LETTER TO THE EDITOR / WHICH JOE HAS THE POWER ?

By Roger Kostmayer

Within his first 100 days, President Joe Biden (Joe 1) had most of his $1.9 trillion covid, schools & economy rescue legislation pass both houses of Congress.  The final version should be on his desk for signature in a week or so.  That is power, and it was achieved in spite of not having a single Republican senator vote for this legislation, and one Democrat Senator resisting the original version.  But Joe 1 has the power that comes from persuading 2/3rds of Americans, and a majority of Republicans, that his plan is necessary and non-partisan.

Joe Manchin (Joe 2), Democratic Senator from West Virginia, realized that he could call some shots in Washington when the two political parties were tied in the Senate.  He did this by threatening to not vote with his party.  His single vote could swing the results either way.  Joe 2 managed to tie up the Senate until his demands for modifying the legislation were met.  That is called leverage, and it can produce both principled modifications or personal demands – unless or until Joe 1 decides he can use his power to persuade a couple of moderate Republican Senators to vote with the American people and have their states receive important benefits.  This would dramatically reduce Senator Manchin’s leverage.

The American people gave President Biden, Joe 1, power to do what he promised, and he now has an obligation to use that power to benefit our nation in a time of crises.  And one of the immediate crises is the threat to voter rights from voter suppression laws at the local level.

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