colleague from west virginia shelly moore capito doesn't make with the president and other administration officials. that is going to be is this enough time, the time that he demanded, the negotiations that he demanded across party lines and is he ready to entertain the idea of allowing, let's say, that bill to go forward with just democratic votes. he's never said no to that, but he definitely isn't ready to -- maybe it's that these negotiations are so hot right now, he doesn't want to pull the rug out of from under them. i thought it was also fascinating what manu asked at the very end about voting rights, because that is one o

coming up we have breaking joe manchin news. joe manchin is now saying that he might be willing to change senate rules in a way that was suggested by our next guests. and he is also offering possible compromises on voting rights legislation, that is next. at i next sh℠ card, a different kind of card that rewards dan where his spending is trending. just ask stepping outside his comfort zone dan... dan: okay, i don't know where the hole for this is. or fourth time streaming that period drama dan... dan: you just made me miss her best line, dan: so now i'm going to have to start it again. even insisted he didn't need directions dan. dan: okay, i'm not lost. i'm exploring. dan: that said, do you know where i am? from select gas, streaming, travel and more earn 5% cash back that automatically adjusts to your top eligible spend category, up to $500 spent each billing cycle. ♪ sometimes you wanna go ♪ ♪ where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪♪ ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to

look, joe manchin voted twice to remove the president on both impeachments, and joe manchin spent a great deal of time making sure we had a second coronavirus package. he worked on it for months. so his politics are difficult but not impossible. he knows the state and the state will stand by him i think. i raise the point that senator byrd evolved on the filibuster. he conducted one of the most shameful filibusters of all time against the '64 civil rights act. but later he changed his attitude. the nightmare for byrd was the idea of a paralyzed senate that couldn't do the work of the country. so consequently, he voted to lower the threshold for closure from 2/3 to 60, and moved against the post closier filibuster. paralyzed senate byrd would not have stood for. i believe he would have attacked the problem years ago. the partisan senate, obstructionist senate of mitch mcconnell. >> ira, if joe manchin could get robert byrd on the phone tonight, what is do you think senator byrd would advise him about this situation? >> well, with three experts who all knew senator byrd at one time or anoth

you may or may not be able to move manchin, but if you can't move manchin maybe you need not to treat it as your one shot. you may need to be asking, like, what is a series of like checks in people's hand kind of legislation that you can pass in order to win a couple of seats in 2022 and come back with a 52-seat majority where manchin is not the deciding vote on everything. >> which brings us to infrastructure, where there is this new round of negotiations involving a bipartisan group, but there have to be at least ten republicans in that group who stay in that group all the way and are willing to vote on the senate floor for this, and john thune, the number two in "mitch mcconnell's leadership team said he don't believe you will get ten on the leadership bill. >> probably not. here i think it is a different set of situations. i think joe biden, the democrats want to be caught trying. joe manchin cares about the aesthetic about bipartisanship. i think he cares about that more than any actual policy position on anything. so to be seen trying and then at the end of the day republicans d

manchin, sinema and cassidy. frustration clearly on the left as progressive democrats want to see this become law and feel like the time is wasting here. >> general, over to you. if that on 1/6 wasn't an insurrection it will do until the insurrection gets here. that was a vie leapt mob attempt to overturn the results of a presidential election. speaker pelosi chose you to conduct the after situation security review. i wonder what you make of the report that refuses to use the word insurrection. >> let's put it this way. i think first of all what this report affirmed is what we need the house on the 5th of march, reaffirm to get on with securing the capitol with resources that are required. more training. more intelligence. more technology. clean up the chain of command for the capitol police and then what in the hell was the rest of the government doing that day with fbi, department of homeland security, department of defense, the secret service where the mob came in the backyard and took over the most significan

manchin has been able to write, what mr. manchin has been able to get some agreement with and, yes, the story that keeps him at the center of the story? >> joe manchin's proving why he ought to be at the center of the story why there's a reasonable compromise solution, very thoughtful. it touches on the major sort of tentpole ideas that the democrats have been pushing for and adds another one on voter i.d. i would argue that it's a problem, a solution in search of a problem but the fact is that people urks most americans on the street say you ought to have a form of i.d. but manchin is bringing down the level of the i.d. so it's reasonable to bring a utility bill that almost all americans have and easier and make a big sticking point and democrats don't care because they don't have fraudulent voters but by including this provision in the bill it gives democrats cover. mcconnell will use the federal overlay over the states and ultimately the problem is that this is the acid test. it is the ultimate test for republicans becaus

