[AMV] #962 Dr Seuss & Mr Potato Head

quote:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), America's ultimate swing voter, told me on "Axios on HBO" that he'll insist Republicans have more of a voice on President Biden's next big package than they did on the COVID stimulus.

The big picture: Manchin said he'll push for tax hikes to pay for Biden's upcoming infrastructure and climate proposal, and will use his Energy Committee chairmanship to force the GOP to confront climate reality.

Why it matters: My conversation yielded the most extensive preview yet of how Manchin — a Democrat from a Trump state, in a 50-50 Senate, who relishes standing up to a Democratic White House — will use his singular power.

Manchin, 73, said Biden expects, and understands, the pushback: "He's the first president we've had to really, really understand the workings of the Senate since LBJ."
Manchin said that with just a few concessions, it would have been possible to get some Republicans on the COVID relief package that passed the Senate this weekend on a party-line vote. And he said he'll block Biden's next big package — $2 trillion to $4 trillion for climate and infrastructure — if Republicans aren't included.

"I'm not going to do it through reconciliation," which requires only a simple majority, like the COVID stimulus, Manchin said. "I am not going to get on a bill that cuts them out completely before we start trying."
Asked if he believes it's possible to get 10 Republicans on the infrastructure package, which could yield the 60 votes needed under normal Senate rules, Manchin said: "I sure do."
Manchin said the infrastructure bill can be big — as much as $4 trillion — as long as it's paid for with tax increases. He said he'll start his bargaining by requiring the package be 100% paid for.

Manchin said that with all the debt we're piling up, he's worried about "a tremendous deep recession that could lead into a depression if we're not careful. ... We're just setting ourselves up."
He talked up an array of tax increases, including raising the corporate tax rate from the current 21% to 25% "at least," and repealing "a lot of" the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy.
Manchin, sitting down with HBO in the Energy Committee hearing room where he now holds the gavel, said he'll use his new position "to try and inject some reality" — starting with a hearing "on climate facts."

Asked about Republican senators who won't say that humans have affected climate, Manchin said: "Well, I think I think they know it."
Manchin warned fellow Democrats about ramming through legislation by simple majority: "I would say this to my friends. You've got power ... Don't abuse it. And that's exactly what you'll be doing if you throw the filibuster out."

quote:

Op maandag 8 maart 2021 17:27 schreef Knipoogje het volgende:

[..]

Dit inderdaad. Niet zo netjes van 'm. "Met wat simpele concessies" , maar hij noemt geen enkele naam en ook geen enkel voorbeeld. Zo kan ik het ook.

quote:

Op maandag 8 maart 2021 18:20 schreef Szura het volgende:

[..]

Laat ze maar lekker hypocriet mekkeren en klagen over het einde van bipartisanship (dat McConnell allang had afgeschaft door alle Democratische bills in een la te gooien). Dit pakket heeft de steun van 2/3 a 3/4 van het volk zo blijkt uit alle peilingen, alleen de Republikeinen in Washington doen alsof het een steunpakket van Satan is. Their loss.

quote:

Op maandag 8 maart 2021 19:14 schreef Knipoogje het volgende:

[..]

Het is wat dat betreft best makkelijk in de post-truth samenleving. Je zegt gewoon dat de polls niet kloppen dat de meeste republikeinen wel degelijk tegen zijn. En de meeste republikeinen zullen dat nog geloven ook... Ironisch eigenlijk

quote:

Op maandag 8 maart 2021 22:51 schreef Monolith het volgende:

[..]

Wel een gevalletje Joe says no natuurlijk.

quote:

Op maandag 8 maart 2021 23:35 schreef Szura het volgende:
Weer een Republikein die ermee stopt
[ twitter ]

quote:

The Republican National Committee is denying a cease-and-desist demand from Donald Trump's attorneys, who asked the party organization to stop using the former president's name and likeness in fundraising appeals.

In a letter sent Monday afternoon to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, RNC chief counsel Justin Riemer asserted that the committee "has every right to refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech, and it will continue to do so in pursuit of these common goals."

The letter is a brush-back to the Trump team, which sent a March 5 request that the RNC "immediately cease and desist the unauthorized use of President Donald J. Trump's name, image, and/or likeness in all fundraising, persuasion, and/or issue speech."

Trump attorneys sent letters to a cadre of GOP committees asking them to stop using Trump in fundraising appeals, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Other groups loosely affiliated with the party have also received notices.

An NRCC spokesperson declined to comment on how the organization planned to respond to the cease-and-desist letters. An NRSC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

[..]