Manchin lays out a Dem bill he can back: Taxes, prescription drugs, climate cash

[demmiblue]

Source: Politico

"And the social issues, we basically have to deal with those" afterward, the West Virginia centrist said in a post-State of the Union interview.

Hours after President Joe Biden laid out what he hopes to salvage from Democrats’ defunct “Build Back Better” social spending plan, Joe Manchin is quickly assembling his counteroffer.

In a Wednesday afternoon interview, the West Virginia centrist laid out a basic party-line package that could win his vote, lower the deficit and enact some new programs, provided they are permanently funded. It may be Democrats’ best and last chance to get at least some of their biggest domestic priorities done before the midterm elections, but would require everyone in the party — particularly liberals — to concede that what’s possible doesn’t come close to the $1.7 trillion package Manchin spurned in December.

Manchin said that if Democrats want to cut a deal on a party-line bill using the budget process to circumvent a Republican filibuster, they need to start with prescription drug savings and tax reform. He envisions whatever revenue they can wring out of that as split evenly between reducing the federal deficit and inflation, on the one hand, and enacting new climate and social programs, on the other — “to the point where it’s sustainable.”

“If you do that, the revenue producing [measures] would be taxes and drugs. The spending is going to be climate,” Manchin said.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/02/joe-manchin-democrat-bill-taxes-00013246

[stollen]

1. Manchin is not a "centrist." He's a WV oligarch.

My stomach turns looking at him and thinking of all the WVirginians and other Americans he's disenfranchised while he drinks bloody Mary's on his yacht and tools around in his Maserati (or is it Lamborghini?).

[PoliticAverse]

5. Maserati. n/t

[colorado_ufo]

19. One Maserati would

buy a lot of insulin, even at inflated prices.

[stollen]

70. ...That is so pathetic, that everyone who needs insulin isn't being supplied it for free.

The US is so backwater medieval.

[kimbutgar]

27. Maserati Manchin should be his nickname!

[stollen]

68. Maserati Mansion

What color is his car, btw?

In Germany there are a lot of Porsche, fewer Maserati and Lambourgini, but still, you see them. Here in the Northern VA area, I have yet to see the last two. Corvettes, of course.

[DenaliDemocrat]

37. Weird that a guy who dropped the vowel from his name

Is driving an Italian car.

[stollen]

69. never thought of it that way.

[AllyCat]

30. Careful. Must fully support him at all times.

He has a D after his name and we can only say nice things about him.

[PoliticAverse]

2. "prescription drug savings and tax reform" - two things the mavricky senator from Arizona...

will be glad to put a stop to.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. Make.Her.Vote.

She doesn’t have the guts to be the sole Dem NO vote.

[Irish_Dem]

8. It isn't about guts. It's about her paycheck.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. Nevertheless, Make.Her.Vote. Nt

[ananda]

23. Agree. Make her vote.

...

[HUAJIAO]

3. fucking douche....

what happened to human beings like this as children ??

What pure evil did they inherit?

[Magoo48]

25. Must come from a long line of greedy, pond scum. The dude's a hemroid.

[AllyCat]

31. Uh oh. Swear words used to describe Dem Senator.

[OldBaldy1701E]

49. Their parents greed and lack of humanity. What every self-inflated egomaniac inherited.

I was born and raised in a town of 490. Even in that very small population, we had what sometimes became a majority of folks just like him. "I got mine so f**k you!"

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. Bring it to a vote, make Sinema take a stand.

She’s the only remaining obstacle for raising taxes on the rich.

[groundloop]

13. Damned straight. DO IT NOW.... before he has time to backtrack.

At least salvage something from this Congress.

[Mr.Bill]

7. Whatever Manchin says he will approve today,

will change tomorrow. It's a waste of time even talking to him.

Take your football and go home, Lucy.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yep. Once the Dems work the bill and agree, Manchin will change his mind.

[Mr.Bill]

12. I've lost count of how many times

he's done exactly that.

