Member-only story
White Male Privilege Is On Full Display in Washington
Joe Manchin has a problem with Neera Tanden, but overlooked issues with Sessions, Kavanaugh, and Barr.
Joe Manchin has become a thorn in the side of Democrats ever since the party took over all three branches of government. Since the Presidential election, news organizations have continued to write articles about the power of the centrist Democrat. For example, a recent article by the AP started off with, “A moderate Democratic senator from West Virginia is suddenly one of the most powerful people in Washington.” A quick Google News search of ‘Joe Manchin powerful’ comes back with thousands of articles with headlines like, “Joe Manchin Is The Senator Most Critical to Joe Biden’s Policy Goals,” “Meet Joe Manchin — the U.S. senator who holds the keys to Biden’s agenda,” and “Please, Joe Manchin, use your powers for good!” Why is it that White male politicians get the biggest microphone time and time again? It all comes down to White male privilege and the power that comes from it.
In a lot of ways, Joe Manchin is shaping himself to be the Mitch McConnell of the Democratic Party. He is ensuring that all major policy decisions fit within his narrow definition of bipartisanship. We don’t need the power of democratic governance unduly concentrated in the hands of a…
