The split senate that we have, with Kamala Harris able to cast a tie breaking vote, is not the automatic rubber stamp that some people wish it would be. Neera Tanden is probably one of those people right now, because unless she can find a Republican who will vote for her — good luck with that — the fact that Joe Manchin just cut her loose is likely to be decisive. My read on this is that Tanden is toast. While I agree with her calling Mitch McConnell “Voldemort” and some of her other colorful characterizations, they’re now coming back to haunt her. Washington Post:
When Biden chose Tanden, there was an uproar among some Republicans over her past tweets that mocked several GOP senators. Republicans argued that her partisan beliefs made her unfit for a job that required frequent engagement with lawmakers.
Manchin, in a statement, says he agrees with that assessment, citing her tweets as his reason for opposing her.
“I believe her overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship between members of Congress and the next director of the Office of Management and Budget,” Manchin said. “For this reason, I cannot support her nomination. As I have said before, we must take meaningful steps to end the political division and dysfunction that pervades our politics. At a time of grave crisis, it is more important than ever that we chart a new bipartisan course that helps address the many serious challenges facing our nation.”
With the Senate split 50-50, Tanden now needs at least one Republican to support her nomination.
At her confirmation hearing, Republican senators read aloud her tweets calling Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) “the worst,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “a fraud,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “Voldemort,” and one saying that “vampires have more heart than Ted Cruz.” Cruz (R) represents Texas in the Senate.
Naturally, the hypocrisy here is stunning to contemplate. After many years of Donald Trump misusing Twitter and making it a tool of propaganda and division, suddenly if a Democrat is critical on the medium, it’s a death sentence to her nomination.
Let this be a lesson to other Democrats, because I don’t see this changing. There has always been a double standard with respect to the two parties. I think that Tanden is done for and I think that now would be the time for other Democrats to take heed that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.
Biden has no choice here, as I see it. Unity is the central plank of his platform. It would be best if Tanden just withdrew from the process and I think that’s what you’ll see.
This is utter nonsense on the part of Manchin. This is pandering simultaneously to the worst of Republicans and to the far left Bernie bros who demonized her and made this an issue in the first place. It will be rich if he votes against her and Bernie votes fo her. We’ll see. This would be destructive to the entire Democratic Party top to bottom to set a standard of dismissing highly qualified people because of mean tweets when Trump literally built his political career on mean tweets. No, Tandem withdrawing would be a huge victory for those trying to strangle the Biden administration in the crib and set a standard for Democratic nominees that would be unattainable for too many excellent people. There’d be no “unity” in this, just disarray the media would feast on.
One other thing: in addition to subjecting Democrats to a huge standard of civility Republicans never meet and helping drive IOKIYAR, there’s a massive strain of misogyny here. Men slinging insults are considered bold, dashing and aggressive, while women doing so are considered to be out of bounds because their role is to be polite peacemakers.
I knew this MFer was going to be trouble.
Can anyone answer why is Manchin a Democrat??? Seems like every time you hear anything from him he’s voting with the Republicans.
He can usually be persuaded to stick with the party when it matters. He *should* do so on appointments. Schumer needs to tell him to get with the program.
I was afraid this would happen with her nomination. I don’t twitter but I’ve seen her as a guest on enough news shows that I’m not surprised that she’s had her share of colorful tweets skewering those with whom she disagrees and that includes people on our side of the aisle. Being bold might have been a good thing for fundraising for the group she’s worked for and gotten her lots of airtime but it’s not the best course of action for someone who might aspire to, or be willing to accept if recruited a top govt. post that requires Senate confirmation. Neera Tanden is well qualified for the job as I see it. I even think that partisan snark directed on twitter aside she could work effectively with Congress Critters in both chambers. However, as unfair as it is SHE was going to face a double-standard when her confirmation came up in the Senate. A guy saying stuff like that might have made it through with only a few bumps and bruises but a woman? And a non-white woman at that? No, conservatives were surely delighted at what they knew would be a chance to ding the new administration. For all their bleating about the need for bipartisanship (THEIR warped version of it I must note) with Biden nominating so many highly qualified and experienced people they were hoping for at least one they could skewer. One who they might pull in at least one or two Democrats in their efforts. And that was before the special elections in GA that resulted in our gaining control of the Senate. Manchin, who once upon a time was my Senator was always going to be someone the GOP would court for a Nay vote. With a 50-50 Senate there’s no telling what kind of sweet talking conservatives did behind the scenes. But his doing what he announced was (to me at least) as predictable as Trump lying. Frankly, since back when he nominated her the odds of having a 50-50 Senate weren’t all that great Biden should have taken stock of the fact he’d need GOP votes to confirm her and that it would be a tough sell.
