Build Back Better Back to the Drawing Board

BREAKING: Joe Manchin Just Killed the Build Back Better Act – PJ Media

After months of negotiations failed to achieve an adequate compromise, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) declared on Sunday that there’s no way he can support Joe Biden’s big government socialist agenda, known as the Build Back Better Act.

Manchin said on Fox News Sunday that he worked hard to reach an acceptable compromise.

According to Manchin, the legislation being pursued by Democrats was just too much on top of historic inflation, the national debt, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ve done everything humanly possible,” he said. “When you have these things coming at you the way they are right now … I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.”

“This is a no,” he added. “I have tried everything I know to do.”

Related: CNN Analyst Says Manchin Should Leave the Democrat Party

With the U.S. Senate split 50-50, Joe Biden needed every single Democrat to back the legislation. With Joe Manchin officially declaring he cannot support the bill, The Build Back Better Act is, at least for now, dead.

“I’ve done everything humanly possible.”

“This is a no.”

“I’ve tried everything I know to do.”

Manchin wants to be a good Democrat. I’m sure he generally wishes he could vote for the bill. But it has too many problems, too many things in it that are unacceptable to him.

Does Manchin Have Any Remaining Friends on the Left on Capitol Hill?

I kind of doubt it.

Senator Manchin Says He'll Vote to End OSHA Vaccine Mandate – PJ Media

Senator Joe Manchin announced he would join all 50 Republicans in the Senate in voting for a resolution of disapproval that would roll back the OSHA vaccine mandate.

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) allows for a majority of Congress to disapprove of any agency rule. Since the CRA vote is in the form of a resolution, only a simple majority is needed in the Senate to pass it.

The CRA would still have to be approved in the House where several Democrats have said they’re considering voting for it. And even if it’s passed by both chambers, Biden would almost certainly veto it.

But it would be a powerful statement to make prior to a Supreme Court ruling on the case.

A very powerful statement.

SPOILER: They Didn’t

One of the few benefits about me still being behind in my blogging. The Friday in question was last Friday. It’s now Tuesday.

Congress Seeking To Fund Government, Raise Debt Ceiling By Friday To Avoid Shutdown | The Daily Wire

Democratic leaders are attempting to juggle several objectives in the coming days — namely, passing the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act, approving the National Defense Authorization Act, and raising or suspending the debt ceiling.

Politico explained:

The House could vote as early as Wednesday to avert a shutdown, sending the stopgap measure to the Senate. While leaders have yet to settle on an end date, they are mulling mid to late January. That span would buy top lawmakers and the White House less than two months to hash out a bipartisan deal, which would include revamped spending totals for the military and all the other federal agencies that have been running on autopilot since the new fiscal year began on Oct. 1.

Democrats had originally eyed a short-term funding fix that would expire before the holidays, hoping to keep the pressure on Republicans to negotiate a broader funding deal before Christmas. But GOP leaders have shown no inclination to participate in those talks, leveraging the threat of sticking Democrats with non-defense funding levels established when Donald Trump was president.

This is not something any of the Democrats will accept. I doubt even Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) are okay with that. So, something will get passed. Something that just about everyone hates, probably. The gamesmanship is a little interesting. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has made it clear that he’s going to force the Democrats to go it alone on the debt ceiling. I don’t think he’s going to back down on that, but he may have to give them something else in return.

It Was Supposed to Be Before Thanksgiving, and Before That It Was Supposed Be Before the Virginia Elections

Sen. Klobuchar: Build Back Better bill to be finished before Christmas | One America News Network (oann.com)

The problem isn’t the timeline. It’s that they have an unpopular bill that they can’t get approved.

According to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Joe Biden’s spending bill will be completed before Christmas. During an interview on Sunday, she touted the administration’s spending agenda. Klobuchar said the plan would help create jobs in fields which are facing major labor shortages.

The Democrat also said the Biden’s spending agenda would be finished in the coming weeks, while noting Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) had been in constant communication with the party over the bill. When asked if she was confident the Build Back Better bill would be completed by Christmas, Klobuchar said she was.

“Sen. Manchin is still at the negotiating table, talking to us every day, talking to us about voting rights, getting that bill done, restoring the Senate,” stated the senator. “He’s talking to us about this bill.”

But if they can get Mancin and Sinema on board (a big “if”), they’re likely to lose the progressive wing. Threading the needle is going to be hard, and isn’t going to get any easier if the polls for the Democrats continue to have bad news.

Shocker! It Doesn’t Cost Nothing!

It Doesn’t Pay For Itself | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

The CBO estimates on Build Back Better are in. And they are, well, not good. Team Biden has been telling us that it won’t cost anything. Which was always stupid, but they claimed that since they raised taxes to pay for it and therefore it didn’t affect the debt any, it was free.

Well, even that laughable statement turns out to be untrue.

Sure enough, earlier today the CBO released an estimate that, as I read it, indicates the bill will increase the federal deficit by over $791 billion between 2022 and 2026, and $367 billion between 2022 and 2031. So much for paying for itself.

