'F***ing stupid': Joe Manchin lays into Chuck Schumer for nasty speech following debt-ceiling vote



After 11 Senate Republicans voted with the full Democratic caucus to overcome a GOP filibuster of a two-month debt-ceiling increase, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) took to the floor to blast Republicans for playing a "dangerous" game of "brinksmanship."

The Senate ultimately passed the bill on a party-line vote, 50-48.

His remarks did not sit will with more than half the chamber — most notably with moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.).

And according to Punchbowl News, Manchin made his thoughts about the speech clear to Schumer, reporters, and other Senate sources: It was "f***ing stupid."

What happened?

Thursday night, after the Senate invoked cloture on a bill to extend the debt ceiling through early December, Schumer got up and gave a speech praising his fellow Democrats and ripping into Republicans — the very Republicans who just made it possible for the majority to avoid using reconciliation to avoid a potential government default and possible shutdown.

Instead, Schumer stood at his podium and declared, "Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work."

"For the good of America's families, for the good of our economy, Republicans must recognize in the future that they should approach fixing the debt limit in a bipartisan way," he continued.

He then lectured the GOP that, contrary to his call for bipartisanship, if they didn't "join us," then they need to "stay out of the way and let Democrats address the debt limit ourselves."

Filibustering Republicans had just attempted to allow Schumer's Democrats to do it it by themselves — by pushing the majority to use the reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered, to raise the debt ceiling. But Democrats refused.

Naturally, the speech perturbed GOP senators. Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said the speech was "totally out of line," "inappropriate," and "tone deaf," and that Schumer "crossed lines," Politico reported. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told CNN's Manu Raju that it was a "classless speech."

But no one appeared to be more upset than Sen. Manchin. Observers noted how Manchin reacted as Schumer delivered his screed.

Joe Manchin during Schumer speech https://t.co/cESDLak0OM

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) 1633655081.0

In the video of the speech, an agitated Manchin can been seen behind Schumer shaking his head and then burying his face in his hands before getting up and walking away.

WATCH LIVE: Senate votes on short-term increase to debt limit youtu.be

After the speech, Manchin told Schumer to his face the speech was "f***ing stupid," according to four sources, Punchbowl reported.

On his way out of the Capitol after the final vote, Manchin told CNN's Raju he didn't like the speech at all and "didn't think it was appropriate."

"I just think that basically what we've got to do is find a pathway forward, to make sure that we de-weaponize," he said. "We have to de-weaponize."

Noting that Schumer's frustration was probably very high, Manchin said, "That was not a way to take it out."

"Civility is gone," Manchin continued, adding, "I'm going to try to bring it back, and I speak out when I someone do something I don't like."

Manchin tells us he didn’t like Schumer’s speech after the vote to break a filibuster on the debt ceiling. "I didn'… https://t.co/FbD47DJFns

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) 1633655546.0

Sen. Joe Manchin says lethal Capitol riot persuaded him against nuking the filibuster in order to seek bipartisanship



Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia earned more online ire from the left after he unequivocally said he would not vote to end the filibuster and explained that it was the lethal Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that changed his thinking.

Manchin, 73, explained how the riot changed his mind in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

"January 6 changed me. I never thought in my life, I never read in history books to where our form of government had been attacked, at our seat of government, which is Washington, D.C., at our Capitol, by our own people," Manchin said.

"So, something told me, 'Wait a minute pause. Hit the pause button.' Something's wrong. You can't have this many people split to where they want to go to war with each other," he added.

Manchin's vote has become a key bulwark against the schemes of the less centrist Democrats since the Senate is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. In order to end the filibuster rule that forces parties to find some common ground to pass legislation, Democrats would need Manchin's support.

"I'm not killing the filibuster. I've been very, very clear," he said to CNN.

Some on the left lashed out at Manchin for not supporting the effort to pass liberal legislation without some support from Republicans.

"Joe Manchin is the most deeply dishonest man in America. He's now saying the Capitol riot changed him and that's why he's blocking all Democratic legislation. What? What an absurd bulls*** claim!" tweeted failed congressional candidate and YouTube personality Cenk Uygur.

"No, you're blocking it on behalf of your corporate donors. Ask him about the donors!" he pleaded.

"Getting sick and tired of Joe Manchin controlling the Senate," filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted.

Getting sick and tired of Joe Manchin controlling the Senate. Passing legislation that is supported by the vast maj… https://t.co/BzxBEBkr7b
— Rob Reiner (@Rob Reiner)1617931511.0

"Passing legislation that is supported by the vast majority of the American people should not rely on courting Republican Senators who stand for nothing but obstructionism and White Supremacy," he added.

"Is he that stupid or is he just stalling for time to burnish his centrist rep? Either way, he is a foolish nuisance," said Canadian comedian Deven Green.

Democrats thought they had found a way around the filibuster when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that Democrats could use the reconciliation process to pass their bills. Manchin also shot down any support for that technicality.

Here's the CNN interview with Joe Manchin:

Manchin says 'January 6 changed me' as he calls for bipartisanshipwww.youtube.com