Manchin Meets with Handmaid Activists

Representatives of the #NoMoreJoe activist group met with Sen. Joe Manchin on Friday afternoon, October 26, 2018, to address issues raised in their Manchin Manifesto. Earlier that day, eight of the activists in handmaids’ attire delivered the Manifesto to the senator’s Martinsburg office. Manchin’s campaign manager, Mara Boggs, arranged for the senator to spend the better part of an hour discussing the concerns raised.

“We appreciate the time that the senator gave to us,” said Layne Diehl, spokesperson for the #NoMoreJoe campaign. “It is promising that he was willing to listen and we were encouraged to learn more about his reasoning in the Kavanaugh vote, which the senator explained to include consideration of possible alternative appointees whose judicial record may have proved more menacing than Kavanaugh’s. Yet when asked whether he would make a commitment to the values described in the Manifesto, the senator was reluctant to make any promises.”

The group also expressed appreciation for the senator’s commitment to give voice to his more progressive and liberal constituents and to encourage outreach activities by the West Virginia Democratic Party with the goal of attracting more young people with diverse and progressive viewpoints into the fold. The meeting included state party leadership, Belinda Biafore, Chair of the West Virginia State Democratic Executive Committee, and the Rev. Matthew J. Watts, state party activist.

Whether Manchin will return more fully to the principles of the national democratic party through his voting record remains to be seen, though recent reports indicate that the senator may be taking notice of his progressive constituents’ call to action. “We find the senator’s statements in Morgantown earlier this week to show progress,” said Diehl, in reference to the senator’s calling out President Trump for his divisive rhetoric prior to a UMWA rally on Monday, October 29. The senator was quoted as calling on Trump to “[c]alm down the rhetoric,” and advising the President that, “[p]eople need to know we’re not going to tolerate this divisiveness, this hatred.” “That’s progress,” said Diehl, “and we hope to see more of it from our senator in the days ahead.”

The handmaid’s garments worn by the group early in the day are symbolic of a dystopian society wherein women are treated as instruments for procreation and where rape and sexual assault are to be disregarded if not outright condoned for the purpose of preserving a patriarchal elite. Handmaid demonstrations have become popular throughout the United States as the television series on Hulu, the Handmaid’s Tale, has gained in popularity. The series is adapted from the book of the same title authored by Margaret Atwood.