Biden Shuts Down Manchin's Space To Operate
The Spotlight is on
Be careful about what you wish for unless you want to get stranded in no man's land like Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema. The two Democratic Senators who love to be called moderates because it sounds better in West Virginia and Arizona are in a tight spot.
They both wanted the spotlight; they dived headfirst to leave their stamp on the democratic infrastructure bill. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Biden has got both the Senators exactly where he wanted them: In the middle and negotiating. If the two infrastructure bills fail, people will be disappointed with Biden. But, not a single soul in the country will doubt how we got there and the two human beings who helped us get there.
Politics 101: Never Say the Quiet Parts Loud
Senators Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema decided to oppose the democratic infrastructure bill long before the draft bill was written. When you conclude before the question is asked, you are asking for trouble.
The Senators wanted to oppose, but neither one had a counter-offer. They only had a few bullet…