With Friends Like These…

[Chew Toy McCoy]

It doesn't take much research to find the likes of Warnock has been on board with BBB early on, and staked his rep on it's possible passing.

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1453832803775356930/

The logic of putting it up for a vote, as Bernie puts it, is make those who don't want to go along explain their decision. The frustrating thing in all of this has been anyone who's opposed not making a clear argument why, and how to fix it. Sinema has been roasted for her avoidance to even try to explain. Manchin kept moving goalposts so much, it was like he reinvented the shellgame with goal posts. Only to find out his so called reasoning was full of shit, and his actual hangup is still clinging to racial tropes about "welfare queens". While others hid like roaches in the dark, while the light shined on Manchin & Sinema.

For those staying quiet, it's time to speak up. You can't fix something to one's liking, if one doesn't tell you what they don't like. The only thing worse is for some asshat to tell you what they don't like, in good faith you try to accommodate, only to find out they never had any intention of really dealing with you.

Sure it may piss off Manchin, but at this point who gives an F? The man literally went on Fox News, to cry about something upset him so much, so he finally discovered the sack to be honest with everyone after a year of bullshitting on FOX NEWS. Let him be mad. Dems also need to figure out how to work without him. Let him deal with his constituents that are starting to realize that they guy they voted for who lives on a yacht & drives a Maserati paid for by lobbying interests isn't really for them. It was clear from the start the majority ( which includes constituents of BOTH parties ) of his state wanted BBB, but I guess who the F are they right?

Seriously, the imagery of constituents pulling up in kayaks to his yacht to plead for BBB, has to be one of the more bizarre political spectacles of the year. Which sums up the man & his real concerns.

Keep in mind. The real issue with Manchin isn't solely his opposition. That is two different issues. With his opposition, it's that ONE man from a state that does relatively poorly in many metrics that could be improved, voted in by a couple of hundred thousand people. Can thwart the will of the President, his party, and the near eighty million who voted for that party & president. That's so astronomically lopsided it's offensive in a supposed democracy. With Manchin, the issue of course is the guy lied for nearly a year, gave others the impression that he negotiated in good faith, all to be the center of attention. If I didn't know any better I'd swear the guy learned politics on PRSI.

As I said, they should also publicly vote on the major line items.

There’s a distinct difference between

“It just adds too much to the debt”

AND

Do you want your constituents to have

Child tax credit: “No”
Paid family leave: “No”
Eye and dental coverage added to Medicare: “No”
Medicare for all/Single payer: “No”
Reduced medication prices: “No”
Government bargaining on medication prices: “No”
Free junior college: “No”
$15 per hour minimum wage: “No”
Incentives for climate change initiatives: “No”
Etc

 

[Thomas Veil]

LOL.

​

I can hear Manchin in my mind saying it in a high, nasal voice.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Why Manchin torpedoed Biden's big bill | CNN

Former Rep. Charlie Dent writes Sen. Joe Manchin announced he would not vote for the Build Back Better bill because he knows that durable, sustainable reforms require bipartisan consensus and compromise -- and this bill lacked those elements.

www.cnn.com

Hey, look, another "main stream" news establishment propagandizer who thinks at least 60% of the country must be far-left extremists, or at least that's the only conclusion you can make when you look at his statements compared to the polling numbers on what specifically is in the BBB bill. He must not have access to those polls. I can't imagine the embarrassment he'll be feeling when they show them to him. I'd be quite mad for not being shown those polls before the opinion piece was published. Nobody likes looking like an idiot.

 

[SuperMatt]

Why Manchin torpedoed Biden's big bill | CNN

Former Rep. Charlie Dent writes Sen. Joe Manchin announced he would not vote for the Build Back Better bill because he knows that durable, sustainable reforms require bipartisan consensus and compromise -- and this bill lacked those elements.

www.cnn.com

Hey, look, another "main stream" news establishment propagandizer who thinks at least 60% of the country must be far-left extremists, or at least that's the only conclusion you can make when you look at his statements compared to the polling numbers on what specifically is in the BBB bill. He must not have access to those polls. I can't imagine the embarrassment he'll be feeling when they show them to him. I'd be quite mad for not being shown those polls before the opinion piece was published. Nobody likes looking like an idiot.

There was a piece from a Ben Ritz, who is part of group called the “Progressive Policy Institute” talking about how Joe Manchin actually did Biden a favor.

I wondered how could a progressive write things like:

Unlike those on the left now unleashing their righteous wrath on Mr. Manchin, I have long sympathized with his objections to this approach, as well as his concerns about inflation and the unsustainable growth of our national debt.

Then I looked up the group. They are a “centrist” Democratic think tank. Funny how they picked the name progressive while fighting to keep taxes low for corporations, and screaming that BBB will cause inflation to skyrocket.

They seem like Manchin Democrats, not progressives at all.

Opinion | Joe Manchin Has Given Democrats a Chance to Save Their Agenda (Published 2021)

The Democrats have to stop playing games with expiration dates and do fewer things better. Thanks to Manchin, maybe they finally will.

www.nytimes.com

Again, all of this is about how they could convince Manchin to do something. I think @JayMysteri0 laid out perfectly why it’s absurd that everybody has to convince a Senator who got 290K votes in 2018 to approve the agenda of the President, who is of the same party and got 81 million votes in 2020.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

There was a piece from a Ben Ritz, who is part of group called the “Progressive Policy Institute” talking about how Joe Manchin actually did Biden a favor.

