117th Congress: DEMS IN DISARRAY!!!111!!

[Slap Shot]

For lack of a better thread, LWT's piece on unemployment was tremendous as are most main stories they do.

 

[rufus]

So Manchin said he's open to changing filibuster rules to a "talking filibuster" where you have to stay on the floor and speak. Yes please.

I believe I said that on here like ten years ago or more.

The filibuster wasn't meant to be just, "we're gonna filibuster, so now you need 60 votes for this bill". You had to work if you wanted to filibuster something. You wanna delay something, fine. Get your ass up there and delay. Put a little effort in.

 

[rufus]

What happens? Conservatism.

Ahhh, the old Appalachian hillbillies, dust bowl states.

 

[rufus]

Outstanding. Manchin > Sinema right now. Sinema disappoints me far beyond Manchin. Sinema doesn’t have any excuse for her behavior.

Rufus, Biden said something along the lines of “I’m going to sell this bill to the American people. I told Barack to do that with the stimulus package in 2009, and he was too modest. We paid a price in the midterms.” Biden, for all his flaws, isn’t going to repeat some of those mistakes that Obama made.

Then he better get selling, cause I haven't heard a whole lot of PR stuff coming from the WH. Maybe after final passage, but they gotta get moving. They gotta learn how to play the game. Cause we're allready hearing from the Repubs just how this bill hurts people, whether its true or not.

 

[psych]

Then he better get selling, cause I haven't heard a whole lot of PR stuff coming from the WH. Maybe after final passage, but they gotta get moving. They gotta learn how to play the game. Cause we're allready hearing from the Repubs just how this bill hurts people, whether its true or not.

I hear you. I think Republicans know it’s going to pass so they’re starting early, and Biden is waiting for it to hit his desk so that he’s not counting the chickens before they hatch. I think they’ll pound home the $1,400 stimulus checks and the expanded tax credits for families with children. Those are yuge, and all without Republican votes. “Republicans don’t give a fuck about your families.” Nice ring to it.

 

[LynahFan]

Then he better get selling, cause I haven't heard a whole lot of PR stuff coming from the WH. Maybe after final passage, but they gotta get moving. They gotta learn how to play the game. Cause we're allready hearing from the Repubs just how this bill hurts people, whether its true or not.

From my derpy friends on Facebook, I'm seeing far more, "this money just goes to big corporations!" sort of talk. Which, if they *really* thought it was true, they wouldn't be complaining about. They're not the sharpest tools.

 

[mookie1995]

I hear you. I think Republicans know it’s going to pass so they’re starting early, and Biden is waiting for it to hit his desk so that he’s not counting the chickens before they hatch. I think they’ll pound home the $1,400 stimulus checks and the expanded tax credits for families with children. Those are yuge, and all without Republican votes. “Republicans don’t give a fuck about your families.” Nice ring to it.

Kiddies get a check too? 1,400 for all ‘muricans with AGI less than 75k?

 

[psych]

Kiddies get a check too? 1,400 for all ‘muricans with AGI less than 75k?

Far as I can tell, yes sir.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Asked if he (Lindsey Graham) could afford to abandon Trump because he is not up for re-election until 2026, Graham said: “Yeah, I could throw him over tomorrow … I could say you know that’s it’s over, it’s done. That’s just too easy.

“What’s hard is to take a movement that I think is good for the country, trying to get the leader of the movement, who’s got lots of problems facing him and the party and see if we can make a go of it.

‘Mitt Romney [the 2012 nominee] didn’t do it, John McCain didn’t do it. There’s something about Trump. There’s a dark side. And there’s some magic there. What I’m trying to do is just harness the magic.

“To me, Donald Trump is sort of a cross between Jesse Helms, Ronald Reagan and PT Barnum. I mean, just bigger than life.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...arty-interview

No, Lindsey, he's Jim Jones. Not PT Barnum. Not Ronald Reagan.

 

[LynahFan]

Far as I can tell, yes sir.

Just to be clear: *tax filers* get an extra check for each dependent they claim. The amount of the check is the same as the one the taxpayer gets for herself/themselves, based on the taxpayer's eligibility (<$75K AGI for individual, <$150K AGI for joint filers, phasing out to $0 at $100K/200K). That is to say: my kids will not get checks, even though *their* AGI is $0. Unlike previous stimulus checks, tax filers will get additional increments (up to the $1400) for adult dependents as well as minors.

 

[SJHovey]

What happens? Conservatism.

Maybe better hold off on adding Puerto Rico as that 51st state.

Lobbying with Quakers???

 

[Handyman]

Then he better get selling, cause I haven't heard a whole lot of PR stuff coming from the WH. Maybe after final passage, but they gotta get moving. They gotta learn how to play the game. Cause we're allready hearing from the Repubs just how this bill hurts people, whether its true or not.

He is doing plenty of selling. I get no less than 5 emails about it every few days from a variety of Democrats but at least 2 from him "personally". He has either himself or others associated with him talking and selling it all the time. He is lightyears ahead of where Obama was on this stuff.

The bill is popular because he talks about it every time he is in front of a camera or on Twitter.

 

[Handyman]

So Manchin said he's open to changing filibuster rules to a "talking filibuster" where you have to stay on the floor and speak. Yes please.