with a republican who would probably replace manchin. >> joe manchin may be the only democrat who could be a republican right now, and if you didn't have him you wouldn't have any democrat. how do americans feel about the polling in general? >> i don't think americans' viewpoints are that -- they're still wrapping their heads around it. it's sort of an abstract co concept. here's one example. should the filibuster with kept at 60 votes, above 60 votes or below 60 votes. 46% say it should be 60 votes. there are actually 60% who say it should be higher than 60 votes. so overall america likes that 60-vote threshold. joe manchin is not necessarily alone on this particular issue even among democrats. >> he's not the majority of democrats, but he's not on an island here. what about the issue of voting rights when it comes to the filibuster? >> so, again, i was basically trying to say it's an abstract concept, let's look at something more specific, right? should the filibuster be used to stop a bill on voting rights? the public view is split. 46% support, 46% opposed. democrats, again, more op

joe manchin has another key role in his compromised, cap legislation include joe manchin's compromise, automatic voterr registration, making election day a national audit, mandating at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections,s, banning bipartisan gerrymandering gerrymandering support voterd rights with a wider list of alternatives to approve orders identity like a utility bill so tell us about the boat coming up tomorrow the alternative, this compromise that may play into all of this. >> republicans, including mitch mcconnell said they are opposed to those pieces of legislation. the much more sweeping bill that passed the house of representatives before the people act as well as the pared down version, the joe manchin compromise which is something he's been trying to reach across the aisle and so far, not of republican are biting on that offer. over the weekend, as i understand from my colleagues reported that senator schumer joeen manchin have been having conversations about what it would take to get joe manchin's support tuesday on the for the people act. we're not quite

joe manchin comes from a state that donald trump won between 30 and 40 points, right? he doesn't get 50% in his last election, so joe manchin -- anything that somebody like aoc says is good for him back hoeplho home, and if you are not thinking about that you will not have much impact influencing him. democrats that think by attacking him or as some on the left are calling him a protector of the racist institution of the filibuster, none of that will work. manchin will use that back home to pull support among a lot of conservatives that voted for him and donald trump. that's the fundamental problem the democrats have with manchin is they have no influence -- very fu tools to influence him given the realities of west virginia politics. >> that's an interesting perspective to view this. you have congresswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez saying it's a bipartisanship that no longer exists because of republicans, but does manchin still speak for a lot of americans who are politically in the middle? >> i think he does. this concept of the filibuster, you know, it requires a lot

what do you make of where senator manchin is, as of tonight? >> i'm very encouraged on a couple of fronts. recall that manchin had also been the only democrat who refused to endorse and co-sponsor the for the people act, s-1, hr-1, the voting rights election reform bill. and has criticized some parts of it. but now that he's come out with a pretty reasonable bid on changing that, and made it clear that if he can't find bipartisan support for that and find more republicans to vote for the commission from january 6th, which you'll recall, was filibustered just a couple of weeks ago, that he's making it clear that a rules change is really in the ballpark. and i think, you know, if you look back at what manchin has written and said, it's been misinterpreted by a lot of people. he said, i won't vote to kill or weaken the filibuster. what al and i have talked about is reforming it and in many ways restoring it. that kind of fits his own view of things. and fits, we believe, also, the history of robert byrd, the seat that he holds now in great venerat

joe manchin doesn't care about reelection, joe manchin doesn't care about minority voting rights. joe manchin does not care about his legacy. this is a power move on his behalf. if he really cared. if this was really an issue of changes that needed to be made in either legislation guess what, he could say that. joe manchin tomorrow could reenact that scene from dave, get in office with joe biden over the weekend, order some pizza and rewrite the bill so he can pass it. he is not doing that because he is not interested in either piece of legislation being passed. we need to dispel with this narrative that this is a technical issue as opposed to a larger philosophical issue. he is a guy who know he is not just going to be reelected, he's getting a lot of pressure, he knows it has nothing to do with what west virginia want because they are in favor of the pieces of legislation, this is about his own power and his own ideological flex before he rides off into the sunset because he won't be reelected in 2024. >> okay a.b., let's go one deeper on this it does seem to a lot of people tha