Joe Manchin, for one, has been pointing to the forthcoming CBO estimate as an important factor in evaluating the Democrats’ spending spree. We can imagine what he will make of $791 billion. And, given the inflation that has taken off over the past year and that already is being fueled by out of control federal spending, it is hard to imagine who would be so irresponsible as to advocate increasing the national debt by the amounts that the CBO suggests.

It is really hard to see Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) voting for this monstrosity. Poor Dems. I know exactly how they feel Stupid centrists ruin it for everybody.

I Wouldn’t Say Goodbye Yet, but BBB Is Certainly Gasping for Air

Bye bye, BBB? | Washington Examiner

With BIF enacted, neither Sen. Manchin nor Sen. Sinema has any incentive to support the $1.75 trillion bill that would drastically expand the welfare state. The progressives gave up the leverage they had in terms of votes in the House of Representatives. Manchin or Sinema can now safely come out in opposition to BBB.

Even before BIF passed the House, months after the Senate had done so, Manchin already expressed reservations about the BBB. His concerns included paid family leave provisions and how the BBB would affect inflation. And, right now, inflationary concerns are only growing. Meanwhile, Sinema has come out in opposition to certain tax increases, limiting how revenue could be raised under BBB.

Richman thinks it will never pass. He’s more optimistic than I am. But it certainly seems like Manchin and Sinema are still firm “no”’s. I don’t know how much arm-twisting can be done. I suspect they’re going to have to re-write part of the bill and cut it again. If they cut it too much, they’ll lose the support of the progressive wing, though. Biden is going to have to be charming and walk a tightrope. Neither of these are typically in his skillset. We shall see.

Still Sounds Like Manchin Is a Firm ”No” on Build Back Better

Manchin Warns About Record Inflation: ‘Inflation Tax is Real’ | The Daily Wire

He seems certain that BBB will cause inflation to increase.

By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not “transitory” and is instead getting worse. From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) November 10, 2021

Manchin’s comments also continue a trend in which the West Virginia Senator has expressed sincere concern about the costs of the Biden administration’s spending plans and the impact it would have on American consumers.

“Throughout the last three months, I have been straightforward about my concerns that I will not support a reconciliation package that expands social programs and irresponsibly adds to our nearly $29 trillion in national debt that no one else seems to care about. Nor will I support a package that risks hurting American families suffering from historic inflation,” Manchin said at a press conference earlier this month, according to The Hill.

Yeah, it sounds like he’s still a “no.”

“We Want Them to Go Bankrupt if We Want to Tackle Climate Change.”

So says President Joe Biden’s (D-USA) nominee for Comptroller regarding the U.S. oil, coal and natural gas industries.

Treasury Nominee Blasted Manchin For Not Being ‘On The Democratic Side’ | The Daily Caller

Joe Biden's nominee for the Comptroller of the Currency Saule Omarova on oil, coal and gas industries: "We want them to go bankrupt if we want to tackle climate change."

Those industries are responsible for MILLIONS of Americans' paychecks.pic.twitter.com/37DYwoFw8m

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) November 9, 2021

And then she blasts Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for not being “on the Democrat’s side”.

“People like Joe Manchin, for example – supposed to be on the Democratic side- and yet feel very uncomfortable with big-spending ideas, right?” Omarova said. “To supplement that kind of fiscally constrained and politically constrained kind of spending, we need to make sure we have a strong public institution that can harness the existing abundant private capital and pull it in the right direction.”

If disagreeing with this woman is wrong, then I never want to be right.

 

Once Again, Manchin Is Right

Manchin Doubles Down On Paid Family Leave Stance | The Daily Wire

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) doubled down on his stance against including paid family leave in the Democrats’ massive social spending reconciliation bill on Thursday, even as House leaders attempted to secure a vote on the bill.

It’s worth pointing out that he’s not opposed to paid family leave. In fact, he’s in favor of it. He just thinks it should be in a separate bipartisan bill that is supported both by businesses and the government.

Manchin said he doesn’t think paid family leave belongs in the bill, saying, “That’s a piece of legislation that really is needed from the standpoint: if we do it and do it right.”

He said a policy of paid family leave with participation between employers and workers should be completed, saying, “We can do that in a bipartisan way. We can make sure it’s lasting.”

The problem with a lot of things like paid family leave, is that while they sound great (and probably are) for most Americans, you have to make a way for small businesses to have it without bankrupting them. Very few small businesses would be able to afford such a cost, and without it they can’t compete for talent with bigger businesses.

We ran into this ourselves when I was running a consulting company. We didn’t have health insurance for the longest time, and then when we finally did, it cost more and offered less than what other companies were able to offer.

Even Some Democrats Understand the Biden Stupidity on High Gas Prices

Top Democrat Senator Nails Biden For Blaming OPEC For High Gas Prices: We Can Fix It Ourselves | The Daily Wire

Yes, we can fix it ourselves. We did from 2017-2020. And we broke it ourselves in 2021.

“Well, I say that we can basically do more for ourself. We have been energy independent for the first time in 67 years,” Manchin said. “Why can’t we do more? Why can’t we produce more? We have got plenty of natural gas. My state, beautiful state of West Virginia, has an ocean of natural gas under it. If they just let us build a pipeline, we could get the product to market.”

“And why don’t we do more drilling, and why don’t we do more basically production in the United States?” Manchin continued. “I’m not depending on OPEC. I’m not depending on other countries for my energy anymore. We know how to do it. We have the technology. We should be resilient, relying on ourselves.”

Yes, we should rely on ourselves. But self-reliant people very rarely vote Democrat. So, Biden will continue on with his plans to destroy America.

Democrats Crazy Tax Plan Is Dead...for Now

Like Arnold, it will be back.

Manchin Kills Democrat Tax On Success (lifezette.com)

With a 50-50 senate Joe Manchin of West Virginia reigns supreme. If he doesn’t like it, it dies. So it was with the Democrat plan to tax successful individuals on unrealized gains. Manchin realizes that in an economy that relies on capital taxing those who provide it is jamming up the engine of economic development and progress.

Because of @Sen_JoeManchin opposition, the Dem leadership and White House sources tell us that the billionaire tax is all but dead.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 27, 2021

Hooray. For now.

 

Schumer Delivers an Interesting Floor Speech After McConnell Gives Him a Temporary Rescue From His Own Stupidity

Notice Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) reaction at about 1:10. I don’t think he approved.

In fact, that’s putting it mildly.

Manchin to Schumer: Your speech was "f*****g stupid" – HotAir

There was some last-minute drama, as well. Schumer went to the floor and harshly criticized Republicans for provoking the crisis. Schumer won this round of his never-ending battle with McConnell, and he made sure everyone knew it. But Republicans — and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — didn’t like the tone of Schumer’s remarks. Senate Minority Whip John Thune complained personally to Schumer on the floor, while Sens. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) complained to reporters.

Manchin told Schumer the speech was “fucking stupid,” according to four sources. Then Manchin complained to reporters too. The incident doesn’t really signify anything, except to show how tense everyone is in the Senate these days. And it’s only going to get worse.

Well, that seems a slight blow to party unity.

Manchin is correct, though. Schumer needs to re-read How to Win Friends and Influence People. He’s been given a temporary respite, and there’s no guarantee that there will be another one. So, maybe, just maybe, the wise course is not to completely tick off those that you’ll need to rescue you next time.

A point Ed agrees with:

Furthermore, Schumer’s speech backfired in the sense that it further alienated not just some Republicans who are willing to collaborate in some policy discussions, but also Manchin — who still is the key to Schumer’s control of the Senate. Maybe this one tiff doesn’t “signify anything,” as Punchbowl asserts, but it does at least point out how unhappy Manchin is with his caucus at the moment, and how entrenched that division has become.

It will be interesting to see where this leads. Stay tuned.

Bernie Never Expected This

And that’s why he’s angry.

Bernie Sanders Refused To Sign On To Statement Condemning Activists Harassing Sinema In Bathroom: Report | The Daily Wire

Bernie thought that with the lurch leftward by the Democrats that he would be the most powerful person in the Senate, and that he’d finally be able to lead the party and the country to his dream of an autocratic socialist state.

And if the Democrats had a bigger majority, that dream might have come true.

But in a 50/50 Senate, it’s never the extremists that have the power, it’s the moderates.

Sinema and Manchin have all the power, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

He’s jealous of their power, and he hates that they’re stealing his dream.

They Don’t Need To - This Would Just Be Nuking the Filibuster for No Reason

Manchin Shoots Down Democrats’ Talks Of Changing Filibuster For Debt Ceiling Vote | The Daily Wire

On Wednesday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) shot down the possibility of amending the filibuster after Democrats reportedly discussed making an exemption from the rule for the debt ceiling vote.

“I truly implore both leaders…to engage, start working, work this out. There should not be a crisis,” Manchin told the press on Wednesday.

“I’ve been very, very clear where I stand, where I stand on the filibuster,” Manchin said. “I don’t have to repeat that. I think I’ve been very clear. Nothing changes. But the bottom line is we have a responsibility to be the adults. Our leadership has a responsibility to lead and that’s what I’m asking, imploring them to do.”

Unfortunately for Manchin, leading is beyond the capability of most Senators.

He Can Still Change His Mind, But This Makes It Harder

Joe Manchin has written an op-ed in the Wapo saying he will uphold the filibuster – The New Neo

Politicians often say one thing and then do another, but if you take the trouble to write an Op-Ed in a major newspaper like The Washington Post, and then you change your mind, you know you’re going to be in trouble back home.

So, this is encouraging news if you like the filibuster the way it is. And will no doubt cause much teeth-gnashing on the side of the aisle that is (currently) against it.

One thing that will be interesting to see is if the Republicans ever regain control of the Senate and White House, whether or not all those people currently screaming “Jim Crow” about the filibuster will become once again its biggest supporters. I can’t wait to see that.