Joe Manchin Might be a Senator from West Virginia but he’s Paid for by Corporations

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Joe Manchin is doing everything he can to undermine effective legislation to address the climate crisis and stop any sort of expansion of the social safety net. Like a lot of people, I have been feeling a lot of anger and despair over his power to dictate the Democratic Party’s legislative agenda at a time when it seems clear that a major consolidation of right-wing and white supremacist power is on the horizon.

The other day, I wrote a short letter to him expressing my outrage. However, since I am not one of his constituents I knew that this letter would basically be ignored. Then last night, I had a small epiphany. Manchin might be a Senator from West Virginia but much of his corporate donor base is actually located here in Texas. There’s nothing to stop me, or anyone else in Texas, from pressuring the corporations who support him and are encouraging him in his obstructionism to get him to behave differently. He seems to care more about his pocketbook and his donor base than working people in either West Virginia or the United States as a whole. So, why not make the people who pay for him uncomfortable?

The website Open Secrets maintains a helpful list of his major corporate donors. Of the top donors for his 2022 re-election campaign, the following are located in Texas: Enterprise Products Partners (Houston); Ryan, LCC (Dallas); and Energy Transfer (Dallas). Why not give them a call or mount a picket outside of their places of business and demand that they pledge to stop funding Manchin until he supports legislation that will address the climate crisis and help working people?

Entreprise Products Partners has already contributed $129,610 to Manchin’s re-election campaign. Ryan LLC has contributed $99,200 and Energy Transfer has contributed $87,700.

Here’s their contact information

Enterprise Products Partners
1100 Louisiana Street (Physical Address)
Houston, TX 77002
713.381.6500

P.O. Box 4324 (Mailing Address)
Houston, TX 77210-4324
CareersHelp@eprod.com (Email listed on contact page)

Officers

Randa Duncan Williams, Chairman of the Board
W. Randall Fowler, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
A. J. Teague, Co-Chief Executive Officer

Ryan, LCC
Three Galleria Tower
13155 Noel Road
Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75240-5090
972.934.0022
stacey.underwood@ryan.com (Email listed on contact page)

Officers

G. Brint Ryan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Ginny B. Kissling, Global President and Chief Operating Officer

Energy Transfer
8111 Westchester Drive
Dallas, TX 75225
214.981.0700
Media@EnergyTransfer.com (Email listed on contact page)

Officers

Kelcy L. Warren, Executive Chairman
Marshall S. McCrea, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Thomas E. Long, Co-Chief Executive Officer

If you call them you might say something:

Hello, my name is [your name] and I am [a client, concerned citizen, etc.]. May I please speak with your public relations department?

I am calling today to register my disappointment with [corporation] for your support of Senator Joe Manchin. To date, I know that you have donated at least [amount listed above] to his re-election campaign. Your donations to him are encouraging him to undermine vitally important legislation to address the climate crisis. They also seem to be encouraging him in his obstruction of legislation that will help millions of people in the United States by providing them with free preschool for three and four year-olds, expanded home care for the elderly, support for childcare costs, and extensions of the expanded child and Affordable Care Act tax credits. If put into law, these policies will undoubtedly benefit many of your employees. By supporting Senator Manchin’s obstructionism you are harming not only them but untold millions in future generations who will suffer from a failure to act on the climate crisis.

I ask that you use your lobbying relationship with Senator Manchin to convince him to end his obstructionism, address the climate crisis, and help working people. I ask that you immediately cease any further donations to him until he does so. I invite you to make a public statement indicating your intention to do these things.

Thank you for your time.

If you write them you might write something like:

Dear [Officer]:

I am [who you are]. I write to register my disappointment with [corporation] for your support of Senator Joe Manchin. To date, I know that you have donated at least [amount listed above] to his re-election campaign. Your donations to him are encouraging him to undermine vitally important legislation to address the climate crisis. They also seem to be encouraging him in his obstruction of legislation that will help millions of people in the United States by providing them with free preschool for three and four year-olds, expanded home care for the elderly, support for childcare costs, and extensions of the expanded child and Affordable Care Act tax credits. If put into law, these policies will undoubtedly benefit many of your employees. By supporting Senator Manchin’s obstructionism you are harming not only them but untold millions in future generations who will suffer from a failure to act on the climate crisis.

I ask that you use your lobbying relationship with Senator Manchin to convince him to end his obstructionism, address the climate crisis, and help working people. I ask that you immediately cease any further donations to him until he does so. I invite you to make a public statement indicating your intention to do these things.

I would like to have further dialogue with you about this matter. Please contact me.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[your name]

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