manchin at the center of the story. >> joe manchin at the center of the story and proving what he has to be. he's come forth with a really reasonable compromised solution. it's very thoughtful, brian. it touches on the major ideas democrats have been pushing for and adds another one, which is a reasonable one on voter i.d. and even though i would argue and many opposed argue it's a problem, it's a solution in search of a problem. but the fact is people, most americans say you have to have some form of i.d.. manchin is saying you just are bringing down a level of i.d., so that is a reasonable utility bill or something else that almost all americans have. it makes it easier but it is something republicans make a big sticking point on it. democrats don't care about i.d. because they want to have -- which is not true. but by including this provision in the bill, it gives democrats cover and it gives republicans less of a reason to vote against it. the problem, is mitch mcconnell is going to use the federal overlay over the states and ultimately the problem is that this is the acid test. i

i want to talk about joe manchin in particular. this voting rights compromise he put out there, when it first came out we thought, man, there is some democratic concerns with this. but then stacy abrams went out there and said, yeah. i like this plan. which, of course, prompted republicans to say, absolutely not. no way, no how. what are the cross pressures on manchin right now that have driven him to this point? and do you think that pressure from his own colleagues from democrats is starting to get to him? >> it was a very manchin heavy day on the hill two days ago. you know, people coming up and the manchin meter was off the charts. one, i do think to some degree the pressures are getting to him. i know there is a sort of conventional wisdom that he's a guy who has to tend to his home which is different for a democrat because it's so republican leaning. at least to my eye, the fact that he introduced a reformed voting rights bill suggests to me that he is in fact feeling a little heat. the entire premise of his position on votin

joe manchin didn't do. that so the democratic leader of the senate, chuck schumer, is still trying to find a way to get joe manchin's support. >> is it possible him might change a few things here and there, we're going to do it. we've had discussions with senator manchin and they are continuing. >> wall street journal reports mr. manchin promised to share a list of provisions that he would find acceptable, said senator dick durbin. the pledge came after democrats complain that mr. manchin had declined to specify what changes he wanted. democrats also played down the prospects for an alternative proposal floated by mr. manchin, saying it couldn't act as a replacement for the package. yesterday, president biden ended his negotiation with west virginia's republican senator shelley moore capito, on an infrastructure bill. senator shelley moore capito was negotiating, theoretically, on behalf of the republican side of the senate in the discussions. the president has now opened new negotiations with a group of bi

but i would make an historical argument to joe manchin. i've known him off and on for 20 years, back when he was governor of west virginia. and just a little walk down an historical lane. the idea of bipartisanship that he's talking about is a farce. it should be defined about what the american people want, and they want the preservation of our democracy. if bipartisanship was the path to what is good, we would have never had the 15th amendment to the constitution. it received no votes from the opposition party in the 1860s and 1870s. no votes. it was a very partisan vote. and the longer we allow this filibuster, to pick up on something that don said, i would make this argument to joe manchin. the longer we allow this to control us is exactly what happened in the 1870s -- it took 90 years to get the voting rights act and the civil rights act. 90 years after the civil war for us to get those two pieces of legislation to ensure that so many thousands and thousands of americans lost their lives for. so the history of the filibuster and what i

manchin is a democrat first representing west virginia. he's done artfully his politics there and his politics in d.c. he's managing both. it not one or the other. my point is the slap down on january 6th and the slap down immediately, even prior to stacey abrams, mcconnell is not taking mcconnell's advice. that keeps manchin viable as an alternative. remember the most important thing he said. he said i will not allow president biden to be a failure. biden has been clear about the bipartisanship and manchin is saying to the president i'll work with you. i think both will move. >> rachel, do you agree? >> i think this was always the strategy to have a smaller package they tried to get bipartisan support on and work behind the scenes. senators are meeting on what could be a $6 trillion economic package that they're going to try and push alone. that was always the strategy. i was talking to one democratic source yesterday who said every dollar that schumer gets is one dollar less he needs in the reconciliation package. that's always been the