Again, it’s not fair. In fact it’s incredibly unfair. But Ursula is correct that for Democrats at least, it’s worth considering the down-the-road consequences of throwing sharp & overtly partisan elbows on social media and in appearances on news shows if one has aspirations of being appointed to a high office in some future administration. Even more unfair is that that guideline applies even more to women and people of color. And doubly so for someone who is both.
Fuck Joe Manchin. He feels soooo puffed up tonight. And he won’t gain a goddamned thing politically from it if he runs for re-election. I say if current WV Gov. Jim Justice wants Manchin’s seat then it will be his. And I think Justice wants that seat. Maybe Manchin knows something I don’t, but I think he (Manchin) is in his last term one way or the other. He might as well go out strong and as a full fledge Democrat instead of GOP lite. But he’s Joe Manchin. A sleazy, weaselly asshole.
It was foreseeable.
So her mild comments are toxic and detrimental to the working relationships between the members of Congress. However, inciting an insurrection, continued lying about the election and obstruction doesn’t effect these relationships?
I guess I understand Joe Manchin, in one respect. He is a democrat in a ruby red state. I really wish there was a way for democrats to stand up to this duplicity and put it to bed, once and for all. I suppose that’s a pipe dream.
I’m sick of Blue Dog democrats. It’s a shame he has any power to do this.
He didn’t have any problem voting to confirm Grenell, who said worse than that on Twitter, and also was insulting to Germany, when he became ambassador.
Tanden is far better qualified for her job than any of the Trmpies he voted for. Is it because she has opinions and isn’t white enough? (He also doesn’t seem to like Haaland.)
Neera Tandem should NOT withdraw her candidacy and Biden if he has any backbone at all, should fight for her to be approved. What the heck does traitorjoemanchin from poor azz West Virginia want? Recognition? Money for a pet project that WON’T benefit the people of WV? This is Biden’s litmus test. Will he use his political clout/ positional power as president to fight for his nominee? Tandem is well qualified to do the job she was nominated for. So what if she has some tweets out there that describe republikkklans is colorful terms? She like anyone else in this country is entitled to her opinion which by the way, many people agree with. Treasontrump used profanity, racist demeaning language, personal insults, and LIES on twitter, and he wasn’t stopped until he attempted to overthrow the United States government. Traitorjoe needs to be ousted form the Democratic party during the next election cycle. Until then, Biden and the Democrats need to marginalize this racist backward traitor and shut him down. Two weeks ago he went after VP Harris for accurate statements that she made while doing her job. Now he’s going after Neera Tandem, another woman of color goring for a job as a powerful policy maker in the US government. Manchin has declared for all Democrats to SEE that he is the snake who will stand in the way of progress. Biden better cut him down to size and QUICK!!!
Agree wholeheartedly! Biden/Harris should simply insert her as Acting Director of OMB and let her do her thing, as trumpy did with almost all of his crooked appointees. The repugnants have no more say in this than they deserve for their four year past example.
I never thought that I would agree with Joe Manchin, but she is toxic.
No, she’s not, unless you are a dead-end Bernie Bro. She’s stunningly well qualified and most of the supposed insults were really mild compared to what we say every day. If she’s toxic, so is every woman. The misogyny on this one is stifling.