Thread by @Pinboard

The story here is that the party in power wasted its first year unwilling to pare down a bill to something that would pass its caucus, sent itself home for the holidays, and now blames the senator by some miracle we still have from WV for why people's child tax credit got cut off

https://twitter.com/ezraklein/status/1472594440694878210

The theme here, with the praiseworthy exception of the infrastructure bill, is a failure to lead. You use the materials you're given to achieve what you realistically can, you keep disagreements private, and you don't sleep on a pandemic you promised to make your top priority.

People who blame Manchin for this debacle of misgovernance are giving an out to a party and leadership team that has shown itself incapable of wielding power. They didn't even fail in a way that made Republicans look bad. It's our World Cup team that can only score own goals.

If BBB is truly dead (and not resting again in the legislation cellar), then this is an appropriate moment for the octogenerians in Democratic leadership to step aside and give us fresh leadership to try to salvage the next election.

Amazed at how many people have convinced themselves that Joe Manchin is some sleeper agent who convinced everyone he was a predictable, deeply conservative Democrat from coal country, but in reality was biding his time to torpedo his own party's legislative agenda in bad faith.

If you believe in single points of villainy in government (whether it's McConnell, Manchin, Kavanaugh, the evil Parliamentarian) then you're a rube who will fall for every sweet-talking excuse maker who ever needs your vote. Politics can always provide a villain.

As I understand it, Manchin offered to support a 1.75T bill with everything fully funded for 10 years. If leadership had put forward such a bill, and Manchin reneged, then I would be in sympathy with people crying foul. But that didn't happen, they took their ball and went home.

I'm no politician, but it strikes me that if Democrats want to campaign in 2022 on their extended child care tax credit in as a signature achievement, then it was probably a bad idea to let it expire over *Christmas* so the legislature could go home early.