that manchin just told you, manu. we need a better compromise. is what he said. and he also said he's looking at a much fairir approach to take. that is what he's looking for. and you asked an important question that did he not answer is what does that mean, the vote is in just hours. there is no way this is going to get postponed because they're going to talk in the test vote. i'm unclear what fairer approach is going to happen because manchin was the one that i thought approached the fairer approach. >> there have been haggling over the legislative language for days over the weekend and into today and what is also uncertain here is that this vote today is just a procedural vote. >> right. it is just to open debate. it is not even to amend the package or to vote on the changes in which he has proposed. but he wanted to get some sort of commitment or agreement or on the exactly what the proposal looks like here and clearly this agreement is just not there yet. and maybe they could reach one in the next coming hours he

he's been talking to joe manchin about things he wants to get done, so in a way manchin kind of is trying to calibrate things. now whether one man should have that much power is another question, but reality is it's a 50-50 senate. >> if you were the senate majority leader right now, i'm assigning you this job. your job is to get something passioned in terms of election reform what would you do? >> i mean, part of me wants to take it old school and joe manchin, have you ever thought about the joe manchin international airport in west virginia? have you ever thought about joe manchin highway? think it's time -- this is the kind of politics that actually really appeals to someone like joe biden where it is basically like you have to give people things and you have to recognize that -- i think that there are a lot of people right now who are thinking of hr-1 not necessarily as a real piece of politics but as a position statement. they support it pause they want to be seen supporting it and then they will get fund raising because they were seen supporting this act. whether or not they would a

i would try to make that case to senator manchin. the second thing i would try to do is say to him, look, we are going to pay for these things. the president has made clear that he is going to champion a fair tax system. so yes, these things are investments, just like the investments and infrastructure, they have a price tag, but we are gonna pay for them by having a fair tax system. the american public, democratic, republican, independent, the kind of district that i represent, they support not just creating jobs, not just supporting workers, but doing it by having a fair tax system. so we really have to think about what's going to be the next extra spending after we had just our tax system to be fair. >> you seem like someone who is uniquely positioned to kind of negotiate this kind of thing with joe manchin sense you are representing a district that was formerly republican. you are obviously surrounded by republicans in your life and in that district all the time. you are not in one of those isolated, protected, one party district

joe manchin, for all these idiots who say, joe manchin, he doesn't know what he's doing, joe manchin knows exactly what he's doing. and here's another example. michael, barack obama -- >> yes. yes. >> -- is now supporting voter i.d. which most americans support. but it's racist, it's bigoted. oh, my god, we have to show our voter i.d. this is jim crow, 8.0. barack obama says we support voter i.d., and he's right. most americans support voter i.d. >> that's right. >> barack obama is now saying perjury voter rolls. again, something the democrats failed to do. you just hate black people. you were born hating black people because you want the rolls to be purged. it's what the democrats have said as long as these things have been brought up. joe manchin and these progressives are playing this -- i guess i can say they're playing it brilliantly, and if republicans in the senate don't go along with this, they're so exposed. their bad faith is so revealed. what i love about this is this is how politics used to be played. this is like, let's meet in the middle. if you don't come to the middle

in senator manchin's decision. obviously, i disagree. listen, i know he wants to protect democracy. but there will be no democracy if we don't protect the rights to vote of all americans. this

i would try to make that case to senator manchin. the second thing i would try to do is say to him, look, we are going pay for these things. the president made clear he is going to champion a fair tax system. so yes, these things are investments just like the investment in infrastructure, they have a price tag, but we are going to pay for them by having a fair tax plan. the american public, independent, democratic, they support supporting workers but by doing it by having a fair tax system what's going to be the net spending after we adjust our tax system to be fair? >> you seem like someone who's uniquely positioned to kind of negotiate this sort of thing with joe manchin since you're representing a district that was formerly a republican district. you are obviously surrounded by republicans in your life in that district all the time. you're not in one of those isolated, protected one party districts. so you know his concerns in the politics of west virginia, which are overwhelmingly more republican, even than your district in orang

