The people you climb over on the way up will shit on you on the way down Business axiom
You know I’m not shy about pointing out hypocrisy when I see it. A few days ago I called out Sean Hannity for failing to tout the vaccines because he was not a medical professional, and then turning around and touting the wonders of a fucking horse deworming medication. But I also like to be fair in my criticism.
Earlier today Alicia Menendez on MSNBC had on a New York Democrat House progressive caucus member. He spent the first two minutes whining like a two year old about how a handful of moderate Democrats decided to start taking hostages by threatening to torpedoe the massive $3.5 trillion Christmas wish list reconciliation infrastructure bill if Pelosi didn’t hold a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill first. He cried me a river.
News flash to the representative. If you can’t say something intelligent, then just shut up! It was less than 2 months ago, when neither the bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill or the reconciliation bill had even come up for a vote yet, that House progressive blabbermouths like AOC and Primila Jayapal were stomping in front of every camera they could find to threaten to scuttle the bipartisan bill if they didn’t get a simultaneous House vote on a reconciliation bill that passed their muster. So, tell me again, who took the first hostage?!?
Such sport aside, this is a deadly serious issue, with a food portion of the first term Biden agenda legacy riding on it. And after looking at it calmly and dispassionately, it seems to me that the House Progressive caucus is at a severe disadvantage. And that includes the fact that the Houser progressive caucus has a numerical advantage over the moderates. Simply because it’s quite possible that where it matters the most?, they don’t!
The Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill with 19 GOP votes, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. There are anywhere from 25-35 freshman GOP House members who won their seats in highly competitive swing districts. Just like the vulnerable GOP Senators, they need something positive to take home to their constituents for reelection, and the Senate Majority Leaders vote was a clear signal that this was a safe vote.
My general rule of thumb, based on experience, is to double the GOP Senate vote in the House. So, taking into account the number of vulnerable swing district House members, there are 30-40 potential crossover GOP House votes available. Which is more than enough wriggle room for Pelosi, if she decides to use it.
The rest falls in the lap of Democratic House Whip Steny Hoyer. If he whips the House progressive caucus, he can afford to leave behind anywhere from 25-30 progressive votes, and still bring home the bacon using GOP crossover votes, as long as the rest of the caucus is united. This gives Biden, the administration, and the Democrats a much needed victory lap to counter the debacle of the Afghan withdrawal.
On the other side, the House Democratic progressive caucus is in the soup. Their reconciliation infrastructure bill is a wish list of progressive demands. There are many popular things in there, but also some things that are too far left for more moderate Democratic voters. And most importantly, the House progressive caucus isn’t going to get a single, solitary GOP House vote to advance their bill. If the House progressive caucus plays hardball with the moderates n the bipartisan bill, then Biden and the Democrats get nothing.
Personally, I’m with the moderates. You have a bird in the hand that will make Biden and the party look good. Get it passed and let Biden sign it. The progressive caucus is holding the bipartisan bill to try to get the maximum amount of the reconciliation bill through, even those things that aren’t popular with moderate Democratic voters. The progressives can get a reconciliation bill through the Senate, but likely without some of the bells and whistles they want. The only question is whether or not they’re willing to risk everything for nothing. Don’t touch that dial.
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If you put any faction into context like this, then they are in the minority. It seems to me that Blue Dogs have been holding good policy hostage for decades. So, the CPC decided to play tit-for-tat. Lo and behold, a large block put its full weight behind something and it gets done.
Moreover, the Biden Administration wants this bill too. Pelosi and Hoyer are behind this bill. All the old guard knows how to play the game. Sometime in the last decade, the clue bat hit all of them and they figured out that doing good policy is good politics.
Every time they listened to the Manchins and Sinemas of the party, they lose.
The nine “moderates” include DINOs Henry Cuellar and Jim Costa. My sympathy for them is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence, as they’ve been against *everything* the Dems want for several years.
My US Rep, Kurt Schrader, is part of this hold out group of ‘moderate’ Dems. He was also part of that ‘moderate’ group a couple years ago (probably all the same boys club as now) who wanted someone other than Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. I fired off a hot letter to him then as I just did this week. Stop screwing around, Kurt!
The “bipartisan” bill is a POS and without the reconciliation version, it should be shit-canned.
It is mainly to salve hurt fee-fees of DINOs like Manchin and Sinema.
I think it’s great when the progressives start flexing their muscles.
If “centrist” dumb-o-crats can do it, why shouldn’t we.
BTW, the reconciliation infrastructure bill is supported by a majority of citizens, whether they identify as Democrat or Republican. It doesn’t get much more bipartisan than that.
I’m not personally upset with either the moderates or the progressives yet. I figured they were going to bicker all August, so I’m just ignoring it until Speaker Pelosi or President Biden give us marching orders.
Thus far the House moderates seem to have reasonable concessions (if what they’re asking for will truly get them on board). We can swallow things like exempting large farms from the estate tax…whatever…Like I said, I’ll let Speaker Pelosi negotiate things out before I get too anxious.
Report from one day after I wrote this: Speaker Pelosi negotiated things out.
I mean seriously…best Speaker in my lifetime.
Amen to that and to Pelosi!
It happens Every. Single. Time.
The Dems fight and claw to win back majorities in the House and Senate, running and winning against Republican incompetence and as soon as they win back the gavels the infighting within the “Big Tent Party” begins allowing nothing to get done and meanwhile the Republicans, who join arms and goose step to a single drummer, slip in the back door back to power.
Wash, rinse repeat…… *sigh*
“Even the conservative WSJ” seems to think the Progressives are doing pretty well at this.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-agony-of-the-centrist-democrats-nancy-pelosi-infrastructure-house-spending-11629754803
Seriously, you are with the moderates? They want to cut the budget so severely, there won’t be enough to implement the programs. I find you badmouthing the Progressives offensive. They seem to be the only ones truly fighting for something, while the so-called “Moderates” are taking corporate money and are being unnecessarily obstructionists. Very pissed that you would alienate progressives. What’s up with that?
I feel the same!
Me too & I’ve let my senater Sinema know I’ll never vote for her again!