[Irish_Dem]

16. Yep. Over and over.

My theory is that McConnell gives Manchin an extra bonus for each public stunt he pulls.

[Bengus81]

54. Yep,literally every time..........

[DENVERPOPS]

14. No Shit Mr. Bill

He just loves all the constant attention.......it makes him feel like he is more powerful than being president.........

[mysteryowl]

10. I really can't stand how Manchin is making decisions for our country and party.

I look forward to this changing.

[BradAllison]

17. I do too

But there are people on this board who fucking love it and support it 100%. They are not Democrats.

[mysteryowl]

20. I have not seen such posts, but I don't doubt you.

[monkeyman1]

42. black lung Manchin & Moscow Mitch have totally screwed miner's !!

If I was a miner , I would hand those two clowns shovels & tell them to dig it
themselves ! benefits' & pension's are garbage!!

[Voltaire2]

15. He's a troll.

Waste another year wooing his vote. Fool me once etc.

[mikelgb]

18. Well why don't you write a damn bill Senator

or have your benefactors write it as usual... present it to your caucus, and lobby for it

[davsand]

21. That's like Lucy and Charlie Brown kicking the football.

Pretty sure he fell for it so many times becuase he's a cartoon character. Most of the current crop of elected Dems are not.


Laura

[NoMoreRepugs]

22. ManChin's a centrist? Seriously, a centrist?? What planet is this writer from?

[maxsolomon]

60. Planet 2022.

He is closer to the 50 GQP Senators than anyone else. The 50th most conservative, not 51st. In the center.

[NoMoreRepugs]

62. Beg to differ. Those 50 R's are miles from the center of the

teeter totter.

[maxsolomon]

63. I'll bite, then.

Who's a Centrist? Maria Cantwell?

[NoMoreRepugs]

64. Amongst the R's I honestly don't know. Most if not all

vote as a block against most everything that’s for the good of all. The Senate is a bit difficult to categorize into “types” when one side is known as the “Party of No.”

[maxsolomon]

65. Maria Cantwell is a Dem.

She's my Senator - I consider her very Centrist, but not as close to the GQP as Manchin.

[AZLD4Candidate]

24. At this point, I don't care what drivel and hooey comes out of his mouth

We all know where he stands and it isn't with the Democrats as apparent at the SOTU last night. Sinema too. I can't wait to vote to primary her out.

[ibegurpard]

26. Sure Jan

Ignore him. Elect more Democratic senators so he becomes irrelevant.

[SammyBrown]

28. Center of attention much?

Agreed, ignore him. He just wants to be the center of attention.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

29. Manchin is a fucking

Ogliarch,failure as a human being,and he fails as a democrat too.

Sitting with the repukes during the SOTU.


Fuck him sideways with a pineapple.

[AllyCat]

32. Must always say nice things about him. Cannot criticize, swear at, or appear to not support

Anyone with a D.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

57. I believe it's also against the rules

To complain about the rules.

We get your point.

[AllyCat]

59. I'm merely pointing out support must be maintained at all times.

[camartinwv]

45. My sentiments exactly.

[jaxexpat]

33. Biden's approval poll numbers cannot be artificially held down indefinitely.

His SOTU speech went off without the right succeeding in a major derailment, So, now it's clearer to many that the weakness and incompetence meme is, and has been all along, a RW scam to highjack their attention span. And maybe that Trump was also a freaking moron who thought he was smarter than them rubes. But fear not, rudderless gops, Joe Manchin has a plan you can be proud of (just as soon as you learn to read).

It must be a one-in-a-gazillion coincidence that Manchin deigns to parlay (channeling Henry Clay like some "great compromiser" for our times) publicly at the same time that the GOP is reeling, punch drunk (as a Russian soldier hitchhiking out of 'anywhere but here please' Ukraine), from its myriad self-inflicted wounds. Do you imagine leaving your quarters without Mitch's authorization to dictate terms that would make a used car salesman blush will make a good long-term look for you? Well, if the ghost of Mr. Charlie Talleyrand were to rise concerned over your challenge to his historic prominence, the specter may rest easy tonight. That clunk-like noise was Mr. Manchin dropping his official you-can-be-your-own-DJ microphone on the asphalt to the thunderous applause of millions ..........of totally dazzled crickets.

