A week ago, the United States Senate, by a vote of 52 to 47, failed to pass a coronavirus economic relief bill. (60 votes were needed – all Democrats + Rand Paul voted against the measure.) Since that vote, West Virginia’s Republican senator, Shelley Moore Capito, has made the rounds of radio talk shows in the state with the Republican talking points that the bill dealt only with the basics and Democrats did not want to help those who were most in need. So far, Capito has received no pushback on her assertions.

The Associated Press and major newspapers all explained what was in the bill and why it did not pass. Here, for example, is the Washington Post’s explanation as to why Democrats voted against the bill:

The measure did not include a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks for individual Americans, even though that’s something the White House supports. It also excluded any new money for cities and states, a top Democratic priority as municipal governments face the prospect of mass layoffs because of plunging tax revenue. And it contained some conservative priorities that Democrats dismissed as unacceptable “poison pills,” including liability protections for businesses and a tax credit aimed at helping students attend private schools.

Yet, here is Capito's Friday interview with Hoppy Kercheval of WV Metro News. Note Kercheval's non-reaction to Capito's assertions about the legislation. At the least, he might have asked how providing a tax credit for Betsy DeVos’ pet voucher project was meeting the basic needs of Americans or why additional stimulus money was not made available to all of those unemployed Americans that Capito and the Republicans care so deeply about.

.@SenCapito joins @HoppyKercheval to discuss the impact of 9/11 19 years later, and the COVID-19 relief bill. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/DgmCEV8aGG

— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) September 11, 2020

Kerchival understands politics; he likely knew why Democrats opposed the bill and he certainly understands what a "poison pill" is but he says nothing.

Earlier today, Capito was on another radio talk show. Again, Capito asserted that the Democrats would not go along with "things we all agree upon" even though she knew that included money for a DeVos program and liability protection for employers.

Last week’s vote on a targeted #coronavirus relief package was really frustrating. We should be able to pass what we all agree on: money for schools, PPE, relief for small businesses, & vaccine development. pic.twitter.com/87OHIpg8e4

— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) September 16, 2020

(Note -- this is from a Capito tweet. I searched but could not find the interviewer or the radio station. It is possible that the interviewer did push back on her point. I have my doubts, however.)

Slightly, off-topic but I found this interesting:

The UMWA hyphenated a sitting Senator’s first name to her middle name and then misspelled her last name. Seems clear the UMWA doesn’t know who Shelley Moore Capito is.

That explains this endorsement. pic.twitter.com/JGCG6i2BKx

— David J. Trowbridge (@DTrowbridge7) September 12, 2020

Yeah, it's not like her opponent, Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin, is the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners and she supports workers throughout the state. Oh wait, never mind -- the UMWA obviously prefers the candidate of the anti-union and right-to-work party.