Update on Democrat Negotiations Shows a Party in Chaos – Opinion

Although Democrats try to pretend that they are close to a deal, the truth of negotiations around the reconciliation bill shows a very different picture. Although there was some progress made with Joe Manchin this weekend, Kyrsten Silena is not in the picture.

However, this sounds like Manchin to me.

NEU: Manchin Tonight at a Dinner
“I’m totally out of sync with 48 other Democrats. … I love them all. They are all my favorites. So I’m just trying to survive in a very, very, very divided Congress in a very divided country.”

— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) October 26, 2021

It’s certainly something to see a sitting senator admit he’s “totally out of sync” with almost every other member of his party. The Washington Post proclaimed yesterday that a deal was “coalescing” on Biden’s agenda, complete with a smiling picture of the president, I see no evidence of that at all. Manchin stated recently that they’re not even close and this appears to continue.

I do find it interesting that he speaks of “surviving.” Perhaps he’s just talking about the immense harassment he’s received from the left, but he also could be talking about the political line he’s trying to toe. Manchin would prefer Democrats to get zero since he is from West Virginia. But being a Democrat, he’s desperately tried to provide them with a lifeline by offering a deal. But the progressives are still stubborn.

StenyHoyer, number two in the Democrat House, scoffed at claims that Bernie Sanders wing leverage was a factor.

“What leverage do they have? If your assumption is Sinema and Manchin are going to be moved by that delay, I haven’t seen any evidence,” Hoyer said after I asked him about progressives effectively delaying the first infrastructure vote to show their leverage

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 26, 2021

CNN’s Manu Raju is having the progressives whisper sweet nothings into his ear about the blockage of the infrastructure bill and their demands to pass reconciliation at the same time. Hoyer does not know what was most effective about the play. There is no answer. It did nothing but make Sinema and Manchin feel more resentful, as they believed that the deal was a good-faith negotiation. Jayapal and other people want it to be held hostage. But you can’t hold something hostage that doesn’t mean much to the other side. As I said, Manchin would be fine with nothing, and I suspect Sinema isn’t far behind.

This is the final result of these remarks on negotiations. It shows a party in chaos. Their coalition is in disarray, and those who don’t have leverage won’t admit it. That’s a recipe for stalemate, and that’s exactly what we are currently seeing. The idea that a deal gets done before the end of the month, which is the White House’s goal, is probably a fantasy at this point.