He also said he is open to party-line votes but only AFTER the Dems try and work with the GOP first. Basically fight to get 10 votes and if the GOP stonewalls then you can go for a win with 50. I think I read that he wants the VRA to pass and knows they don't have 10 votes since they couldnt get even 1 for COVID Relief which is wildly popular.

If true then I will take back everything I said about him. Also, I would guess if he flips Sinema will as well since her constituency (especially Maricopa) are for most of the Biden agenda.

 

[unofan]

Maybe better hold off on adding Puerto Rico as that 51st state.

Lobbying with Quakers???

If I remember right, Puerto Ricans don't qualify for social security or many other federal benefits despite being American citizens. So you make them the 51st state, their poverty rate declines almost immediately as they suddenly get all the same benefits of every other state.

 

[psych]

He also said he is open to party-line votes but only AFTER the Dems try and work with the GOP first. Basically fight to get 10 votes and if the GOP stonewalls then you can go for a win with 50. I think I read that he wants the VRA to pass and knows they don't have 10 votes since they couldnt get even 1 for COVID Relief which is wildly popular.

If true then I will take back everything I said about him. Also, I would guess if he flips Sinema will as well since her constituency (especially Maricopa) are for most of the Biden agenda.

You certainly don’t need it, but I give you permission to still hate the guy. If Biden wasn’t president, and someone like Obama was, it’s possible Manchin votes for the GOP amendment on unemployment instead of the Democrats’ version. That’s just fucking unacceptable. THAT said, he ended up voting for the bill, got very few concessions in return (our hawk-eyed resident troll spotting the death knells for Dems in the midterms next year notwithstanding), and now this filibuster conversation that he had publicly without prompting from anyone. Potentially a big deal. Geezus I love politics.

 

[rufus]

He is doing plenty of selling. I get no less than 5 emails about it every few days from a variety of Democrats but at least 2 from him "personally". He has either himself or others associated with him talking and selling it all the time. He is lightyears ahead of where Obama was on this stuff.

The bill is popular because he talks about it every time he is in front of a camera or on Twitter.

You're not the one he needs to be selling to.

 

[psych]

You're not the one he needs to be selling to.

I respectfully disagree. Far as I can tell, Handy appears to be a highly educated middle-class white man living in the suburbs of a light blue state. He’s exactly who Biden needs to be targeting. We all know Handy is a progressive Democrat, but his neighbors may not be. You are absolutely free to be worried that Democrats are going to fuck up the PR on this, but I think Biden has learned an assload from his time in the Senate and as Veep to Obama. I think he’s going to execute this better than almost anyone else.

 

[Handyman]

You certainly don’t need it, but I give you permission to still hate the guy. If Biden wasn’t president, and someone like Obama was, it’s possible Manchin votes for the GOP amendment on unemployment instead of the Democrats’ version. That’s just fucking unacceptable. THAT said, he ended up voting for the bill, got very few concessions in return (our hawk-eyed resident troll spotting the death knells for Dems in the midterms next year notwithstanding), and now this filibuster conversation that he had publicly without prompting from anyone. Potentially a big deal. Geezus I love politics.

Hey now I never said I would like him...just take back the mean stuff. I can understand a principled take like that because that is kind of how it is supposed to work. The threat of nuking the filibuster (whether in total or just on a case by case basis) should force people to the table. IN THEORY you should never have to go party line because the other side should we willing to listen. The filibuster itself should never be weaponized as much as it is, and nuking it is the check.

But I don't trust Manchin that much...there is more to this. If he is being truthful and he is willing to bend on party line voting that means he got some crap from the people back home. Maybe they hated him being the face of a movement that blocks COVID relief and higher wages. We will find out I am sure.

 

[Kepler]

I respectfully disagree. Far as I can tell, Handy appears to be a highly educated middle-class white man living in the suburbs of a light blue state. He’s exactly who Biden needs to be targeting. We all know Handy is a progressive Democrat, but his neighbors may not be. You are absolutely free to be worried that Democrats are going to fuck up the PR on this, but I think Biden has learned an assload from his time in the Senate and as Veep to Obama. I think he’s going to execute this better than almost anyone else.

The highly educated we have. We need the middle educated: bidness degree from Square State University, owns a hardware store, a shoe store, a furniture store. The National Retail Federation's clients. In a word: Main Street.

Right now those people are still Republicans because they're terrified of socialism and they are racist AF. But the latter is changing. Retail America outside of the behemoths is becoming much more diverse. It used to be those middle level businesses were only run by POC in NYC, Chicago, LA, DC, and the Black Belt, but now it's true in every large city and even second tier cities in whitey states. Retail America is starting to look like all of America and pretty soon small business will be 50/50.

We need all those folks, except the completely braindead Evangies, to be straight ticket Dems.

 

[Handyman]

You're not the one he needs to be selling to.

You know I put that in there because I knew you wouldn't actually read what I posted...

If you think Biden isnt out selling the bill you are either not paying attention or only watching Right Wing Media. FFS the bill is even popular with Republican voters...you think they are learning about it from reading Green Eggs and Ham? Every time he is on TV he talks about it. (I am sure it will be discussed in depth when he does his national address on COVID) It comes up at Psaki's PCs. Twitter is damned near spammed with mentions about it from media types, politcos, the administration and Biden himself. That is why the Right stopped whining about it they don't control the narrative on this one and haven't really since it hit the Senate.

Sorry but if you aren't seeing it that is because you aren't paying attention.