House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is working to corral her caucus into passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill this week, along with the House’s version of the $1.75 reconciliation bill containing President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better framework.
If SiniMan won’t commit to voting for BBB then nothing should pass.
Put it to a vote, Madam Speaker.
Pressure is the only thing that may finally pressure Manchinema.
Manchin and Sinema represent proof positive that the attainment of power can lead to a form of drunkenness.
Counterpoint: let’s get something done for the middle class, already. Been seeing a bunch of the pollsters in VA talking about how the failure to get anything done on this is part of what’s hurting McAuliffe.
ETA: Just to make it clear, I don’t agree with those voters who are saying ‘how come the Dems can’t get anything done?’ It’s been less than a year, after all, and focusing on short-term results/gratification while ignoring the long-term structural issues is about 90% of, well, every problem in the US. But saying ‘well, those voters are being unrealistic’… still doesn’t get their vote.
I wouldn’t think these 2 were drunk on power. If they had any power they’ve wasted it on being morons because that’s how they’ll be remembered, if they’re remembered at all. Manchin is just dumb and Sinema is more brain damaged or nutz. She’s drunk on getting attention and she’s not getting the kind of attention she craves.
Ultimately our government is dysfunctional because the American public at large doesn’t seem to care who’s running the country. Trump made a lot of people believe anyone can be President and qualifications don’t matter. That’s left us with Idiots on Parade at the most crucial moment in the history of humanity. This is not the time to be toying with our future but here we sit. Ugh!
Note: In addition to climate provisions, prescription drug pricing and immigration proposals remain points of negotiation in the Senate.
Someone needs to enlighten me. What rationale are politicians offering as to why negotiated, lower drug prices for consumers is an undesirable legislative goal?
Have a look at how much Big Pharma is paying into candidates’ coffers for the next election.
Follow the money.
Your answer is there.
And as expected, Manchin is already out this morning pushing the goal post back … way back.
Why put a time limit on his “research”? Happy Holidays, all. Maybe Pa will be in the mood to talk then. Maybe. We’ll just have to see.
I know about the lobbying and campaign cash. But when asked by an interviewer WHY is lower drug prices a bad thing, what do they reply?
The rationale that one politician who’s blocking it has offered ‘I’m at the elevators, duh’.
Seriously, it’s basically just Sinema, and she’s given her constituents exactly zero explanation of her position.
It seems attempts to mandate negotiation of lower drug prices has been contentious and stonewalled for many years. It pre-dates Sinema, no?
It has, and the rationales offered by the (mostly Republican) opposition has been ‘socialism!!’ and a preference for other solutions that avoid the appearance of ‘socialism!!’ like the Part D coverage etc… This year, it’s all her.
Well, someone’s daughter has an issue with lower drug prices.
I assume the ones with big donations from Pharma companies are parroting the Pharma line, which is that lower drug prices means new drugs won’t be developed. Kiss your cancer cure goodbye if drug prices are lowered. All we’ll be able to do is keep producing current drugs, not research new ones. It’s bullshit but it works for some voters.
Even from the most cynical, amateur game theory perspective, what senators Manchin and Sinema are doing doesn’t make any sense. They have gotten almost everything they want, yet they keep changing the ‘rules of engagement’. Their actions only seem logical to me if: 1. They will only accept total victory, 2. They really don’t care what the outcome is, or (most ominous…) 3. They actually want the negotiations to fail. I am starting to suspect that 3 is a real option, at least for Sen. Manchin.
The traditional excuse is that lower prices will eliminate all incentives for research into new drugs. That one’s pretty tired and was debunked years ago. So, no idea what excuse they’re using now. If I had to guess, I think they probably just dodge the question and spit out some Republican talking point.
Bush slammed Manchin’s opposition to Build Back Better as “anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant.”
“When we talk about transformative change, we are talking about a bill that will benefit Black, brown and Indigenous communities. Those same communities are overwhelmingly excluded from the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” she said.
I stand with Cori Bush. She’s the only one who has the guts to say what needs to be said about Manchin. Democrats have been making a huge mistake by treating him as a comrade. He is obviously working for Republicans and they need to call him out for his conduct.
Worried about his leaving the party?
Time for congressional hearings about the coal industry and medical device industry so everyone can start looking under rocks that might reveal some of his family’s slimy dealings.
Okay, so Rep. Jayapal has been saying that she trusts Biden to deliver, which means delivering Manchin’s vote (not sure where Sinema falls in all this).
In my dreams, Biden has an ace up his sleeve for forcing Manchin’s vote. It’s a pile of Executive Orders that will target WV coal and gas production with drastic, punitive actions like higher pollution standards. Biden is prepared to sign these EO’s if Manchin doesn’t get with the program, and he’ll take it off the table if he cooperates. Manchin knows this, which is why he’s ramping up the public whining.
In my dreams, anyway. This doesn’t strike me as Biden’s type of strong-arm tactics, and I’m not sure how far he could hit WV coal with an EO. But it would be fun if it happened.
This used to be Lisa Murkowski’s assigned homework project. She justified her opposition to Medicare negotiating drug prices or the reimportation of drugs that had originally been made in America as possibly unsafe. Like someone in Canada where drugs are subsidized would take apart containers of blood pressure meds and cut them with salt or some shit. It’s all she had to work with. Her talking points from Pharma as busloads of seniors were being busted at the Canadian/US border for going to Canada to get their affordable scripts.