3786

And the Democratic Party continues to eat itself. I’m tired of these ultimatums from the “wings” of the party. Pass the fucking infrastructure bill, then pass the budget. Quit fucking around.

Nine moderate House Democrats told Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday that they will not vote for a budget resolution meant to pave the way for the passage of a $3.5 trillion social policy package later this year until a Senate-approved infrastructure bill passes the House and is signed into law.

Further complicating the situation, more than half of the nearly 100-strong Congressional Progressive Caucus has taken the opposite position, saying they will not vote for the infrastructure bill until they have a social policy measure funding their priorities: climate change, education, health care, family leave, child care and elder care.

3787

This is all going to get resolved with some kind of ‘deemed passed’ bill that passes both bills simultaneously.

3788

This seems more like a show to their respective power base. I doubt this will be actually more then just a headline of some sort.

3789

The idea that the Democrats are holding THEIR OWN BILL hostage, to try and pass another bill, is absurd on its face.

Passing the infrastructure bill will strengthen the democrats going into next year. It’ll show they can actually get stuff done, where the GOP entirely failed. There is no reason to delay it.

3790

The headlines are what bother me. They say, “This party can’t get shit done without petty infighting.”

3791

Its political theater. Each group gets to tell their base what they think is important.

And its not really a hostage situation, since both will be voted for and both will pass. Its a argument about who gets to go first.

But now, each side can paint themselves as standing up for the ‘correct’ side in the party, while still passing both, and everyone can say that fought the good fight. And everyone is a winner.

3792

The Democrats are the party of everyone else who isn’t a fascist white supremacist. There’s always going to be a lot more disagreement within the party than the GOP.

That being said, the Democrats seem to be getting things done? Getting that infrastructure bill out of the Senate seems like a pretty big deal to me. They passed a really big COVID relief bill that has helped millions of Americans. We’re barely half a year with them at the helm, they seem to be getting things done to me.

3793

if headlines are your thing…

Biden, on the other hand, spent 36 years in the Senate, where his career was defined by an unabashed personal approach. Attention to little details, like a small but important matter back home or ensuring an invitation to a White House event, went a long way with lawmakers. And Biden, of course, has his own deep congressional relationships, a fact he doesn’t hesitate to point out during briefings from his team, officials say.

It’s not uncommon, mid-discussion with senior aides, for Biden to reach for the phone and ask to be connected to a lawmaker on the topic of that moment, even if it ends up taking the briefing – or the day in general – off schedule.

That creates a balancing act for Biden’s team. No president has time to be read into every little thing happening on Capitol Hill. Biden, however, is both genuinely interested and doesn’t want to be surprised, officials say.

And if he ever hears from a lawmaker that his team hadn’t been responsive to something, “I’m pretty sure his head would explode,” one official said describing Biden’s expectations.

3794

But I think it kind of IS a hostage situation, right?

I mean, the progressives are saying, “We won’t pass this bill, even though we all agree on everything in it, unless you guys also pass this other bill.”

The only reason they’re doing that, is that they think that the other bill won’t get passed, so they are trying to use the one bill that everyone agrees on as leverage to force the passing of the larger bill that they think there isn’t even majority support for.

And what’s crazy, is that they aren’t holding the GOP hostage… they’re holding their OWN party hostage.

To me, it seems like you pass the infrastructure bill ASAP, to speed up its impact on things, thus improving things for the American people, and increasing their chances of supporting you electorally.

3795

That was a great read. Thanks for posting.

3796

Isn’t it the moderates threatening that?

EDIT: Oh I see, there’s multiple things going on. I only saw the headline.

3797

Agreed. Infrastructure is pretty much ready to go. Get it out the door and signed.

3798

You picked that frog up a month ago and told us it was Pete, despite strong evidence presented to the contrary.

Continuing to insist that the frog is indeed Pete doesn’t really increase that frog’s Pete-ness.

3799

That’s what makes it so infuriating to me. You’ve got both sides acting like children. I don’t care who started it first, just cut it out and get the shit done.

3800

Good grief. They’re not acting like children. They’re bargaining for the things they believe are important. That’s their job.

It’s just a negotiation. Ignore it, it will be resolved.

3801

Or the right-wing Dems are reneging on their promise , and holding the bill hostage. Depends who you think is right.

This has already been negotiated down several times. At some point you have to stick a line in the sand, or you get walked over.

The left of the party and the order above justice crowd are really two different parties just caucusing as the Dems against fascism.

This will likely get negotiated down a bit one more time, then passed. AOC actually holds cards here so she’ll get something. You may not agree with her , but AOC has negotiated in good faith- it’s fair to expect the order above justice Dems to do the same.

This is what negotiation is, everyone gives up something to get something good. It’s time for the order above justice crowd to come to the table.

3802

They’re “bargaining” by saying “Unless you do this thing you might not want, then I won’t agree to do this thing… which I do in fact also want.”

The only thing that they are “offering” in bargain, is to… not fuck over the Democratic party by refusing to pass a bill that the progressive wing wants to pass anyway.

3803

They’re grandstanding, trying to leverage their vote. It’s a perfectly reasonable and sane thing for them to do. Ignore it. It will be resolved.

3804

But Scott, I have all this anxiety about whether the Dems are in array. What is a poor citizen to do?

3805

Any delay in passing the infrastructure bill, which could be passed TODAY if they wanted, is simply harming the Democratic party, and honestly, America.

The only reason they are delaying it, is because they believe they can use threat of not passing it as political leverage, against their own party.

That’s nuts. If the democratic party can’t negotiate with itself, internally, without using such threats, that’s a bad scene.