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If the stakes weren’t so high, the incessant obstruction of the Democrats’ agenda at the whims of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema could almost be comedy. Every time Democrats think they’re getting somewhere, one of the two quirky Senators pulls a fresh objection out of their hat, sending party leaders, including the President of the United States, scrambling.
But the reality of the Democratic double act is more tragic. The pair could end up costing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi her gavel, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer his, and may well condemn President Joe Biden to start raising money for his library well before he had planned—and with fewer dioramas. In fact, Manchin and Sinema could end up flaying the Democrats for at least a decade if they continue to reject the massive—but shrinking—spending bill that is quickly following the lead of a fairy tale carriage and turning back into a pumpkin. In this telling, though, it’s the roar of Air Force One’s engines on Thursday that may end the magic and not a clock tower striking 12.
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Democrats are racing to get a 13-figure pile of cash wrestled to agreement before Biden heads to Europe on Thursday for a trip that will, after stops in Italy and at the Vatican, take him to a crucial U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. If Democrats can’t get him a spending package that dumps piles of cash on the climate crisis, it’s going to be tough for Biden to bring U.S. credibility to the table—and Democrats know this.
But Manchin and Sinema? They don’t seem to really care. Manchin is telling colleagues that he wants something around $1.75 trillion. Sinema says she won’t touch the tax code to pay for any of it. Biden had asked for $3.5 trillion but at this point might be happy with two nickels. And progressive lion Bernie Sanders has had enough with…
Source : time
