As we are sure you’ve heard by now, BBB is dead for the year and hopefully forever. After five months of Democratic leaders trying to bully Joe Manchin into breaking nearly all of the terms of his signed July agreement with Schumer, Manchin pulled the plug yesterday, saying he’s now a firm no vote.
Bernie Sanders is furious, and on CNN yesterday he pounded Joe Manchin for caving to “special interests.” That’s an accusation rich with irony since BBB is nothing if not a multi-trillion dollar give away to every lobbyist – from trial lawyers to union bosses – that ever gave a dollar to the Democrats. He also called for a floor vote anyway: “I hope that we will bring a strong bill to the floor of the Senate as soon as we can.”
.@SenSanders: "I hope that we will bring a strong bill to the floor of the Senate as soon as we can and let Mr. Manchin explain to the people of West Virginia why he doesn't have the guts to stand up to powerful special interests." https://t.co/ySPjJYmnrZ pic.twitter.com/A1alZWAqxf
— The Hill (@thehill) December 19, 2021
We couldn’t agree more. Let’s see how senators Tester, Sinema, Kelly, Warner, Warnock, Hassan, etc. vote when push comes to shove. Inquiring minds want to know. This gang has professed to being centrist Democrats, so let’s find out how moderate they are.
Chuck Schumer should call for a vote this week.