Sinema and Manchin strike again
Neither Arizona’s Sinema nor West Virginia’s Joe Manchin will be returning to the Senate after the end of this session. But I think insufficient attention has been paid to how instrumental they were in saving us all from some of the worst plans the Democrats had for Biden’s tenure: HR1, statehood for DC, packing the Court, ending the filibuster. For that, the Democrats detested them and both declined to run for office again.
You may be cynical about politics, I may be cynical about politics, but I thank them both, whatever their motives. And the duo wasn’t quite through yet:
Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (I-WV), both former Democrats who were savaged by their own party for not eliminating the filibuster, left President Joe Biden one final parting gift on Wednesday.
Biden nominated Lauren McFerran to a five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board, which is essentially a federal agency dedicated to protecting big unions, and her confirmation was set to hand Democrats control of the body for the entirety of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
But Manchin and Sinema were the only two Democrats who voted against confirming her, and so McFerran won’t be serving in that position.
More here:
Trump and Republicans will now have the ability to confirm two nominees to the board, giving them a one-seat advantage at that time.
The news will have major repercussions for big business and labor unions, as the board has a major say in settling disputes between those two parties.
Not sure how much better Trump’s nominees will be if we go by his horrible nominee for Labor Secretary.
Labor Secretary and Surgeon General are by far his worst nominees.
If you are a Republican and Randi Weingarten whole heartedly endorses your Labor pick you are doing something wrong.
For that, the Democrats detested them
What committee assignments and other privileges did they lose?
The Democratic Party base no doubt disliked these two, but they fulfilled a necessary role for Democrats in the Senate, the Designated Mavericks who vote against something that others in their party don’t want to be on record voting against.
The filibuster rule is fake–it can be set aside at any time purely by majority vote, and it is more often than the legacy media reports– and if a majority in the Senate really wants something, they get it.
It follows that Manchin and Sinema prevented nothing. They gave Chuck Schumer cover to pretend to support something that his base wanted but his Senate majority didn’t really want to see done.
On the Republican side we have Collins and Murkowski for that role; used to have John McCain. Both parties do it, and both for the same reason. Sometimes they have to pretend to support something they don’t actually want to see happen, and then they can tell the Washington Post that “they didn’t have enough votes for cloture” instead of “Not enough Democrat Senators actually want to do this.” But a numerical majority can always set aside the filibuster rule, or any other, for one time only by simple majority vote, and they can do it as often as they wish to.
McFerran won’t be serving in that position
Don’t worry, be happy.
Niketas Choniates
Fuking politicians. I don’t know political workings—don’t care to know them all, but some are nice to know – thanks for that info Niketas…
Well they didnt get HR 1, same with dc and puero rico statehood that would have made this election impossible but they enabled the green new deal
Depending on who they pick as demers deputies the surgeon general is less defendable option but its more symbolic not policy making
Well…Schumer, ever probing and ultimately finding Manchin’s weak point, really landed him, hook, line ‘n sinker.
But Schumer did not—could not—provide any quid for Manchin’s crucial pro…and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Manchin, thoroughly burned and humiliated never forgave the SOB.
Something similar may have happened to Sinema but IIRC, in this case she was hoist on the petard of her own perceived political obligations.
Indeed, up until that tragic point (the vote for the Orwellian-labelled Inflation Reduction Act, I think it was) they were stalwart.
Absolutely heroic.
Following their unfortunate fold, Sinema left the Party and Manchin licked his wounds, both trying to salvage what they could of their respective honor…
…as “Biden” was able to reward “his” friends and allies, cementing “his” power at the expense of the country, which continued to sink further and further into humungous debt…
Niketas Choniates is on point. They didn’t get HR 1 because the donkey half of the club of 100 isn’t interested in devaluing their office.
Niketas-
There is the House as well as the Senate, and all -ALL- fiscal matters must originate in the House. And both have GOP majorities, albeit slim.
Fortunately, JD Vance as VP will be chief in Senate come 2025. A brilliant choice by Trump.
Thanks to them both for going “rogue”.
A off topic note about a Ballet, for Neo – Over Christmas time, in my neck of the woods, a Ballerina by the name of Chloe Misseldine will be making her debut as principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker”.
I’ve never seen a Ballet live, I’m contemplating buying a ticket. Chloe is 22.
WOW: The Biden Admin appears to be selling unused Border Wall Materials prior to Trump taking office – Video
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2024/12/wow-biden-admin-appears-to-be-selling.html
Nicketas illustrates the point that
No, I didn’t misspell enemy.
Some just can’t accept a tiny win.
Sinema is a strangely interesting woman.