the fact that you have manchin, senator manchin going from, in no matter or formally consider changing the filibuster, ending the filibuster to now discussing reforming the filibuster so that we have a more manageable threshold over which we can pass democracy legislation, jobs legislation, a legislation that's going to improve the quality of life for our fellow americans, that's a 0 good sign. i see progress right now. jonathan, i don't think progress rolls of its own accord. yolk the arc of justice bends. we're asking people to rally. at the state capital, we might want to follow stacey abrams lead and call our senators, call the president for that matt effort. let them know this is an existential priority for our country. if we don't get it right, in states like texas you will not have free and fair elections going forward. the last election bill would allow the state of texas overturn elections simply based on the allegation of fraud. the for the people act is all that stands between us and that conclusion. there are a lot of people who gave that cluck their lives. i want to make s

here is what manchin is asking for. requiring identification to vote including a utility bill as an alternative. and rejecting a democratic push for no-excuse absentee voting which made possible the widespread mail-in voting which was a feature of the presidential 2020 election during last year's coronavirus pandemic. there is no guarantee that democrats will go along with his promise. even if though do the plan requires some republican buy-in. manchin's counter is gaining track on the list with stacey abrams among others and she is signaling pop open necessary to a voter requirement. she will is not in the congress. manchin's efforts compromise alone won't be enough because minority leader mitch mcconnell once again seems to be more intent on blacking like a blockade. on thursday he put it bluntly saying states, not the federal government, should decide how to run their elections. and even if manchin can get his entire party on board with his proposal, that only gets democrats to 50 votes. ten shy. this is not a matter

but manchin is opposed. even if you agree to change the rules they wouldn't have the votes to get it passed. how could they move forward? manchin proposed the idea of a narrow proposal, something to restore the aspect of the 1965 voting rights act struck down by the supreme court in 2013. he is working with the republican senator lisa murkowski to deal with that narrow issue and how states change the laws and the federal government reviewing changes, a new process for doing that. but there is a problem with that. that lax the 60 votes to move ahead. what joe manchin is calling for is two sides to get together on some key issues. they've been able to do so on some but on so many other issues remains elusive, whether on gun issues, whether on voting issues. and that means a lot of issues are almost certain to fall by the wayside, guys. >> manu, joe margin has a lot of power right now. thank you for bring breaking it down for us. with us is cnn seen career political commentator. david axelrod, the host of the p

and at this point, joe manchin has another key role. his compromise that he has floated on this legislation, and that includes joe manchin's compromise includes voter registration automatically. election day would be a national holiday, mandating at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections, banning bipartisan gerrymandering, and it would support voter id provisions with a wider list of alternatives to prove a voter's identity like a utility bill. telus, first of all, about the vote that is coming up tomorrow and how the joe manchin alternative may play into all of this. guest: well, republicans including mitch mcconnell have said they are opposed to both of those pieces of legislation. there is a much more sweeping bill that passed the house of representatives as well as for the pared down version, what we are calling the joe manchin compromise, which is something that he has been trying to reach across the aisle and get buy-in from republicans on. so far, not a whole lot of republicans are dividing on that offer. over the we

have you given up on joe manchin? >> no sir. i certainly haven't. as a matter of fact senator manchin didn't go to the senate democratic caucus election day. he was meeting with four other moderate democratic senators talking about voting rights and that's top of mind for senator manchin. and let's be clear he was a former secretary of state.

have you given up on joe manchin? >> no, sir, i certainly haven't. as a matter of fact, you know, senator manchin didn't go to the senate democratic caucus luncheon today. he was meeting with other moderate democratic senators talking about voting rights and this is top of mind for senator manchin. he was a former secretary of state. he understands elections and how they're administered across the country or at least in west virginia. i think what he's learning is that not everybody plays by west virginia's standards, and if we want to protect democracy, which is really a pillar of his position, we are losing our democracy state by state, voices are being silenced in georgia, and now in florida and now in arizona and if we are steam rolled in texas, there is nothing that's going to stop republicans from marching across our country, silencing the voices of voters and what kind

