Bill Clinton used to have a phrase for an effort he would undertake that he knew would fail but was good politics to try: He’d say, “I want to be caught trying.”
A lot of Dems want to be caught trying to work with Republicans, so that when that doesn’t work, they can go alone
A lot of Dems want to be caught trying to work with Republicans, so that when that doesn’t work, they can go alone
Open question is whether Biden wants to be caught trying or is actually trying. It probably doesn’t matter though, since it’s so unlikely to work.
There are filibuster politics at play too. Any Democrat alone, given the 50 seat majority, can block efforts to end it. And if they think there’s a chance Republicans will work with Dems, they want to try it. They have to be shown that’s not true.
McConnell’s goal is to drag this whole process out so long that Biden’s window for action closes. That’s why Republicans were asking him to give them till the fall to prove their sincerity. By then it’s too late to get much done after their insincerity is proven.
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