Biden infrastructure/tax increase megathread

[Hope For A New Era]

Wow, they really are going big!

[Hope For A New Era]

If I was Chuck Schumer, I would threten to fire senate parilmentarian. And get Joe Biden to promise Joe Manchin and Sinema what ever they want to pass this plan

The Build Back Better Plan

Healthcare
•   Lower Medicare age to 50
•   Expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision.
•   Caps on premiums
•   Expand Obamacare subsidies
•   Public Option
•   Negotiate drug prices.
•   Free insulin

Education
•   Raise teacher pay.
•   Free community college, universities, and trade schools
•   Forgive all student debt.
•   Housing and food assistance

Infrastructure
•   1 trillion for roads and bridges
•   Expand broadband.
•   Clean lead pipes
•   Improves Native American Reservations
•   Cleaner Fuel Grid

Social
•   Raise minimum wage to $15.
•   PRO Union Act
•   Fix USPS
•   Paid Family Leave
•   Make child credit permanent.
•   Free school lunch
•   Expand and simplify SNAP, TAFT, welfare, unemployment, and disability.
•   H.R 1 Voting Rights Act
•   Immigration Act
•   Housing and rental assistance
•   DC and Puerto Rico statehood

None of the social issues on that list can be passed through reconciliation

DC statehood might only need 50 votes, though.

[Hope For A New Era]

It really does seem like things are finally happening again the last few days. Always good to see.

[Hope For A New Era]

Time to forget the parliamentarian. The new rule needs to be, "if the Republicans would do it, we should do it first now while we have the majority." Pass an entire session's worth of legislation in a reconciliation bill if need be.

Democrats need to learn - because they still somehow haven't - that you cannot compromise with a psychopath.

[Hope For A New Era]

Republicans insist on protecting wealthy tax dodgers at the expense of infrastructure:

Senator: Bipartisan infrastructure bill loses IRS provision

The deal keeps getting worse and worse.  I am nearly at the point at which I want the bipartisan infrastructure plan to fail, and just do one massive combined infrastructure bill under reconciliation.  

This whole thing illustrates "you can lie down for people to walk on you and they will still complain that you are not flat enough" pretty well.

[Hope For A New Era]

LOL

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1425451440722563086

lol, who's senile now?

Put it in every ad in 2022! Every. Ad.

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vote when

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it's finally happening?

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how's it looking?

i'm concerned (and troubled, and worried, and potentially disappointed)

[Hope For A New Era]

how's it looking?

i'm concerned (and troubled, and worried, and potentially disappointed)

This is me every day.

a nation of susan collinses

Corporate America is on the warpath against the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, especially the tax increases on the wealthy and corporations to fund it:

Corporate America launches massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts of Democrats' $3.5 trillion economic plan

It's clear they view this bill as an existential threat to them.

HOLD FIRM

YOU REMEMBER TRUMAN, JOE AND NANCY

HOLD FIRM

[Hope For A New Era]

It also almost makes me tear up realizing how many people (like you) still get conned by Manchin's act.

You're the one conning yourself. There's no act. That much has been made clear.


At this point we might as well swear in Gallagher and get it over with.

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Can we get an approximate expected timeline?

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Could it really be true? Could we really have finally reached the last phase of the Manchin Cycle?

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However, the cycle holds if one assumes the leadership didn't actually want or care about what was originally pitched.

I think it's pretty clear that that's what happened. It's a smart move. Because of Manchin, any D proposal is guaranteed to be cut down dramatically from its original form, just like in 2009 because of Lieberman. Obama's mistake was saying what he wanted, because he would be forced to negotiate downward from there. Biden seems to have learned from this and is starting the negotiations at the extreme (I believe psychologists call this the "door-in-the-face" negotiation tactic).

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1461406633851035653?t=sgP0gGShDtZL4XLT14x4Fw&a...
Why not primary her?

Florida Woman Primaried For Not Having Made Decision

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https://twitter.com/RepJoshG/status/1461704253551087621

ok

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lega_Nord

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this is torturous

Remember when we thought we'd have this by late summer?

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-20/manchin-outlines-tax-policy-changes-he-d-want-in-biden-bill

"Manchin Outlines Tax, Policy Changes He’d Want in Biden Bill"

Manchin's conditions

a) raise individual taxes more (problem, that crosses Kyrsten Sinema's red line)
b) lower prescription drug prices more (problem, that crosses Kyrsten Sinema's red line)
c) work requirements for benefits such as expanded child tax credits as well as means-testing so that those making more than $200,000 annually aren’t eligible. (problem, that would be opposed by the Progressives)
d) put the bill through committees (problem, Schumer does not want that)

Yep, already walking back. Normally I think Peak Harry is always far too optimistic about Manchin, but it's looking more and more like this was performative. I'm annoyed that Manchin feels a need to be so extreme and obnoxious with his performances, but I'm cautiously hopeful about at least something being passed now.

[Hope For A New Era]

Durbin is back. Leahy is still out, but so are 3 Rs at this point. So Schumer has a 49-47 majority. Would even allow him to lose a vote, if Harris is on standby. I'll keep monitoring.

I'm afraid of hoping.

[Hope For A New Era]

Today is a good day.