Biden to host Manchin in Delaware at critical juncture

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

President Joe Biden will host Sen. Joe Manchin in Delaware on Sunday as the two seek to finalize an agreement on Biden’s domestic agenda, according to multiple people familiar with the meeting.

The president will huddle with the the West Virginia moderate in Delaware, where Biden is spending the weekend. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will also attend. The meeting comes at an absolutely critical time for Biden, who is seeking to clinch a deal with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on his social spending plan in the next week.

Democrats are hopeful that the president and the two senators can hash things out and strike a framework on a top-line agreement for the legislation aimed at climate action, child care, health care and education. But they are somewhat far apart, as Manchin sticks to his $1.5 trillion number, and the White House and Democratic leaders aim to go as high as $2 trillion after initially pursuing $3.5 trillion.

The slimming of the legislation is threatening to derail two long-held Democratic priorities: paid leave and Medicare expansion for dental, vision and hearing. Neither Biden nor progressives in the Senate have signed off on eliminating those, though that could become necessary to win Manchin's support and strike a quick deal.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/24/biden-manchin-delaware-at-critical-juncture-516941

[Diamond_Dog]

1. Joe shouldn't have to waste time

Catering to one holdout like this who is holding everything up! So infuriating.

[Rebl2]

3. Sinema as bad

or worse

[rso]

2. Manchin

Yes, it’s infuriating, but we have no choice other than to deal with Manchin. With the passage of the 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and a 2 trillion Build Back Better plan, democrats will have accomplished a great deal.

[comradebillyboy]

7. Exactly right.

[Johnny2X2X]

10. This

This was a bill without a bunch of junk in it. This is all good things for regular people. It’s an amazing bill regardless of size. It, along with the bipartisan infrastructure deal and the rescue America plan are 3 absolutely massive deals to get this in 1 year. Anyone of those 3 would be a big deal. All 3 plus a ding a war is the most impactful first year of a presidency in generations.

[Beartracks]

11. Yes. $1.2T infra + $2.0T BBB is definitely NOT incrementalism. n/t

[mucifer]

4. Flashbacks of the ACA. It ended up being so much worse than it should have been all because

of right wing democrats who sell their soul for greed and power.

I actually blame the "supreme court" who ruled that $$$ is free speech.

[dalton99a]

6. +1. Fuck Joseph I. Lieberman

Corrupt piece of shit.

[nevergiveup]

5. Another Joe Lieberman moment.

It makes one want to vomit.

[moniss]

8. We have 3 main

sides in this "negotiation". We have the Progressives, then Biden and lastly the GQP/Manchin/Sinema. As progressives we need to step back from constantly giving things up in order to get a few crumbs of progress. First of all the other side knows they can just keep saying no and we will come back with more concessions. That needs to stop. One way to do this is to identify who needs this package the most from a political perspective. That is Biden. He is refusing to play hard with Manchin and Sinema. They and the GQP desperately want that infrastructure bill that passed the Senate because there are favorite items for favorite donors in the package.

Don't give it to them by cutting your own desired programs down to nothing. Manchin loves the spotlight. Don't give it to him. Don't meet with him. He wants Bernie/Biden to come out of any meetings and make statements about how Manchin is sincere and credible so that those statements give him cover for actually being a horse's backside. Make it known to Moscow Mitch that unless a very substantial BBB package is agreed to there will be no infrastructure bill. Stop begging them for every crumb. Start running aggressive ads in WV and AZ telling people that Manchin and Sinema are going to be the reason that no money is coming to fix roads etc. Get off your knees. They will hate it of course and make threats to turn GQP. Let them know that if they do then the party will pour huge money into bringing them down no matter what party they choose.

If Bernie and the Progressives tell Biden they are walking away from both bills then it leaves Biden no choice but to get hard with Manchin etc. Yes I know about the mid-terms and needing something big to run on. A weak BBB package and an infrastructure bill that rewards the GQP is not a winning strategy either. The GQP will go into the mid-terms claiming victory on the infrastructure bill because they got things their way and they will claim victory on gutting any package that would have increased social spending, increased corporate/billionaire taxes etc.

[CentralMass]

9. I hope Joe (Biden) showers and has the place deloused after that meeting.

[cstanleytech]

12. To bad we do not have a 60+ majority so we could tell Manchin where to go. nt

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

13. Manchin is "the Senator of 'no'"

As the GQP has shown time and again, it's easier to shoot down another's ideas than to come up with your own. I have yet to hear Manchin offer anything that would positively impact the bill. The only thing he has offered are "red lines" that everyone else is constrained by. Give his position of power and the way he is choosing to use it, I'm surprised he doesn't have, "Everyone must accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior," as a red line. What the hell does he have to lose? It would definitely raise his approval ratings among his conservative constituents, even though everything he is forcing the Dems to cut would raise West Virginians' standard of living. The Repugs are masters at getting people to vote against their interests.

[Evolve Dammit]

14. You have to be in awe of the absolute raw power that will deny US citizens anything beneficial.

It is a civil war of the extremely wealthy vs the rest of us. "It absolutely is class warfare. And we're winning." Warren Buffet.
Can't even negotiate drug prices. We are pathetic as an "advanced" society.

[Johnny2X2X]

16. And yet, here we are on the precipice of another amazing bill to help US citizens

2021 will see 3 amazingly progressive and huge bills that help working people.

American rescue plan was $1.9 Trillion to help struggling families and small businesses

The $1.2 Trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal is the largest investment in infrastructure in generations.

The ~$2.0 Trillion BBB bill will be the most significant piece of progressive legislation in generations.

$5 Trillion in year 1 of the Biden Presidency alone to help benefit the people. And government doesn't end in 2022, despite it being an election year, there is still a lot that can get done, including minimum wage hikes.

[Javaman]

15. power is the opioid of congress. machine and sinema are addicts. nt