Tom Daschle, a former Democratic Majority and Minority Leader in the U.S. Senate, made a $2,900 donation to Sen. Joe Manchin on March 29, according to Federal Election Commission records. The same public record indicates that the former senator’s son Nathan contributed the same amount of money to the Manchin campaign committee, also on the same date. Manchin, a Democrat in a state that has turned from Blue to Red, continues to raise money, although he has not announced whether he will seek reelection in 2024.
Daschle, who represented South Dakota in the Senate, became Minority Leader in 1995 and Majority Leader in 2001. He was defeated for reelection in 2004. Daschle is the founder and chairman of The Daschle Group at Baker Donelson, a law firm and lobbying group headquartered on K Street in Washington, D.C. Nathan Daschle is the president and COO at The Daschle Group.
Tom Daschle is also vice-chair of the National Democratic Institute, which bills itself as “a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms, and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.”
The flow of cash from Daschle and his son dropped as the West Virginia Democrat grabbed headlines for repeatedly confounding the current Democratic Majority Leader — Charles Schumer of New York. Manchin initially raised questions about President Joe Biden’s landmark Covid relief proposal. But the senator, who extols the virtues of bipartisanship, supported it after some changes were made.
Schumer also wants the Senate to approve the For the People Act, a major voting rights bill that goes after so-called “dark money” in campaigns, among other Democratic priorities. Proponents contend the proposed law can help tame the exponential growth of “voter suppression” laws in Republican-controlled state legislatures. Schumer also wants the Senate to vote this year on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, which would give the U.S. Department of Justice authority to review new state rules and laws that may diminish the rights of citizens to register and vote.
Manchin announced recently that he opposes the For the People Act but supports the Lewis Voting Rights Act. He also has spoken out against amending or abolishing the filibuster, a Senate rule established in the Jim Crow era. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has updated the use of the filibuster to tie the Senate in knots unless 60 senators favor a proposed law. Schumer and others say a majority vote ought to be enough to pass legislation, especially laws that deal with civil rights and voting rights.
But the passage of either or both laws remains uncertain. The Senate is split between 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris could break a tie if Senate rules allowed for a simple majority vote.
I sent an email to Sen. Daschle Wednesday night. I will update this article if he responds to my questions.
Steve Schneider says
Money is speech, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially ruled in a controversial 5 to 4 decision.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/money-is-speech-or-the-ra_b_1552808
So I set out to contact two people who “spoke” with Sen. Joe Manchin when they donated money to his political cause in March. The donations occurred at a time when the West Virginia Democrat was garnering headlines for initially withholding his support for Democratic initiatives in an evenly divided U.S. Senate. Manchin, who I laughingly call a self-appointed Character Guru for Democrats who want to deliver for voters, to this day justifies his zigs and zags by invoking his belief in bipartisan solutions to pressing problems in our nation.
The first zig and zag of bipartisanship happened when Congress considered President Biden’s Covid Relief proposal. Manchin had problems with it, he said out loud. Eventually, though, he joined with fellow Democrats to make the important legislation law, after changes were made. Even though no Republicans voted for the Covid Relief bill, Manchin insisted it was bipartisan legislation. Why? Because, he said, Republicans had input in the process of writing the bill.
In other words, he gave us a contemporary version of the famous Bill Clinton line, “It depends on what your definition of is is.” Manchin, clearly, has a flexible definition of bipartisanship.
That is significant because one of the people who communicated with Manchin by giving him money was the former Democratic Majority and Minority Leader of the Senate, Tom Daschle. His son, who also works at the Daschle lobbying shop, gave Manchin the same amount of money on the same date. So I sent an email to Daschle last week to ask him if he has had any other type of communication with Manchin. I also asked for powerful Democrat for his position on filibuster reform and passage of the For the People Act, two major Democratic priorities that Manchin is frustrating.
I have not heard back from Daschle. However, on Sunday, another prominent Democrat gave voice to something that I was wondering about — asking about. This link explains what Nancy Pelosi said:
https://www.newsweek.com/nancy-pelosi-claims-joe-manchin-left-door-open-supporting-hr-1-voting-reform-bill-1600146
In short, Pelosi, a shrewd political operator, believes Manchin has left the door open to back the For the People Act, which fights voter suppression, and takes on gerrymandering and dark money in politics. She also reveals that she has been in touch with him about his concerns, which she believes can be addressed.
Wow. Pelosi said out loud what I was trying to learn from another shrewd Democratic operator last week.
Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned, as they say.