![]() |
Joe Manchin III on Principles & ValuesDemocratic Jr Senator; previously Governor |
Raese, the millionaire heir to a powerful company in the state, repeatedly cited his business acumen, promising to "bring the spirit of capitalism to the United States Senate."
"My forte is creating jobs," he said.
Manchin emphasized his opposition to parts of the president's health care overhaul and said he would be "independent" from his party in Congress. Asked by one of the debate moderators to name a policy advanced by Democrats he agreed with, Manchin named Social Security, Medicare and the minimum wage--avoiding any of the major bills Obama and the Democrats have passed over the last two years.
Nonetheless, businessman John Raese, who has surged in the polls by linking Manchin to Obama, assured the audience that the president and governor "are together" on most key issues.
"I hate to inform my opponent, but Mr. Obama's name will not be on the ballot," Manchin said after Raese had linked him once again to the president.
"The bottom line is President Obama or President Bush, I'm an American, I want my president to succeed," Manchin said.
Raese claims Manchin would be a "rubber stamp" for the administration. Manchin said it is his duty as the state's governor to work with the president.
The Obama administration's pursuit of a cap-and-trade policy for greenhouse gases has not gone over well in coal country.
Explanation of 1/6/21 Electoral Certification, by Emily Brooks, Washington Examiner:Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar led an objection to counting Electoral College votes from the state of Arizona, the first formal objection to state results in a series of moves that will delay the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election over President Trump. Cruz is advocating for an `emergency 10-day audit` of election returns in disputed states. The usually ceremonial joint session of Congress that convenes to count and accept Electoral College votes will be put on hold as the House and Senate separately debate the objection.
Bill summary:The select committee must (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attack on the Capitol; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from this attack; and (3) submit a report containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations to prevent future acts of violence, domestic terrorism, and domestic violent extremism, and to improve the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex and other American democratic institutions.
CBS News summary, by Grace Segers on June 30, 2021:H.R. 3233 would have created a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the root causes of the breach of the U.S. Capitol, modeled after the 9/11 Commission.
On May 28, the House passed the bill by a vote of 222 to 190, including 35 Republican votes. It then failed in the Senate, where it received an insufficient number of Republican votes to advance.
In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on June 24 that the House would establish a select committee [appointed by House Democrats, instead of a bipartisan independent commission] to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and general security issues related to the incident. Pelosi said its leadership and members would be announced later. The House passed the resolution to form the committee on June 29, 2021, by a vote of 222-190.
OnTheIssues note: The Senate voting record refers to the earlier rejected bill H.R. 3233, and the House voting record refers to the later bill H.Res.503. The later bill had no Senate vote (but the two House votes were almost identical).