Negotiating with Manchin is like playing on an 'Etch A Sketch' because his opinion changes based on the last person he talked to, Democrats say

The Democrats say that it's like negotiating via Etch A Sketch because Sen. Joe Manchin changes his mind based on the last person he's spoken with.
You think you're close to it. You think you have an agreement on most of the things, but it's not quite there. A source familiar with the negotiations told a website that after you come back the next morning, you're starting from scratch.
The Freedom to Vote Act includes voting rights and election reform. In October, Senate Republicans used their power to block the measure.

Manchin is a supporter of the act, but he and Sinema are against removing the Senate's 60-vote threshold or creating a carve out that would allow Democrats to pass the bill along party lines.

The administration of President Joe Biden is hoping that some of the senators will lobby Manchin to pass the legislation. The conversations between the three senators and Manchin have not been consistent in the past few weeks.
An aide to one of the senators said that Manchin would go home after the meetings, talk to outside sources, and come back with new questions.
The problem is that he listens to everybody. The source said that whoever he's heard from most recently has the upper hand.

Manchin has maintained that he's not on board with any carveouts, even though King, Tester, and Kaine are trying to discuss possible limits to the filibuster carveout.
At the time of publication, Manchin's office did not respond to Insider's request for comment.