CNN Host Don Lemon did not mince words when calling out Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) after they posting about Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday.
“You get the politicians, especially the ones in Washington now who are blocking people’s access to the voting booth and they want to use Dr. King conveniently,” Lemon said on CNN Tuesday. “They’re the biggest hypocrites on the planet.”
Manchin issued a press release on the civil rights leader with the concluding statement: “Let us all remember Dr. King’s memory by reaching out to our fellow West Virginians to create unity and share our blessings during these difficult times.”
Meanwhile Sinema made a simple post on Twitter. The two Democratic senators dashed the hopes of Black Americans, minorities and Democrats last week when they both announced their support to keeping the filibuster intact after President Joe Biden announced his support
of eliminating the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation in a speech.Lemon didn’t stop after calling the pair hypocrites. He’s also not the only one attacking the two Sens.
“If Sinema and Manchin really want to honor the legacy of Dr. King and all the people who fought for civil rights and voting rights in this country, what they would do is carve out voting rights with the filibuster. But for some reason they are mired in tradition”
Both Sinema and Manchin are facing heat over voting rights and for other initiatives the pair are blocking. Both senators have been followed and stalked by climate supporters after knocking down the price and initiatives of Biden’s BBB bill.
Emily’s List, the largest funder of female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, announced Tuesday it would cut off financial support to her campaign due to her stance on the filibuster. Additionally, whispers of a primary challenge to Sinema have been growing louder.
Manchin is also facing heat in his state of West Virginia. The United Mine Workers of America released a statement calling for the reversal of his stance on the
Build Back Better legislation. Manchin has also heard whispers of a primary challenge but doesn’t seem too worried about it.“The filibuster has been used to block civil rights legislation forever and so we need to stop that and evolve,” Lemon added. “Just because there is a rule, doesn’t mean that rule can’t change. The constitution is amended, so it’s time to amend the rules and protect the most sacred rights we have as Americans, and that is the right to vote.”