Retire, Breyer: another September 2021 US Politics thread

Should have been DE instead of DU sorry

What was that bs about her doing a paid internship at a winery in 2020

josh marshall weighs in:

In any case, if you’re going to lose it is important to lose well rather than poorly. Doing so is a key way to actually win. But to win you have to be ready to lose well. Losing well is far better than losing poorly.

loooooooooooooooooooooooooool

the art of losing is hard to master

losing at losing after winning: a democratic party story

it's a classic josh marshallism, just excruciating positioning to make sure he'll have been sort of correct about something.

the rest of it isn't bad (though not sure i agree - i have checked out of this negotiation process a long time ago): https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/kill-the-bill-2

I think all he is saying is there's no point in supporting infrastructure without the other bill

yeah, i get his point, and like i said, i haven't followed closely enough to really know. i was just laughing at how he phrased that one quoted part above, because it's that classic kind of thing that may be technically accurate but is just not a good way to convince anyone else of anything (which i believe is his role, as a blogger/pundit etc)

no, it's a grammatical mess, but I don't think he's trying to be purposefully ambiguous about his position

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZzyRcySgK8

Thanks for a great race @ACLINews - I’ll be back next year to break records and crush dreams. 💥 https://t.co/nIkfgYemAB

— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) September 29, 2021

sinematic!

These guys will primary Sinema if she doesn't end the filibuster: https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/404047/either-sinema-votes-to-end-the-filibuster-or-we-fund-a-primary-challenger

She dabs her skin with pretty smells
Concealing to appeal
"I will make my bed,"
She said, but turned to go
Can she be late for her sinema show?

there will be a gigantic primary against sinema no matter what, and she'll lose

A replacement Dem senatorial candidate is not going to be as likely to win that Senate seat as Sinema would be in a re-election race. If you think having Sinema in that seat is functionally equivalent to having an Arizona Republican in that seat, that doesn't matter. Of course, a replacement Democrat COULD win that race, especially if the GOP candidate is weak. But incumbency advantage is powerful (look at all the people in Wisconsin who voted for both Tammy Baldwin and Scott Walker to be re-elected in 2018.)

oh shit, missed this possible glimpse into sinema's "thinking" over the weekend!

But the progressives are hardly imagining this possibility. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Sinema “has privately told colleagues she will not accept any corporate or income tax rate increases.” No other publication has matched this explosive finding, which might turn out to exaggerate her stance. On the other hand, she has not publicly denied it. Sinema also reportedly opposes both Biden’s plan to allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies, and even opposes a scaled-back version designed to be less unacceptable to Big Pharma.

The entire Biden program is financed through a combination of taxing the wealthy through higher income or corporate taxes and cutting spending by negotiating lower drug prices. So if Sinema actually holds the positions indicated by these reports, she would kill Biden’s program outright. Biden’s domestic legacy is only going to be as large as its financing sources, and if Sinema opposes all those sources, the size of the bill she ultimately supports isn’t going to be $3.5 trillion or $2 trillion or $1.5 trillion, but zero.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/09/sinema-progressive-democrats-biden-build-back-better-infrastructure.html

could be dumb, if true! could also be dumb and untrue!

maybe her plan is to force biden and the democrats to personally give Sinema 0.5 trillion dollars? just to pay her off for the deal?

Sinema can retire from politics after the next election as a hero to corporations.

I’m sure the people of AZ are dead set against corporate tax increases tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp_QkUVZGPc

This would be a full shutdown since Congress hasn't yet passed
any funding bills. The last shutdown, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, was a partial closure since Congress had already enacted five of the 12 appropriations bills.

That means more federal agencies would likely be affected in a new shutdown. The partial shutdown in 2018-2019 was a record-setting 35 days, which reduced economic growth in the final three months of 2018 by $3 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

details:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-2021-impact/

she is extremely powerful and hella useful as a roadblock. I really don’t think anyone with any real juice actually wants her gone

Killing Biden’s Presidency might be the only way the party apparatus doesn’t line up for her in a primary fight.

Sinema seems like a politician in a Neil Breen movie, no stated or coherent ideology, just using her power to do bad things.

so many people seem to think that "making a lot of money for kyrsten sinema" is a bad thing, but that's where sinema disagrees!

also if it's true that she is not in favor of any corporate tax hikes at all, she might as well switch parties already

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX6L65xgOzY

Making money for Kyrsten Sinema
Making money for Kyrsten Sinema
and all the friends of Kyrsten Sinema!
ARIZONA....UBER ALLES!!

Sometimes I really think we need a Dead Kennedys-style band right now. There aren't any good contenders from what I can tell.

That said, so many of their songs have hardly aged.

Manchin I can figure out: a bog standard Clintonian Democrat who actually does go along with the caucus most of the time even when it seems it might hurt (i.e. impeachment).

As for Sinema, the last AZ poll (need a link)showed over 60% of Dem primary voters would vote for her opponent. And she believes Arizonan independents are real independents. She's fucking mad.

this all makes sense as a journey of personal discovery for her

The Tulsi Gabbard of Flagstaff.

Sinema is probably drooling at the chance to be the lone Democratic vote to convict Biden when the GOP House impeaches him in March 2023.