And all this is to illustrate the fact that, for every tree that adorns the place of its roots, growing strong from the energy it fastidiously stored, protected and cherished in its cold winter sleep, proclaiming its right of life, in the warm light, to view the sky, higher...........there's some yokel who asks, "ya want me to top that tree for ya? I can do it for $100.00. It makes em springle out real pretty."

[Greybnk48]

34. Politico leans right-wing now.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/06/axel-springer-politico-media-scandal-germany-bild/

I don't trust them anymore.

[Scruffy1]

40. They always were. n/t.

[monkeyman1]

41. never did !

[ColinC]

35. I got the impression he was super engaged in Biden's speech.

Hopefully this works.

[Bettie]

36. Sure, he says he "could" back it

so, he'll waffle for months, start moving goalposts as soon as he gets what he says he wants, and ultimately, not support anything.

It isn't a criticism, it's what he does over and over. Why would anyone believe he's working in good faith now?

[yaesu]

38. So, which one of his split personalities are talking tonight? nt

[monkeyman1]

39. before ya can split a personality , you have to have one !

Just another Putin man servant! TDFG is the top PUTIN butler !

[Hassler]

43. Let "Mansion" drive his Mazeratti back to his yacht, write the bill

And then bring it back for a vote. In the meantime Dems can be getting actual work done.

[Carlitos Brigante]

44. Can he back Deez Nutz?! nt

[Tom Rinaldo]

46. Can he "deliver" Sinema's vote on targetted tax increases?

Without that any proposal by Manchin is just an orchestrated shell game.

[modrepub]

47. A Crown For Manchin

[The Wizard]

48. Give him a minute and

he'll move the goal posts.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

50. Gee, that doesn't sound like words from a representative for the wealthy, elite, white

corporate ownership class at all, does it?

[brush]

51. Fuck him. He'll get to the final version of the bill then say it's too much spending...

what with all the inflation going on.

We've seen his act innumerable times before.

[wryter2000]

52. OT: WTF is a "spending bill"?

Do the folks in the White House sit around discussing all the money they have and how they need to spend it? Of course not. They look at problems and figure out ways to fix them. For pity's sake, any bill spends money. "Spending bill" means nothing. It's like saying wet water.

The bills we're discussing aim to solve problems and support programs. If they want to call it a "social programs bill," fine. But it's not a spending bill. Sheesh.

[BlueIdaho]

53. Lucy sets out another football...

This is only the beginning of another ManChin stalling tactic on the legislative calendar. We need to ignore anything he says just like we ignored Putin’s many insincere claims before his invasion of Ukraine.

[Deminpenn]

55. Fine, have your sfaff write it up

nt

[TheFarseer]

56. Does he mean

Raise taxes on the rich and have Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices in exchange for measures to stop climate change???? If so, he’s got a deal. But that just sounds so weird it doesn’t seem like he’s being serious.

[SharonAnn]

66. He probably wants "tax reform" that lowers taxes on the 1%, raises taxes on the 99%

[SouthernDem4ever]

58. It's so gratifying to have one person that thinks they know everything

he's almost as bad as a dictator.

[JustAnotherGen]

67. I'm the NJ asshole

Seriously- anything without lifting the SALT Cap - even by 10K -

I want Booker, Menendez and Malinowski to vote against. We've been held hostage by the GOP and THEIR tax scam in 2017 long enough.

Sorry to be a brat - but I refuse to have my taxes raised again. Anything that veers right on the bi-partisan path -

Will once again punish blue states that didn't vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020.

[zanana1]

71. Why the hell is he called a centrist?

He's clearly a conservative.

[newdayneeded]

72. Question for the group here:

Do other senators get to decide what's in the bill....or only Manchin? Cuz, this kinda fucken sounds like he thinks his is the only voice that matters.