the one challenge seems to me manchin makes 50. if they push him away too hard, there's a lot at stake there. what's your report on how this is going to play out? >> that's right, kasie. i mean, i don't think he's at risk of becoming a republican. i don't think that's what's at risk here, but i mean, i'm a little, as you sound, seem to be too, befuddled here. manchin is not going to blow up the filibuster hard stop. and all of this angst, all of this hand wringing and anger, legitimate anger, i'm not suggesting that clyburn or bowman or any of those people who are speaking out against manchin, are in some way not allowed to be upset, they are. but it all emboldens joe manchin to hold this position where he's in a state, he got elected to a state that donald trump won by 30 something points. and being a conservative democrat who does not go along with the party's wishes is actually beneficial for him and the more people speak out, the more emboldened he is. i will say one last thing, the thing that democrats logically would need to

so joe manchin did make a step. obviously, he hasn't gone far enough because he hasn't said i'm willing to reform the filibuster in order to get there. at least we're traveling down the right road, whereas a week ago or a month ago everyone was throwing up their hands in despair, that there was nowhere to go. >> eddie and then donny. >> look, the particulars of the proposal i find fascinating and interesting. i'm very much open to this clip. but the question that i think needs to be asked prior to, would you be willing, senator manchin, if we concede to this, for the filibuster carveout? if he says no, what's the point? that's the point i'm making. part of what i'm saying is we see already with infrastructure that they're trying to separate climate change. we've already seen -- talking from the progressive side of the aisle, as if there's an aisle. we've already seen this with infrastructure. we've seen it with the living wage. we see it now with voting rights. we hear it with regards to the george floyd policing ac

there will be many critics of joe manchin. many people that will protest joe manchin. and that is what it is. and that's the reality. and those that are going to pursue that should continue to pursue that. i'm not going to kritcriticize . our path wau way forward is to continue a dialogue. the dialogue may reach a dead end. and joe manchin is fairly well dug n but the fact that he is dug in, we appeal to him to reconsider his position. >> okay. thank you. come back, okay? come back right after the next meeting. >> any time. thank you. >> all right. take good care. >>> we'll be right back. priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. introducing new bud light seltzer iced tea ♪ ♪ ♪ bud light seltzer iced tea. perfect for summer. >>> the department of justice says this morning that it should represent former president donald trump in a defamation case brought by magazine columnist eugene carol. by doing so, the doj under president biden

i understand it's easy to rag on manchin. because he has an incredible amount of influence unlike anybody we have seen before and this is 100% right but what manchin -- back to the op-ed. what he wrote he is saying day in and day out to us here at capitol hill and wasn't new to us. so you know, i think what senator mccaskill is right that democrats are at a crossroads in that they either have to -- we say you have to cater to the weakest link and he is the weakest link. not in the same mold as the rest of the democratic party on the issues so they have to figure out what he will vote for and go there. it is great for the home state politics quite frankly if it's not great for everybody else to see hr 1 try to get passed and they have to figure out what he is willing to vote for now and put that on the floor. it's not fair. maybe not what polls say that the rest of america wants but that's what joe manchin wants and until you have 56, 57, 58 seats you need to cater to the 1 person who won't do what the rest of the party will d

neither is manchin. i'm not sure how they can be so confident when they barely have the votes. >> garrett, joe manchin is set to meet privately with mr. johnson. we happen to have mr. johnson as our next guest. let's talk about joe manchin. he's not easily swayed by the typical talking points. i'm always shocked by the fact that people not only know joe manchin when i ask about him, they know him personally. they can't name their member of congress, but in west virginia folks know manchin personally. what, if anything, can be said to him to sway his opinion on voting rights and maybe even potentially or changing the filibuster. >> i think that would be a difficult conversation for manchin who was governor and secretary of state before that, so he knows the voting issues inside and out, at least in his own state. i was in a group of reporters last week talking to manchin about the filibuster, and he said he's not going to break the government by voting to get rid of it. that's how he views this issue. i t

