GOP Wrestles with Infrastructure Vote

[applegrove]

GOP Wrestles with Infrastructure Vote

November 11, 2021 at 5:47 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 40 Comments

https://politicalwire.com/2021/11/11/gop-wrestles-with-infrastructure-vote/

"SNIP......

Politico: “The ferocity of the reaction against the 13 House members who voted with Democrats on the House-passed infrastructure bill appeared to signal a new stage in the party’s evolution, marking the GOP as so reflexively anti-Biden that even spending on infrastructure — an issue that Donald Trump once obsessed over as president — is too radioactive to support.”

“It’s a hardening of the party that’s already shaping its approach to the midterms, ensuring not only that Republicans up and down the ballot will be running against the sitting president, but that they will not support anything that might help Biden improve his sunken public approval ratings in the interim.”

......SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. If BBB doesn't pass Biden needs to put it all on the Democratic 2022

slate and run on that. Democrats need to explain the pre K actually increases the number of high school graduates and tax revenue in the future. Republicans can run on identity. Democrats can then say "where's the beef!!!".

[TiberiusB]

4. BBB is dead

Since it was only completely transparently obvious from the start, Manchin never had any intention of supporting the BBB bill.
The corporate loving infrastructure bill he loves, though. I guess those awful progressives who thought that the only leverage they had was to tie the vote for the two bills together were kinda entirely correct. Who could have guessed.

https://nypost.com/2021/11/11/manchin-against-tax-credits-for-union-made-electric-vehicles/

https://www.axios.com/manchin-chill-bbb-6b58cd70-6c07-40f9-af4e-c944a7b3a39d.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/11/manchin-found-excuse-to-destroy-bidens-agenda/

[applegrove]

6. And if it fails Democrats can run on the things in it and say "this is

our slate - if you want this stuff vote Dem across the board". Everything has great support in that bill, sometimes support is as high as 88%.

[TiberiusB]

7. Except the "vote in more Democrats" line doesn't play well outside these forums

How many times have people, in particular minorities, been told that Democrats are the solution to their problems? Now, with voting rights being crushed under Jim Crow 2.0, the Democrats can't coalesce around a strong voting rights bills thanks to...republicans? Well, yes, but not really. The Democrats could break the filibuster, but won't, and that isn't lost on a lot of voters of color. On top of that, the dominant narrative on BBB hasn't been "GOP obstruction", it's been "Democrat in fighting". The "disarray" and the "inflation as proof of Democrat profligate spending will doom us all" screeds coming from all corners, including Joe "bought and paid for" Manchin, could very well deliver the government back into GOP hands before there is any second shot at the brass ring. Here is how the press is covering the situation right now (short version DEMOCRATS = INFLATION!):

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senator-manchin-may-delay-bidens-build-back-better-agenda-until-next-year-axios-2021-11-11/

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2021-11-10/senator-manchin-may-delay-bidens-build-back-better-agenda-until-next-year-axios

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/11/10/inflation-white-house-manchin/

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/580910-manchin-lawmakers-can-no-longer-ignore-inflation

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/manchin-inflation-build-back-better-vote/

[Gore1FL]

9. It'd play better as vote out the guys who are stopping this, I suspect. nt

[gratuitous]

2. Republicans will come to terms with it soon enough

They'll steel themselves, take a deep breath, then take the dough even though they voted no. The 13 turncoats will be summarily primaried, and the rest of them will gladly pose at all the ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the next year, pretending like they had something to do with it. Anyone churlish enough to point out that the local Representative voted against the bill will be dismissed as divisive, and can't we all just enjoy the new school that Republicans fought so hard to scuttle?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. Fascism demands absolute obedience, the dissenters will be rooted out...another sign of

the evil they have openly embraced.

Only mass avoidance of the f word by the mass media could have allowed his to happen and continue happening.

[TiberiusB]

5. Except they aren't dissenters

The GOP and corporate America LOVE the infrastructure bill. From fossil fuel subsidies to privatization of public assets, it's a huge gift to the rich. Plus, a huge chunk of the funding is coming from unspent Covid relief funds with no increases in tax rates on the rich or multi-nationals. Poor and middle class take the financial hit and the 1% bellies up to the trough.

The Republicans that voted for the bill were almost certainly selected to step up to the chopping block. You'll notice that none of them have been condemned by the party ala Liz Cheney. I'm sure there will be some retirements/cushy jobs/primary protection for all of them. Remember, Mitch McConnell came out in favor of this legislation, the same Mitch McConnell committed to corporate rule and 100% obstruction of Democratic administrations. That's an inconvenient fact which many ignore.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

8. Dissenters, of course they are...they getting death threats...that's merely stepping up to the plate?

[TiberiusB]

11. Almost certainly, yes

Does anyone here believe a dozen Republicans spontaneously decided to buck the party line and support Biden? This would be the GOP that has relentlessly blocked Democratic legislation for years under McConnell. The death threats may be unexpected, or simply assumed to be a short term consequence of a difficult strategic decision.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

12. I dont believe in spontaneous combustion. What was actually blocked?

So that would mean the Rs on the Sedition Day Committee are also part of the same super secret super clever plot?

Scary.

[TiberiusB]

13. You mean the Jan 6 committee?

Blocked? I'm not sure what you're asking. Do you mean what legislation? All permutations of the voting rights act. The Covid relief bill carried no Republican support and only passed through reconciliation. Remind me how the original plan to form a bipartisan investigation into Jan 6th went. Take a moment and list off all the achievements under Obama and now Biden that passed with any substantial Republican support. I'm not sure McConnell has ever been "super secret" when it comes to his strategy for dealing with democratic administrations.

The current committee only includes two Republicans, Cheney and Kinzinger. We know how Cheney was treated for her criticism of Trump and the Jan. 6th insurrection, and Kinzinger, also a critic of Trump, is retiring. No need for any secret super clever plot.

[Icanthinkformyself]

10. The framing

does follow Politicos insistence, like the rest of MSM, to laser focus on the 'Dems in Disarray' meme. You will notice that the GQP, according to this bunch, is 'solidified' against Biden. The reality is that the GQP is an obstruction to progress and solidified against America and policies that are designed to help the average American. They want and are working toward a authoritarian state run by Republican fascists. But, you need to dig deep and ignore the flotsam BS the MSM press throws up (as in vomits). Finding the wheat among the chaff is getting more and more difficult. It strikes me that the very industry that would be swept away and can see it coming would be so sanguine about it's demise as a 'free press'. MSM is blindly contributing to it's own downfall.