The Painfully Simple Future of Joe Biden’s Agenda
It all comes down to the Senate.
With one word, Joe Manchin threw a wrench into the plans of congressional Democrats last week. He announced that he wanted a “pause” on Democratic negotiations over a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill to enact the president’s agenda. This announcement reflected Manchin’s general uneasiness about the bill’s high price tag. It also greatly frustrated liberals who have been vexed by Manchin’s hostile attitude towards the policies of his own party. As Jonathan Chait argued last week in New York, “the signal Manchin is sending is worrisome. For the first time, Biden is staring at the plausible vision of a failed presidency.”
There has been a nauseating amount of debate about how Joe Biden’s political agenda will be implemented. Liberals and moderates go back and forth on what will be the best approach. Those on the left want Biden to go big, pass two significant bills funding traditional and human infrastructure, and then pair those achievements with a number of structural reforms designed to aid Democrats in future elections. Moderates want to stick with the traditional infrastructure plan and perhaps a limited reconciliation bill with an eye on inflation and the whims of Republicans. Both sides believe that their approach will be the one that will best protect Democrats in the next two elections and…