'Gutless' Joe Manchin 'a modern day Hamlet,' GOP opponent declares

To confirm or not to confirm — that is the question. And because Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) still can't seem decide what to do about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, his Republican opponent has branded him a "modern day Hamlet."

Senators voted 51-49 Friday to advance Kavanaugh to a full Senate confirmation vote scheduled for Saturday, with Manchin the only Democrat voting "yes." Still, the senator "didn't vote until the result was clear," Politico notes, notably leaving the room during the Senate roll call. That's "gutless behavior," Manchin's GOP opponent, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, declared in subsequent tweets.

Manchin and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) are the only two senators who haven't declared which way they'll vote on Kavanaugh in the final confirmation showdown. Both would have to oppose Kavanaugh for his confirmation to be imperiled. And Politico has suggested Manchin doesn't want to be the deciding vote, and will thus vote alongside Collins. Morrisey's series of tweets seized on Manchin's cling to Collins, slamming him as a "spineless, dishonest liberal" before bringing some Shakespeare into the mix.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Alas, poor Morrisey. The latest polls have Manchin a solid nine points above his competitor — though there's no telling how Manchin's mystery vote will affect his supporters.