Snatching Defeat - continued

 Written: Aug. 11

For a brief time I thought the Dems in DC had come up with a good plan.

 

Pass the bipartisan American Jobs Plan (AJB) , pass a budget without the GOP which “outlined” the American Family Plan with the implicit promise from the Manchin wing of the party that they would pass the American Family Plan (AFP) using reconciliation to bypass the filibuster.

 

The Sanders wing of the party could tell their supporters that the AFP would solve all the countries problems.  The Manchin wing could tell their supporters that  the actual AFP bill would be much smaller than 3.5 trillion.  Both sides could claim victory.  All that was needed was for the House to pass the American Jobs Plan and approve the budget.   The details of the AFP would be hashed out over months of intraparty negotiation.  In the meantime Biden gets another big win.

 

But then as I understand it the House will not vote on the AJB until the AFP passes in the Senate.   I just don’t understand the thinking.  The AFP will be a messy intraparty conflict  which will play out over the next 2-3 months.  In the meantime the AJB is blocked by the House.   Does anyone understand this?  What’s the plan – to put pressure on the Manchin wing of the party so that all of the
“progressives” in the House get their way?    I don’t see how that can work.  Manchin has the leverage and he’s been a team player up to now.  

 

If the next elections decide whether we have a functional democracy it may be the biggest threat is not the state legislatures in Georgia or Arizona.    The biggest threat may the House of Representatives in DC.