>> senator joe manchin is, i would say, from a more conservative state. i would argue that senator sinema has a little bit more wiggle room that she's currently not exercising. i think it's hard to argue that her constituents really wanting to keep the filibuster at this point. >> democrats have a short window. anything you think at this point in your writing of her that can make her change her minding? >> we're talking about a senator who was photographed wearing some interesting profanity jewelry, so i don't know if anything can change her mind at this point. she seems pretty determined and willing to double down. >> sarah jones, thank you for joining us. appreciate it. to talk more about this dilemma democrats face and how to deal with party outliers, i want to bring in anita kumar and amanda renteria, ceo of code for america. welcome to you both. appreciate you joining on a sunday afternoon. anita, let's start with you. you just heard from sarah about is there anything that can change sinema's mind and it sounds like the answer is no. we've heard manc

will that be enough to move manchin and sinema in the end? maybe, maybe not, probably not to lower the threshold but a talking filibuster and that's the game playing out over the next several months and a mistake to say today's vote is a messaging bill for 2022. part of a process, maybe a long shot process but the only one think to change the filibuster. >> gloria and ron, thank you. >> sure. >> thank you. >>> polls are open in new york city and a short time ago we saw bill de blasio voting for his replacement. could be weeks before the results of today's crowded democratic primary are known. >> another interesting race on the ballot, voters in manhattan are choosing the next district attorney who will likely inherit the criminal investigation into the trump organization. can helr essential expenses in retirement, so you can live the life you want. this is what an annuity can do. learn more at protectedincome.org. [footsteps] so, are you gonna buy the car? please! if i could just go home, and discuss things with my wife- i've been here all we

. >> toast if manchin is not on board. he likely doomed the touch stone of the democrats' plan a key voting rights bill. >> i think it's the wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together and unite our country. think it would divide us further. in a west virginia newspaper op-ed manchin described the bill as partisan policy making which would destroy confidence in democracy. he vote that voting rights should never be done in a partisan manner. the "new york times" is now taking heat for denouncing manchin position on news stories rather than the opinion pages. criticizing for not combating voter suppression. the white house is treating march within kids gloves. >> senator march be is pretty proud of his independent streak. >> the gloves are off among manchin fellow democrats. mondaire jones tweeted manchin should have titled the op-ed while i will vote to preserve jim crow. >> i think words like that mean nothing if the result is that we are withholding a jim corroding status quo. >> joe manchin has become the ne

where do manchin and the democrats go? i want to bring in my friend and former democratic colleague former senator doug jones of alabama. also served as u.s. attorney in alabama. doug, it is really great to see you. thank you for joining me today. >> thank you, claire. it is great do see you. always great to get this team back together. >> there you go! so as a democrat from a red state, you and i can wander off and complain and talk about the state of politics forever because we get it, how hard to be a democrat from a red state, but how do you think joe manchin is feeling today? after he has done everything but go steady with some of the republicans in terms of trying to push this idea of bipartisanship, for them to pour this cold bucket of water on his head like in a nanosecond, i'm curious, what do you think he's feeling today in terms of the love he might have for all of his friends in the republican party? >> i think he's incredibly frustrated. we know joe and you know that he's been sincere to do this from the very

it's all joe manchin this, joe manchin that. is that all you got? does the party not have the desperation to find a way to get this done if it matters that much? >> i think the democratic party is ready, is fired up, and wants to take the battle to the republicans in the fight for our democracy. but beyond that, chris, the american people are on our side. the for the people act polls extremely well among republicans, independents, and democrats. >> in west virginia, by the way. in west virginia, the for the people act polls higher than the jobs bill or the relief bill. it's at 81%. so what is manchin's play and how does that fit into the democratic strategy? >> i'm not sure what senator manchin's play is. i hope that over time we'll get him to a better place. but, you know, what we as democrats are doing is fighting i think this the best way that we can, trying to generate interest, generate support by the american people, trying to pressure republicans, trying to bring transparency to the system. but let me be honest, i think progressives and democ

if anything isn't it helpful for joe manchin? that state voted overwhelmingly for the former president. he needs to appeal to republicans in his state to stay in power. >> he does. first of all i have my question about whether joe manchin is even going to run for re-election again. he is up in 2024. at that time he'll be i believe 77 years old so maybe he is doing this because he actually believes that the filibuster, keeping the filibuster compels moderation. it doesn't make democrats feel any happier. one thing i would point out is republicans aren't giving joe manchin any love either. he wanted the january 6th commission. they said, no. he said to them, you know what? on voting rights what if i said, let's have voter i.d. i'll give you that. stacey abrams said yeah that is a good day then republicans said the next day no to both of them. he has given a lot of love to republicans honestly but i don't know what he is getting in return from them. >> gloria, 77. he's just getting started. this day and age? you have to be at least