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5 Oct, 4 tweets, 4 min read
This ugly saga with Manchin and Sinema should force a wholesale rethink about what constitutes "realism" in policy debates. Progressives are working overtime to come up with ways to make concessions to them, without even knowing what they want. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
On a call, Biden told progressives the target would be around $2 trillion. They discussed ways to reduce the cost, even as WH indicated no agreement from Manchin/Sinema on that target yet, aide tells me.

Who are the pragmatists and realists here again?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Our discourse privileges "fiscal conservatism" as inherently realistic and hard headed.

This has allowed Manchin and Sinema to hide behind a level of generality that makes concrete debate about real tradeoffs impossible.

(w/@EricLevitz and @CitizenCohn)

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
@EricLevitz @CitizenCohn It's so perverse: Progressive demand for more spending = wild-eyed intransigence. Manchin/Sinema demand for less spending = inherently grounded and realistic.

Why? Prog case is grounded in the *more* realistic appraisal of our challenges.

w/@adam_tooze

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

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More from @ThePlumLineGS

Greg Sargent Profile picture
6 Oct
Important: A stolen 2024 becomes more likely if the GOP wins governors races in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania or Michigan. That's because govs play a role in appointing electors. The media should hound GOP gov candidates on their intentions for 2024. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
If we get GOP governors in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Michigan, it becomes more likely that rogue presidential electors get appointed and 2024 is stolen.

With a GOP House, it's actually possible. I gamed out what this would look like, with experts:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… ImageImage
The continuing Trump threat should prompt us to make reforms to protect ourselves -- right now.

This includes *both* reforms to the state certification process *and* to the Electoral Count Act.

We've now seen the threat. Here's what reform looks like:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
1 Oct
As expected, the postponement of the vote is being treated as a "crushing blow" and a "huge setback" to Biden's agenda. Utterly ludicrous. Such things happen all the time with complex legislation. This kind of coverage, which masquerades as savvy, is the opposite of savvy. 1/
Now, we don't know if the bills will survive. The whole house of cards very well may collapse. But the idea that this postponement is itself the harbinger of doom is nonsense. Again, it all very well may fail. But if anything, last night makes success marginally more likely. 2/2
CODA: As we wrote, a delay should NOT be seen as the sky falling. Instead of misinforming readers, tell them this is typical of major, complex legislation. Differences remain deep. But if the bills remain linked, bridging them is more likely, not less:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
30 Sep
On MSNBC, Rep Katie Porter unleashed an epic beatdown on Kyrsten Sinema that captured a core truth: Her bad faith and caginess do profound disservice to her own voters. We need to bring this debate back to essentials. It's about people and public service:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Crucially, Rep Katie Porter pointed out that Sinema and Manchin refuse to say what they want to "do for their constituents."

This is the essence of the matter. As public servants, what do you stand for? What do you want to do with your official position?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
The bill is the heart of the Democratic Party agenda for the future.

Which provisions designed to provide a lift to millions, secure a more habitable planet, and make the tax code fairer and less prone to elite chicanery — which would they throw out?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
29 Sep
Sinema's latest nonsense wrecks a key talking point: That the left is demanding "all or nothing." Progressives are asking her to say what concessions she wants *from them* on reconciliation. She won't say! The left is easily the more reasonable party here:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
At this point, the levels of bad faith coming from Kyrsten Sinema are genuinely hard to fathom. She seems to be insisting on passage of the infrastructure bill *entirely* on her own terms. That seems almost designed to make any accommodation impossible:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
This shouldn't need explaining, but progressives are simply demanding that centrists stick to the original *process.*

This in no way means they're unwilling to make substantive concessions. The idea that they want "all or nothing" is pure invention:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
28 Sep
Dems hoped to "shame" McConnell on the debt limit. Instead they're sputtering with limp outrage while Mitch gets "savvy" points from the media. Time to nix the debt limit in reconciliation. Force Republicans to be the ones howling with ineffectual outrage:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Right now, Dems are searching for *another* procedural trick on the debt limit.

This is absurd! Kill it already! It can be done in reconciliation, by simply tying it to the debt.

This solves Dems' substantive *and* political problems. Here's how:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
The debt limit fiasco also destroys one of the biggest arguments for the filibuster: That it incentivizes bipartisanship.

This episode leaves no doubt: It incentivizes the weaponization of partisanship for the most cynical and destructive ends:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
Greg Sargent Profile picture
24 Sep
Yes, the Arizona "audit" imploded on Trump. But people are missing a big part of the story: Its "findings" continue to push the lie that the 2020 outcome was dubious, and Republicans are gearing up to use this to fake-justify voter suppression. My latest:
washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
For months, we were told the "audit" was about restoring voter "confidence."

But even though it couldn't find the fraud it looked for, its "findings" still say we should lack confidence in our elections, and that more voting restrictions are needed!

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Many headlines are saying the Arizona audit "confirmed" Biden's win.

Don't do this! It implies that the audit was about empirical verification of the outcome, normalizing this practice. It was actually about undercutting the legitimacy of a Dem victory:

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 4 tweets

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