I recommend Brownstein's latest piece in The Atlantic on this.
-
-
Replying to @HeerJeet
Brownstein argues that Joe Manchin is the number one obstacle to preserving democracy. Persuading him is everything. We can't pass voter protection legislation unless the filibuster is reformed or abolished, and Manchin won't budge on the filibuster.
2 replies 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
All this handwringing about whether the Biden administration is "concerned" enough or whether they're willing to "push hard enough" is magical thinking without a clear plan to make that push effective.
2 replies 1 retweet 2 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
The Democrats need Manchin more than he needs them. None of the usual incentives seem to be working. If they come down too hard on him, he'll quit and join the GOP and then nothing will get passed. A primary challenger means nothing to him.
2 replies 1 retweet 4 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
Brownstein is interpreting the Biden administration's tactics as a lack of concern or urgency, but he doesn't have any real evidence that this is the case besides his subjective read on discussions with unnamed officials.
2 replies 0 retweets 3 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
You could take the same evidence and say that Biden is extremely concerned, but he thinks the best way to move Manchin is to keep wheedling behind the scenes rather than picking a big public fight and embarrassing the stubborn old narcissist who could easily defect to the GOP.
1 reply 1 retweet 6 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
In the same piece, you've got Brownstein acknowledging not only the personal commitment of the Democratic leadership to preserving democracy, but also their very real fear that the GOP leges are going to stop certifying Dem victories.
3 replies 1 retweet 0 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
A more reasonable reading is that the Dem leadership is deeply concerned, but it all comes down to Manchin and they don't think it helps their cause to publicly embarrass Manchin while they're trying to persuade him.
2 replies 1 retweet 3 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
People talk about "putting pressure on Manchin" but being yelled at in public doesn't really put pressure on him because it's not turning WV voters against him. He's resisting because he thinks its what the voters of WV want. Dramatizing that doesn't hurt him.
1 reply 1 retweet 4 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
Manchin isn't going to change his vote just because Joe Biden or MSNBC yell at him. Giving a huge narcissist a big ol' narcissistic injury isn't a good way to get them to do what you want.
2 replies 1 retweet 2 likes
Personalizing this to Manchin is a mistake because the principles Manchin is operating under (preserving institutional norms, necessity for bipartisan outreach) are shared by other Democrats including Biden.
-
-
Replying to @HeerJeet
Except that 49 Democratic senators, Biden, and Harris have repudiated that bullshit. They desperately want to move on and Manchin won't let them.
2 replies 1 retweet 3 likes -
Replying to @beyerstein @HeerJeet
It makes sense to personalize when literally one person is clinging to an ideology that has been repudiated by the rest of the party.
1 reply 1 retweet 0 likes - Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.