Why isn’t there an Office of Pure PR (and branding) in the White House? The things these bills accomplish for everyday Americans are profound and wonderful. I am frankly surprised that 60+ percent are in favor because so many people have no clue what is in them.
Seriously! Dems need to learn how to make themselves look good by showing the good things that they want to do!
Republicans dress up the malignant things they do with false names and descriptions – getting rid of Medicare will give seniors more CHOICE! (Horribly false). The Clear Skies Initiative allowed for more crap to go into the air. The last tax dodge was for EVERYONE and would “trickle down.” January 6th was a bunch of tourists! All terrible things with hideous lipstick applied, and the rubes never learn.
Democrats don’t even need to do what the GQP does. All we have to do is say the truth, but in ways that EVERYONE will see, and everyman will like.
If we have learned anything it is not to trust Joe Manchin or Sinema. What really bothers me about them is that they seem to think it is okay to lie to progressives and that they only need keep their word to certain White people.
It is also clear the people Manchin and Sinema feel they must keep their word to those who really want the “bipartisan” infrastructure bill and nothing else.
Therefore until something comes out of the Senate where most of the benefits go to other than those people Manchin and Senima are loyal, progressive House members need to deny passage of the “bipartisan” bill.
I’m not saying necessarily that this is where we should’ve gone just yet, but can someone help me understand why Ds couldn’t do their entire reconciliation package, but only fund it for, say, four years rather than ten?
This would drastically reduce the price tag, which ostensibly has been Manchin’s big issue (and to the extent that she’s even articulated her reasoning, Sinema too). But also it would give Ds a huge issue to run on in '22 and '24.
When this money starts going out, people are going to see real, tangible improvements to their everyday lives. Lots of people. The threat that that all goes away if Rs take back either house of congress or the WH in 24 would be a huge thing to run on. “Vote Ds because Rs will straight up pick your pocket if they win” is pretty potent. And we know people hate losing benefits that they have, even if they were skeptical of them before they got them.
What am I missing?
EDIT: I should add that this would be much better than means-testing, which I’m guessing is part of what we will end up with after Manchin gets his fingerprints on this.
As I previously said, you are missing, and I think for the very reasons you stated that once people start receiving benefits they will not want to lose them, that once Manchin and or Sinema get what they want, they will find a way to go back on their word.
I’m not following. You’re saying that they would bait and switch and kill the reconciliation bill? That looks unlikely given that we have effectively recoupled the bills, thanks to the house progressive caucus.
Also I’m not sure Manchin is as much a bad-faith actor as Sinema, but that’s secondary.
That’s an excellent piece on not just the upside-down, now-reflexive tendency of the NYT to describe everything as a huge setback for the Democrats. It’s also as good a short description of where the process is right now as you’ll find. And just in passing, you see how brilliant a game-player Nancy really is. It’s a good read. One of the reasons to hang around TPM is that Josh is a very, very sharp observer and analyst.
Also get rid of things that really do not solve the problems they are intended to solve. Is there $$ for Israel in this? If so cut it. the GQP loves Israel and will include them in something else. Is there pork that cannot be explained with a straight face? Cut it.
But your suggestion (which I have heard pundits suggest) is truly the answer IMHO!
I hope someone can enlighten me about just what Manchin’s $1.5T limit applies to. I’ve been going on an assumption that he wanted to reduce the reconciliation bill down to that amount from the $3.5T which seemed absurd and impossible to allow. But Josh M. indicated that this only applies to the “social spending” part and Pelosi’s comment that the two sides are not “trillions” apart so just how much does Manchin’s demand change the entire bill’s amount?
Remember “the cornhusker kickback” in the original Obamacare bill to get a Nebraska senator’s support?
While that use to be how things got passed in the Senate, getting support from senators whose constituents either lose or just oppose a bill, I am not sure that is any longer the case as the media has viewed those incentives in a very negative light.
So with the possible exception of something benefiting the super rich or some special interest dear to the owners of our media, I do not think that is true in the reconciliation bill.
As I explained to you yesterday it is all paid for. None of the reconciliation bill, in any of its proposed forms, is financed by new debt. The rules of reconciliation require the bill to be deficit neutral. All it does is redirect existing revenue to new priorities and raise additional revenue for the rest.
“Real obstructure.” Hilarious. You can’t make this stuff up. It’s way beyond a freudian slip. That’s when your mom asks, “Do you want five?” and you reply “I want sex.” This is more like “I want rapesex.” Horribly hilarious. In a just world this would hang around RonJon’s neck like an anvil for the rest of his life. Sigh.
I can’t say I have much deep knowledge in this stuff, but I’d say that’s a really interesting idea and especially for if it’s the only way to get the program passed. The only question I’d have is it seems like Biden et al. want to go big with this, like with the ACA, and really do something meaningful and substantial. The American people want it too, mostly. It’s dispiriting to see the wealthy get their way all the time, as the middle class gets more and more exploited. We don’t talk about the American Dream much any more, because we don’t see it playing out in our own lives. It’s going to take a big effort to turn that around. Just my thoughts on scaling things back too much.
