Stoehr: "The solution, some progressives say, is knocking them off. Take a page from the 'Tea Party movement' and primary them out of existence, just as fascist Republicans primaried 'moderate' GOP incumbents out of existence. That, to me, is interesting, even exciting, I confess, but in the end, beside the point."
Interesting? Exciting?
Yeah, sure.
Primary Manchin and Sinema and what winks out of existence is the Democrats' tenuous Senate majority.
As a constituent of Joe Manchin, I’ll be upset with him when he actually does something substantial to hurt a real Democratic priority.
Also, folks are awfully quick to forget what an absolute electoral miracle the single blue WV Senate seat is. Joe’s a thorn in the side sometimes, but when push came to shove he voted for Schumer and stripped McConnell of the gavel.
The problem with Manchin and Sinema's holding out on whatever issues they've selected is that it is not clear how their doing so benefits them either. You indicate there is no incentive to support the relief bill as is. But I can't see their incentive not to. That's why the austerity peacock label is appropriate. Manchin and Sinema stand a far better chance with their voters of being rewarded for not dickering over the highly popular relief bill than standing in the doorway on issues that I suspect have neither meaning nor impact on their voters. (Seriously, what benefit does a WV voter get out of means testing? And how much will it make a difference in the gladiatorial combat of a future campaign with a perpetually lying Republican party to claim "well, at least I got the COVID relief package means tested!" Seriously, that's a selling point to a WV voter?)
Of course, Biden could drive a very hard bargain in turn by extracting a public promise from Manchin and Sinema to break the filibuster on the voting rights bill that waits in the wings. Now that trade could be worth the exchange for all that austerity peacockiness.
.
Stoehr: "The solution, some progressives say, is knocking them off. Take a page from the 'Tea Party movement' and primary them out of existence, just as fascist Republicans primaried 'moderate' GOP incumbents out of existence. That, to me, is interesting, even exciting, I confess, but in the end, beside the point."
Interesting? Exciting?
Yeah, sure.
Primary Manchin and Sinema and what winks out of existence is the Democrats' tenuous Senate majority.
Genius move /s/
.
As a constituent of Joe Manchin, I’ll be upset with him when he actually does something substantial to hurt a real Democratic priority.
Also, folks are awfully quick to forget what an absolute electoral miracle the single blue WV Senate seat is. Joe’s a thorn in the side sometimes, but when push came to shove he voted for Schumer and stripped McConnell of the gavel.
The problem with Manchin and Sinema's holding out on whatever issues they've selected is that it is not clear how their doing so benefits them either. You indicate there is no incentive to support the relief bill as is. But I can't see their incentive not to. That's why the austerity peacock label is appropriate. Manchin and Sinema stand a far better chance with their voters of being rewarded for not dickering over the highly popular relief bill than standing in the doorway on issues that I suspect have neither meaning nor impact on their voters. (Seriously, what benefit does a WV voter get out of means testing? And how much will it make a difference in the gladiatorial combat of a future campaign with a perpetually lying Republican party to claim "well, at least I got the COVID relief package means tested!" Seriously, that's a selling point to a WV voter?)
Of course, Biden could drive a very hard bargain in turn by extracting a public promise from Manchin and Sinema to break the filibuster on the voting rights bill that waits in the wings. Now that trade could be worth the exchange for all that austerity peacockiness.