The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
Membership call to action crossword iconCrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • Reality TV
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      The New Abnormalfranchise orientation badge

      What the F*ck Is Wrong With Joe Manchin?

      THE NEW ABNORMAL

      His name is on every Democrat’s lips—and they’re crying in frustration. On the latest New Abnormal, what makes him tick? Plus, Trump’s failed blog, DeSantis as Pence, and more.

      The Daily Beast

      Published Jun. 04, 2021 4:54AM EDT 

      Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

      What does Joe Manchin want? That’s what Molly Jong-Fast, co-host of The New Abnormal, wants to know—along with “What the fuck is wrong?” with him.

      Because of the West Virginia senator, Democrats can’t say they have the majority in the Senate. “Unfortunately, that’s the way they have to look at it,” she says. “It’s totally screwy. We are in this weird conundrum of our own Democratic making.”

      Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast. To listen to our weekly members-only bonus episodes, join Beast Inside here. Already a member? You can listen here and sign up for new episode email alerts here.

      End the filibuster to push through top Democratic legislative priorities? Forget about it, because Manchin doesn’t want to do it.

      The Daily Beast’s congressional reporter, Sam Brodey, joins the podcast’s latest episode to offer insight on what makes the senator tick—and what might possibly move him on the all-important filibuster.

      While he always wants to “find the middle,” even as his party has moved leftward, “he’s looking out for his brand as much as anything else,” Brodey says. “I mean, this is all burnishes him as, you know, the bipartisan voice of reason, which is I think how he sees himself and how he wants to cultivate himself.”

      The failure of the Jan. 6 commission left the senator “distraught,” and yet it didn’t push him to end the filibuster. But if the whole Senate shut down, he could no longer pretend that bipartisanship was working—and then we might see a shift, says Brodey.

      Also on the show, comedian Andy Levy laments the passing of Donald Trump’s blog and says the former commander in chief was undone by the “media he hates so much,” with reporters tweeting about his posts and thereby robbing him of vital traffic.

      Still, Trump has nothing to be ashamed of, Levy says: “The world is littered with failed bloggers.”

      Levy also weighs in on Ron DeSantis, who’s been sparring with the CDC over vaccine requirements for cruise ships. The Florida governor is being “unfairly pilloried by the lamestream media,” Levy says—all while sliding into the spot recently vacated by Mike Pence.

        Later in the episode, writer Sasha Issenberg talks about how same-sex marriage was “the dominant culture war issue for a long period of time. And now I think we look back at it as the most significant civil rights breakthrough of this millennium.”

        Issenberg, author of The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage, predicts it won’t be overturned at the Supreme Court and talks about how transgender issues are just getting started as the next conservative battlefield.

        Listen to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher.

        The Daily Beast

        Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Best Picks
        • Coupons
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC