202(2)5 - dems in disarray thread

50 seats (and the VP) is 1 million times better than 49…it's like not even the same sport anymore

So while Coal Country Joe doesn't knell in fealty, does hurt the brand and make it difficult to get things done…of course, it does, but so much better than Hershel and I can't remember the stockbroker lady's name. 
We'd probably have impeachment hearings and a senate that was willing to convict (likely over nothing too)

But things clearly got done with a Senate majority in the past few years. You can paint it however horrifically as you like, but for most of my lifetime the Senate is where bills go to die a unheralded death
seems like a low bar, yeah… but that's where we are

nkotb wrote:
Here's the difference, IMO: Ever "never Trump" republican that libs get a hard-on about voted with Trump 98% of the time.  However they do it, Republicans stick to the script in a way Dems can't seem to do.

Honestly THANK FUCKING GOD…I think it shows they can be a democrat and think independently.

It works well for getting agenda/laws passed, but personally, I would never sell my soul to a party where everyone falls in line, no matter how absolutely bat-shit crazy it is, 99.9 of the times (.01% is they actually cast a mis-vote, but since they won overwhelmingly they didn't recast)

the problem with the dems is, if they are lucky they get an 80% real consensus across the party so they have to shoot really middle of the road as to not piss off big coalitions of voters

In the GOP, they actually can't piss off their base. it's amazing
Even though the whole platform is radically changing over the last 40 years…they still all fall in line


The only caveat I will say to all that is…today's GOP is today's GOP only because of MAGA.  In all my years, I never saw poor people fly flags and put up lawn signs for any president.  These people were almost off the map as a voting population, now they are a block (in a lot of key states) that is ALL IN for Trump. 
But  who is going to be able to fill Trumps shoes when he is dead (hopefully we don't have to wait 20 more years for that)
I don't think anyone can get those poor western PA (MI, FL and other places) folks with their trailer bedazzled with trump paraphernalia. 

Those people will never vote for anyone in the GOP or any of his kids (although they will be generational shit-stirrers for sure)

So the moment when Trump is not in power or a kingmaker…I don't know if the GOP collation can stay together, because they will lose 10 million key voters.
least on a presidential level and that impacts down ballot quite a bit

I get annoyed with Manchin. We all do. And sometimes I kvetch about him….

But it’s just politics. He’s got to have that “Look mountaineers I hear you and I am keeping the entire liberal Democratic Party in check singlehandedly” persona. It’s his brand.

Focus people, new Breezy Supreme dropped today!!!

And pour one out for thingambobhatch as he'll soon be "listening" to a new Olivia Rodrigo album

Focus People Part Deux…  New The Hives dropped today as well

and I listen to that new Oliva Rodrigo because some mentioned who ever wrote must be an Elastica fan and it's very damn catchy

kosmo wrote:
And pour one out for thingambobhatch as he'll soon be "listening" to a new Olivia Rodrigo album.

I have yet to be submitted to this torture yet, but goddamn do I have some hours in on Sour

This is my point. Right now, Dems have the majority with 48 democrats and 3 independents.  That doesn't change if Manchin goes independent…he's still caucusing with them, so who cares.

aspirational wrote:
50 seats (and the VP) is 1 million times better than 49…it's like not even the same sport anymore

I dunno, i'd rather Democrats have some groupthink if it means they'd actually pass the stuff they pretend to care about.

aspirational wrote:
Honestly THANK FUCKING GOD…I think it shows they can be a democrat and think independently.

I 100% disagree with this.  I mean, you're right about what happens when Trump dies, but the GOP has been this evil my entire life.  They just used to care about hiding it a little better.

aspirational wrote:
The only caveat I will say to all that is…today's GOP is today's GOP only because of MAGA.  In all my years, I never saw poor people fly flags and put up lawn signs for any president.  These people were almost off the map as a voting population, now they are a block (in a lot of key states) that is ALL IN for Trump. 

my feeling is these bluecollar low education whites will not support just any GOP candidate
I really don't see anyone taking trump's mantle to get these voters (who typically didn't vote) to the polls

maybe I'm wrong, but these people were not traditional GOP voters and their agenda has shifted the GOP agenda
but I have yet to see a single candidate or personality that could actually get them to vote
they seem to be jazzed about RFK jr, which is pretty odd

I do think a more progressive Senate candidate that was independent could win in West Virginia. I don't think that would happen given the two party system, and it wouldn't be someone cool like Rashida Talib or Ilhan Omar, obviously.  But it's also true that him just changing the letter next to his name doesn't change how he votes or who he caucuses with.  It didn't for Sinema, it wouldn't for him.  Dems still have the majority.

But since you asked, here are some big ones he railroaded:

* voted against Biden's student loan cancellation plan
* withheld his vote on the stimulus plan until it got watered down
* did the same with the inflation reduction act
* opposed raising minimum wage
* opposed For the People Act
* opposed filibuster reform

Those are pretty big things, some items Biden was intending to be his signature wins, that this guy derailed, voted down or made far weaker.  And I didn't include not voting for Neera Tanden because that was funny and good.

Julian, wrote:

nkotb wrote:
But he also constantly threatens to withhold his vote until the bill is Republican-lite.

Ok: what percentage of the time does this happen? You’re saying constantly; I’m saying 15% of the time. (Be sure to tell me who is the realistic Victor in WV that votes at a higher percentage with the Dems too since the comparison is not Manchin vs AOC, it’s Manchin vs the next best reasonable candidate who can steal a Senate seat in the reddest state in the country!)

Come with the receipts, Star Wars boy. Let’s see who shot first.

nkotb wrote:
* withheld his vote on the stimulus plan until it got watered down
* did the same with the inflation reduction act

While all of that is true…they did both pass and were some of the biggest spending bills we've ever seen

the IRA act kinda annoys me how judicious it is…apparently, Texas and a number of red states are getting obnoxious windfalls from this…yet the senators voted against it and are acting like "see I brought the bacon home baby"

I think he did Biden a favor voting against student cancellation. Did it lose by one vote? Skeptical

This isn’t a parliamentary system. Senators first obligation is to represent their constituents not vote for whatever party proposes.

And how exactly could Biden have bullied Manchin without Manchin going Republican?

That’s just BS.

On climate Manchin is way more harmful than just his vote.  Just a couple of examples, but he has single handledly kept the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissions from considering climate change when it approves pipelines and he is stopping the Fed and other agencies from dealing with climate risk.  Part of it is structural, and the committees he is on (Chair of Energy and a vote on Approps). At least on climate, if the Dems had 51 votes, they would probably be better off with it just being 50 without Manchin.

 

Then Biden doesn't "control" the Senate even with this guy being a Democrat, which was exactly my point!  This is boring, man.  You love Manchin and want to have 10,000 of his babies. That's fine!

Hutch wrote:
And how exactly could Biden have bullied Manchin without Manchin going Republican?

That’s just BS.

currently considering posting kitten pictures as a distraction

My first response was to explain what control of the senate means.

Am sorry your reading comprehension skills are limited.

I would like to see the kittens

This is Gus



This is Moxie

Ah yes! These are your newly adopted kittens, right?  Insanely cute…sometimes I miss our cat being that little.

Yes they are sister and brother pair that we rescued out from under our neighbors sheds.  So much energy and it will be fun when they have full run of the house, as they are currently isolated due there being an older cat in the house and they haven’t yet been seen by a vet.