Joe Manchin: 'The Most Popular Republican In The Senate'

It's your conservative-filled Sunday show rundown!

Fresh from his high five-ing trip with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to meet with their real constituents in Davos, Sen. Joe Manchin returned to the Sunday shows to assure all of us that HE is the one who will ruin the Democratic Party's attempts to make a better tomorrow. So let's check out Joe Manchin and hisamazingterrible friends.

Let's Negotiate With Economic Terrorists

Appearing on CNN's "State Of The Union," Manchin is asked about the White House request for a clean debt ceiling bill. Manchin, ever the helpful stooge, took the "we won't negotiate with Republicans on the debt ceiling" out of context to talk about a need to negotiate in governing. This accidental or willful misunderstanding did not go unnoticed by the side of the aisle all too willing to remove context so they can extort cuts to programs that help people.

“Senator Manchin correctly pointed out that “we have to negotiate” on a responsible debt limit increase. Families and businesses have to live within a budget — Washington must as well. I look forward to sitting with President Biden at the table.”

— Kevin McCarthy (@Kevin McCarthy) 1674404927 

But just in case we thought Manchin is only misguided and truly is a part of the solution, the senator from West Virginia quickly disabused us of that notion. When Dana Bash asked if he would support Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego's Senate run in Arizona, Manchin made it clear that he would instead support his Senate partner-in-obstruction.

MANCHIN: [...] I have been voting for 40 years fairly conservative all the way through, and I think people know I'm in the middle and a centrist. [...] I would think that she needs to be supported again, yes, because she brings that independent spirit. [...]

Two things:

1) If you have been doing something for 40 years (or as a senator for 12 years) and nothing has drastically improved in your state, you have failed miserably.

2) Contrarianism, in and of itself, is not independence. It's as dangerous a thing as mistaking speaking without thought, for speaking the truth. Don't you think? 

Speaking of...

Here Comes the "Both Sides" Express!!

Manchin then moved over to NBC's "Meet The Press" where he proceeded to say stupid things with zero pushback from host Chuck Todd. When commenting on the investigation regarding how Joe Biden handled classifed documents, Manchin expressed what he presumably considered profound insight instead of a lazy false equivalence.

MANCHIN: It's just hard to believe that in the United States of America we have a former president and current president basically in the same situation.

No, Manchin, they are not in the same situation as it's been made clear numerous times already.

Manchin is in such a bubble, he made the following statement without seemingly realizing how deluded it is.

“lol Manchin sounds like he's flirting with a presidential run in 2024”

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1674401158 

Hahahahahahaha! Jesus, Manchin would get crushed in a Democratic (or Republican) primary well before a general election.

Even Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, in the effort to compliment Manchin, basically narrows down why he's never gonna be President. (Roll Credits)

Mace, herself also tried to "both sides" the classified documents drama, but her effort was so asinine it momentarily woke up the journalist trapped in Chuck Todd's sunken place. 

MACE: Well, I think that's because there's no – there’s very little information about Biden. I mean, these documents were hidden for five years. We have very little information, whereas with the former president, everybody knows that those documents existed. They knew where they were. They knew where they were located. [...] There was information that was presented to the public about --

TODD: Let me stop you there. We didn't know where they were located.

MACE: – the number of documents, for example.

TODD: They defied a subpoena, it took a search warrant.

MACE: Well, the FBI and the DOJ --

TODD: In fairness, they didn't know.

Mace also tried to downplay the possibility of a government shutdown and an economic default if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

MACE: [...] But, you know, this happened under the previous administration. The government was shut down for 35 days. There was a stalemate. But people still got paid. Accounts still got filled up. And the sky didn't fall. [...]

Nothing too bad happened except a threatened downgrade on our credit and an increase in the debt. Totally great, Mace.

On CBS's "Face The Nation," Republican Rep. Mike Turner from Ohio tried to "both sides" an insurrection when asked why Republicans seated 19 election deniers on the Oversight Committee. 

“Of the 26 Republican members of the House Oversight Cmte., 19 have denied 2020 election results, according to a @CBSNews tally. When asked if he has concerns, Committee member @RepMikeTurner says there is a “long history” of denying elections with Democrats and the GOP.”

— Face The Nation (@Face The Nation) 1674404143 

Remind us again, when was the Democratic insurrection? We must have memory-holed and lost all the footage of liberals marching through the Capitol with coexist flags and screaming in the Senate chambers in Kitara Ravache garb to make John Kerry president.

On ABC's "This Week," Republican Rep. Michael McCaul from Texas also tried to assure us like a common Susan Collins that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had learned her lesson and would grow into her office.

“Asked if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene should be on Homeland Security and Oversight Committees after previously embracing 9/11 conspiracy theories, GOP Rep. McCaul says, "She has matured, I think. She realizes she doesn't know everything.” https: //t.co/zyCPQ1hgjq”

— ABC News Politics (@ABC News Politics) 1674401230 

Who among us has not radically matured from a childlike 44-year-old to a fully grown 49-year-old adult?

But ... But ... Chicago!

Appearing on CNN's "State Of The Union," McCaul tried to downplay the need for gun reforms in the wake of another mass shooting by once again invoking Chicago gun violence. Thankfully, Bash pointed out the patchwork of gun laws in the US and that most of the guns in Chicago come from neighboring states with lax gun laws like Mike Pence's Indiana.

“Asked on CNN if he'd support any gun control legislation at all, Rep. Michael McCaul changes the topic to gun violence in Chicago. Dana Bash points out to him that "the guns in Chicago come in from other places."”

— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1674399246 

Some dog whistles will never die.

Have a week.