I wondered how could a progressive write things like:


Then I looked up the group. They are a “centrist” Democratic think tank. Funny how they picked the name progressive while fighting to keep taxes low for corporations, and screaming that BBB will cause inflation to skyrocket.

They seem like Manchin Democrats, not progressives at all.

Opinion | Joe Manchin Has Given Democrats a Chance to Save Their Agenda (Published 2021)

The Democrats have to stop playing games with expiration dates and do fewer things better. Thanks to Manchin, maybe they finally will.

www.nytimes.com

Again, all of this is about how they could convince Manchin to do something. I think @JayMysteri0 laid out perfectly why it’s absurd that we have to convince a Senator who got 290K votes in 2018 to approve the agenda of the President, who is of the same party and got 81 million votes in 2020.

It’s kind of like “The Federalist Society” which is anti-federal government while drawing their inspiration from The Federalist Papers which is actually pro-federal government.

 

[SuperMatt]

Well, there is an Apple angle to this story. I heard Apple had been lobbying against Build Back Better, and this might explain why.

Budget Issues Could Delay DoJ Probes Into Apple And Google

U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) probes into Apple and Google could be delayed until spring 2022 due to ongoing budget issues.

www.macobserver.com

Now the decision on going to court is likely to come in March or later because of continued discussions about where to file and who will make the call, the two people told POLITICO. They spoke anonymously to discuss internal DOJ deliberations. Another major concern for the department is the likely expense of a court battle with the two companies, each of which has a market value exceeding $1 trillion. That issue became more fraught this week when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) torpedoed Democrats’ Build Back Better package, which would have given DOJ a $500 million boost for antitrust enforcement.

 

[JayMysteri0]

We'll Believe It When We See It, Joe

The West Virginia senator now says passing climate legislation should be easy, actually.

gizmodo.com

A few weeks after nuking the Democratic Build Back Better Agenda live on Fox News, Sen. Joe Manchin would like you to know the climate part is a piece of cake.

The West Virginia senator spoke with reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, where he was predictably barraged by questions about what the hell is going on with the Build Back Better Act, the centerpiece of what could be a transformative Democratic agenda. The legislation passed the House before getting bogged down in the Senate, where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority, as Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema slowly hacked away at it. (Republicans, for their part, have just stood by with zero intent to engage.)

Manchin said negotiations have not restarted on the act itself. But he did throw in the following tidbit, according to Politico: “I think that the climate thing is one that we probably can come to agreement much easier than anything else.”

This is decidedly curious for a few reasons, chief among them being how Manchin has treated the climate provisions in the act. Among the provisions Manchin has reportedly opposed at one point or another are a clean energy standard (the act’s strongest climate provision), tax credits for union-made electric vehicles, and a fee on methane. Manchin’s obstruction—which, it should be noted, lines up extremely well with dirty oil companies’ and utilities’ priorities—already left the U.S. compromised at international climate talks in November.

Joe?

 

[Thomas Veil]

Nobody likes looking like an idiot.

 

[SuperMatt]

Joe Manchin made a “counter offer” to the BBB plan, with a $1.8 trillion price tag. But it looks like he is going to reject his own offer?

“A $1.8 trillion package along the lines of what Manchin offered last month would be one of the most transformative, progressive pieces of legislation in modern history,” said Ben Ritz, a budget expert at the Progressive Policy Institute, a D.C. think tank. “The White House should absolutely take it if they can.”

But for several reasons, it is unclear whether the White House could accept Manchin’s plan, even if it wanted to — not the least of which is the confusion now over whether Manchin would vote to approve it.

https://wapo.st/3zF8mmY

(paywall removed)

 

[lizkat]

Joe Manchin made a “counter offer” to the BBB plan, with a $1.8 trillion price tag. But it looks like he is going to reject his own offer?

https://wapo.st/3zF8mmY

(paywall removed)

Honestly. Piece s/b headlined "Trump fades away as new chart topper in That F'g Guy contest hogs spotlight".

 

[Huntn]

So what is you vote regarding poor Marjorie?

• Stupid
• Sinister
• Heinous
• Ignorant
• Incompetent
• Manipulative
• Suedo-populist in a Sara Palin sort of way, but not as clever, only appealing to Right Wing Nincompoops.

Are we sure her last name is not Trump or Drump?

 

[Thomas Veil]

I think "imbecile" about covers it.

 

[JayMysteri0]

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480329367075049474/

 

[JayMysteri0]

Just to add another little bit of perspective

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480528190997213188/

But hey, voting rights are difficult amirite?

 

[rdrr]

Just to add another little bit of perspective

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480528190997213188/

But hey, voting rights are difficult amirite?

Yeah this is a bit of our history that gets put on fast forward and usually at the end of the day on Friday, when its taught in school. The fact that the person who penned "all men are created equal" was indeed a slaveowner just perplexes me.

 

[SuperMatt]

Just to add another little bit of perspective

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480528190997213188/

But hey, voting rights are difficult amirite?

This piece must have gotten some coverage on Fox News or right-wing Facebook groups. Right-wing trolls are filling up the comments with racist ...

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Just to add another little bit of perspective

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480528190997213188/

But hey, voting rights are difficult amirite?

I hope there’s an update that includes politicians who have financial interests in our legalized slavery prison system.

 

[Huntn]

https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1480329367075049474/

Remember who does equal rights and who throws up excuses about why we can't...

 

[Herdfan]

 

[SuperMatt]

This thread is supposed to be about Manchin and Sinema. Feel free to start a Schumer thread.