'Bulls---': How a Manchin-Bernie blowup helped unstick Dems' agenda

[Celerity]

A cathartic breakthrough between the West Virginia centrist and Vermont progressive paved the way for growing momentum towards a deal after months of infighting.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/21/bulls-how-a-manchin-bernie-blowup-helped-unstick-dems-agenda-516561


Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin patched things up after a cathartic exchange during a Democratic meeting. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders tangled in a private Democratic meeting this week that helped set the stage for growing progress on President Joe Biden’s agenda.

As Democratic leadership gathered Monday ahead of a pivotal week of negotiations on the party’s social spending bill, Manchin (D-W.Va.) laid out what he could accept to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s team. Universal pre-K was in, he said, but no tuition-free community college.

Sanders (I-Vt.) was not pleased. “Bullshit,” Sanders said, according to a readout of the meeting provided to POLITICO. Sanders said Manchin was telling the rest of the Democratic caucus to go “F themselves” and bend to one senator's agenda. Manchin disputed that, recounting that he’d told Biden the president did not win West Virginia and his very presence in the Senate is remarkable.

Shortly after that tussle, Manchin and Sanders met privately, posed for a photo together and publicly reconciled. They’ve met four times so far this week, each softening their rhetoric toward one another and speaking more hopefully of a deal even as they continue to spar behind the scenes. Yet the cathartic blowup helped spark a significant breakthrough after a dayslong feud between the two that began when Sanders leaned publicly on Manchin to support Biden’s agenda.

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[Hoyt]

1. However ugly it gets, hope they arrive at a decent legislation.

[Walleye]

2. At least they are arguing about policy and not trading personal insults

The main thing is we agree that we will accomplish something.

[Doremus]

3. Thank you for having our backs, Bernie.

It's easy to throw up hands and capitulate. A lot harder to stand firm in the face of strong opposition. His unwavering concern for average Americans gives him an advantage.

I hate to think what we'd be settling for if he weren't there...

[JudyM]

4. Sanders won the W VA primary, Manchin knows he needs to give him some props.

Bernie has the ear of Manchin’s constituents, he was right to get tough with him. Kudos to the “junior senator” from VT.

[dsc]

6. that is like winning a beauty contest against scarface

sorry but the WV primary for us is worthless. Clinton beat Obama in it because she wasn't Black and he beat her in it because he wasn't a woman.

[JudyM]

8. We have to take them as they are, and work with that.

[Amishman]

7. This is fine - as long as we actually get the bill passed

I will take a small 50% win now, that we can build on later, rather than trying for 100% and getting nothing

[aocommunalpunch]

10. 3.5 was the compromise.

The answer is that we’ll apparently take the Build Back Whatever Our Most Conservative Members Will Allow Better bill. 50% is laughable. People won’t feel what is left enough to make it worthy to campaign on. 2022 is going to be ugly.

[Irish_Dem]

5. Manchin said "Biden did not win WVa and his presence in the senate was remarkable."

Wow.

[aocommunalpunch]

9. Nobody need refer to themselves as "remarkable".

[Irish_Dem]

11. Some who does so might be seen as pompous, self-important, grandiose.