30 Sep 2021 7:13 am
What's Up With Sinema and Manchin?
Manchin is a conservative Democrat (note: there are NO liberal Republicans) from the currently reliably red state of West Virginia. Without him, the Democrats have no Senate majority (counting the veep vote). Manchin has worked with progressives in the past. Sinema does not have that history and is from a purple state that went for Biden.
I believe the problem with Manchin is he's been 'love bombed' by the GOP for a long time. There is a quote (I'm not googling it up) where Manchin says, paraphrased, that the Democrats in the Senate are his colleagues but the Republicans in the Senate are his friends. Manchin seems to still think it's the collegiate Senate of the past.
I believe Sinema's whole deal is she's got McCain's seat and now wants his nickname and street cred. Maverick! James Garner she ain't. She also wasn't tortured as a POW. It's all about her ego. She spends a lot of time sitting with the GOP in the Senate. Go figure.
Between the two of them, they are trying to get the bipartisan stuff passed and kill the other Biden & the progressive Democrats agenda items that are in the reconciliation bill. I cannot fathom why, since that will kill the Democrats in the midterms. Then again, the same can be said about not moving on the filibuster.
If sides were swapped, McConnell would have already torched the filibuster and threatened, in a closed door inquisition, Manchin & Sinema with no help from the party during re-election plus getting primaried by candidate(s) of his choosing.
Manchin is a conservative Democrat (note: there are NO liberal Republicans) from the currently reliably red state of West Virginia. Without him, the Democrats have no Senate majority (counting the veep vote). Manchin has worked with progressives in the past. Sinema does not have that history and is from a purple state that went for Biden.
I believe the problem with Manchin is he's been 'love bombed' by the GOP for a long time. There is a quote (I'm not googling it up) where Manchin says, paraphrased, that the Democrats in the Senate are his colleagues but the Republicans in the Senate are his friends. Manchin seems to still think it's the collegiate Senate of the past.
I believe Sinema's whole deal is she's got McCain's seat and now wants his nickname and street cred. Maverick! James Garner she ain't. She also wasn't tortured as a POW. It's all about her ego. She spends a lot of time sitting with the GOP in the Senate. Go figure.
Between the two of them, they are trying to get the bipartisan stuff passed and kill the other Biden & the progressive Democrats agenda items that are in the reconciliation bill. I cannot fathom why, since that will kill the Democrats in the midterms. Then again, the same can be said about not moving on the filibuster.
If sides were swapped, McConnell would have already torched the filibuster and threatened, in a closed door inquisition, Manchin & Sinema with no help from the party during re-election plus getting primaried by candidate(s) of his choosing.