Tie Maker, COVID Relief, the Biden Administration and the GOP

 I wrote this in early Feb.

Some musing about politics -channeling my inner Heather Cox Richardson

 After the GA runoff election all the talk was about the 50-50 Senate split and that VP Harris would be the tie-breaker.  Perhaps more important are the two Senators who are the tie-makers, Angus King (Maine) and Joe Manchin (WV).  The GOP has their RINOs.  The Dems have these two who are BAD – Barely a Democrat.  

 My first thought about Manchin was positive.  I’ve thought for awhile that the Dems have been too focused on cultural issues, global warming  and identity politics.  Instead I’d like to see a focus on economic justice.  Dems needs to push policies that help the working poor.  Who would be a better spokesperson for the working poor than a Dem Senator from WV? Then I looked at Manchin’s voting record with some dismay.  He is Barely a Democrat.

 

But it is what it is.   Manchin may be the decisive vote on a number of progressive policies.  The good news is that this makes the Bernie-wing of the party less able to torpedo the conversation.  I don’t see how Sanders will be able to move Biden from his pragmatic, progressive policies. 

 

The other item on my mind is how Biden’s penchant for unity and compromise will play out with this version of the GOP.  The first test will be Biden’s COVID relief bill.  This bill can be passed without any GOP votes using budget reconciliation but it will need Manchin’s vote.  There are two options for Biden.  Make some amendments to the bill on the fringes to get 10 GOP Senators to vote for the bill.   The obvious choices are to target the direct payments and to remove the minimum wage (which has little to do with COVID emergency relief).   Perhaps even adjusting the additional unemployment payments so that they start at $400 and are reduced to $300 after the unemployment rate hits say 6%.  Then eliminate the payments when unemployment hits 4.5%. 

 

What should be non-negotiable is extended unemployment benefits, aid to state and local governments, some targeted individual direct payments, aid for school openings and aid for vaccination roll-out. 

 

If the GOP doesn’t go along then just make small changes so that Manchin votes for the bill and use reconciliation to pass it 51-50. 

 

The important take-away is Biden and the Dems should not make concessions to the GOP and then have them vote overwhelmingly against the bill.  This is the lesson to be learned from Obama’s first two years as POTUS.

 

I think Biden, Pelosi and Schumer get it.  Let’s hope.