I'm sure she's already picked out the perfect outfit!

As for Sinema, the last AZ poll (need a link)showed over 60% of Dem primary voters would vote for her opponent.

There was a recent poll that showed her favorability among AZ Dems is now 17% (unfavorable: 65%):
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/27/2054753/-Sinema-s-unforced-errors-have-cost-her-big-time-with-Arizona-Democrats

Maybe she's holding out for a lifetime pasta pass from Olive Garden.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FAd9oTJWQAYVkbg?format=jpg&name=medium

a straight winner

My dream of seeing Trump and his family perpetually tied up in legal proceedings is coming true

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trump-still-faces-a-reckoning-in-new-york?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_092921&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9da642ddf9c72dc27c25d&cndid=29476922&hasha=f0ef51a738774f8c6d037c5c6beb7573&hashb=7cfed5b1cbcbc6a71fea3c2fc2bc754ee2661f52&hashc=fdd5c8d249d863be98861f55628588b242a4ca01384346986428715bbfdd44db&esrc=CDS_OP&utm_term=TNY_Daily

nice kicker to the NYT story on Senator Sinema https://t.co/L0dueHdl12 pic.twitter.com/nfCiYoMGol

— Faiz (@fshakir) September 29, 2021

omg on sinema at the sinema

Manchin has issued a statement which clearly states what needs to be done in order to reach the deal that is being held up by himself and Sinema:

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement about infrastructure and reconciliation negotiations.

“Every Member of Congress has a solemn duty to vote for what they believe is best for the country and the American people, not their party. Respectfully, as I have said for months, I can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending when we have already spent $5.4 trillion since last March. At some point, all of us, regardless of party must ask the simple question – how much is enough?
What I have made clear to the President and Democratic leaders is that spending trillions more on new and expanded government programs, when we can’t even pay for the essential social programs, like Social Security and Medicare, is the definition of fiscal insanity. Suggesting that spending trillions more will not have an impact on inflation ignores the everyday reality that America’s families continue pay an unavoidable inflation tax. Proposing a historic expansion of social programs while ignoring the fact we are not in a recession and that millions of jobs remain open will only feed a dysfunction that could weaken our economic recovery. This is the shared reality we all now face, and it is this reality that must shape the future decisions that we, as elected leaders, must make.

Since the beginning of this reconciliation debate, I have been consistent in my belief that any expansion of social programs must be targeted to those in need, not expanded beyond what is fiscally possible. Our tax code should be reformed to fix the flaws of the 2017 tax bill and ensure everyone pays their fair share but it should not weaken our global competitiveness or the ability of millions of small businesses to compete with the Amazons of the world. Overall, the amount we spend now must be balanced with what we need and can afford – not designed to reengineer the social and economic fabric of this nation or vengefully tax for the sake of wishful spending.

In August, I recommended we take a strategic pause to provide time to develop the right policies and to continue to monitor how the pandemic and economic factors are affecting our nation’s fiscal situation before we spend more. Throughout September, I have made it clear to all those who would listen the need to means test any new social programs so that we are helping those who need it the most, not spend for the sake of spending.

While I am hopeful that common ground can be found that would result in another historic investment in our nation, I cannot – and will not - support trillions in spending or an all or nothing approach that ignores the brutal fiscal reality our nation faces. There is a better way and I believe we can find it if we are willing to continue to negotiate in good faith.
If there is one final lesson that will continue to guide me in this difficult debate ahead it is this: America is a great nation but great nations throughout history have been weakened by careless spending and bad policies. Now, more than ever, we must work together to avoid these fatal mistakes so that we may fulfill our greatest responsibility as elected leaders and pass on a better America to the next generation.”

see? that's all they have to do!

and now democrats are going to spend the remaining year doing the 1/6/21 investigation as their main thing. wonderful

goodbye midterms, goodbye 2024

At some point, all of us, regardless of party must ask the simple question – how much is enough?

i don't know, how about...$3.5B you asshole?

are West Virginia "centrists" "independents" THAT concerned about the federal deficit? i can't believe it

manchin has this reputation as a guy who is kind of tactical and smart about how he walks the line -- you'd have to be to be elected to multiple terms in WV as a democrat, as everyone says -- but just read that. he's a fucking moron. what is the deal with all of these fucking morons? how is THIS guy the best they can come up with? how is Sinema, who is just a fucking turd on wheels, selected as the best hope of the Democrats in Arizona? if it's so hard to win as a Democrat in these states, why did the national party apparatus select two people who are so blank and obviously making it up as they go? that's all you have to do? be a dumbass and make it up as you go??

See: Byrd, Robert.

"If there is one final lesson that will continue to guide me in this difficult debate ahead it is this: America is a great nation but great nations throughout history have been weakened by careless spending and bad policies."

rather than spending $3.5B on something that happens to also address climate change now, we will instead pocket all of that and pay $100s of billions on emergency adaptation to climate change for the rest of our lives. so that we will be a great nation

"if there is one thing i know, it is this: i am old as fuck and i will die without having to do much about climate change, lol, to my own political benefit, lol, as you all die, lol"