Hello everyone and welcome to this episode of Ignition Time.
Now, if there's one Democrat who has essentially reshaped President Biden's
agenda, it is a conservative Democrat from West Virginia, Joe Manchin.
In fact, Joe Manchin has single handedly
destroyed President Biden's build back better agenda.
Well, folks, they meaning the Democrats might be able to strike a deal with him.
Here's a new headline of an article on your screen from Politico,
Deal with Manchin would reshape the Democrats fight to keep the majority.
In fact, the party is hoping
that rebranding President Biden's signature bill, which was the build back
better agenda, which, by the way, is dead right now.
But rebranding it as a way to cut
inflation will help them keep their Senate majority.
In fact, here's some reporting from Politico.
Democrats most at risk senators want to transform the artist formerly known as build back
better into an inflation Buster just in time for the midterms.
It's a gambit that could jumpstart President Joe Biden's stalled domestic
agenda by helping Democrats cut a deal with Senator Joe Manchin,
the Democrat from West Virginia, and sell this piece of legislation as
a cost cutting package and run on it in the fall.
In other words, they want to use that to boost their midterm prospects.
In fact, Politico reports that would give
the party's most vulnerable lawmakers a strong message to keep their seats
and keep the majority for two more years as a result.
Here's a quote
from Senator John Hickenlooper, who's a Democrat from Colorado.
That obviously would have an effect on helping people in their reelections.
In fact, the Senate Majority leader, Chuck Schumer, actually said that he had
some sort of a roadmap to revive Democrats stalled domestic agenda,
including hearings on a plan to lower prescription drug costs.
And by the way, that was the centerpiece of the pitch by Democrats by a lot
of Democrats who are trying to pass the build back better agenda.
And now they're going to actually rebrand
this and say, hey, we're helping to cut costs during a time
in our history when costs are going through the roof.
And also this cost cutting agenda, which
by the way, is ironic because Democrats do want to spend a lot of money.
But the cost cutting agenda is expected
to be a major focus in the House and Senate Democrats focus.
And that is something that they're going
to be discussing in the coming days and weeks.
Now, folks, this is essentially a do over.
Yes, it's a do over.
It's a Manchin deal, if you will,
after the Democrats struggled to pass the $1.7 trillion build back better
agenda, which Senator Joe Manchin rejected back in December.
And since then, things have been really tough for Democrats.
In fact, Senator Michael Bennet, who's a Democrat from Colorado,
faces a pretty tough reelection campaign this fall.
He said, his constituents barely know what was there in previous proposals because
of the hideous lack of communication with the American people.
In fact, this is what Bennet says,
what's critically important for us is to come to an agreement quickly.
The good news is that there's a lot of potential here to pass something
that is extremely popular with the American people.
Notice the use of the words extremely popular.
Well, after all, he does want to get reelected.
And Bennett continued, this gives us another chance.
I mean, Joe is only one of 50 of us he's
talking about Joe mentioned here, but he said start with a blank sheet of paper.
Well, he put some pencil marks on a blank sheet of paper.
In fact, Manchin is floating a package that would reduce the deficit,
lower prescription drug costs, and actually put some money into fighting
climate change with the Democrats, love and reform the tax codes.
Now, Joe Manchin has repeatedly said there are no formal talks going
on with President Biden or his colleagues, but Democrats actually consider this as
a sign that Joe mentioned is open for business.
Here's a quote from Senator Kathryn Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada.
It is worth continuing to figure out how we work together to really focus on how we
lower these costs for families and individuals right now.
Again, folks, pretty interesting that the Democrats now
want to cut costs after they wanted to pass a $1.7 plan just three months ago.
But again, hey, that's politics for you.
In fact, Cortez Masto said that she's stalking with a group of Democrats
on a package that would take some pieces of the build back, better plan.
And she said we should pull out those that really make sense.
In other words, let's take the best components that can
help us get reelected and then let's implement them.
In fact, Santa Maggie Hassan, who's a Democrat of New Hampshire,
by the way, her seat is also up for grabs, said her goal is to hold big Pharma
accountable and bring down prescription drug costs.
So it's very clear, folks, that the Democrats are like, Oops,
we couldn't achieve that big sweeping agenda.
So now let's cherry pick the things
that are going to sound good, things that are going to give us a quick win.
Let's pass that and hopefully get reelected.
Now, as you can imagine,
there are some who really wanted a much bigger, more expensive package like
the one and only Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont.
But on the other hand, Senate Republicans are skeptical of all
these plans from Democrats, all these efforts to try and resuscitate,
in other words, to try and bring back to life the stall domestic agenda.
In fact, Senator Rick Scott,
the Republican from Florida, who by the way,
is a campaign chair of the Republican Party,
he actually criticized Democrats pursuit of tax increases.
And Senator John Cornyn,
the Republican from Texas, said the push made no sense at all.
He said the horse is out of the barn. Pretty interesting, folks.
This is really a battlefield.
If you will between the Republicans and the Democrats and I can tell you
that the Democrats at this moment in time are really struggling.
In fact, Senator Raphael Warnock, who was recently elected as a Senator
from the great state of Georgia, said this we need to get some more things
done for the people of Georgia, for the American people and I'd be
interested in pursuing whatever path lowers costs for people holds corporations
accountable that are artificially raising prices.
He said this it doesn't matter to me about the path.
I just want to get something done. Now.
Many Democrats are trying to get stuff done.
In fact, Senator Sherrod Brown, who is a Democrat from Ohio,
he warned that more day to day discussions would prompt negative headlines saying
that we are talking to Manchin and that is going here and we are failing.
In other words, they're starting to get
impatient and they want to get some stuff done.
Senator Mark Kelly, who's a Democrat from Arizona Said he's
focused on rising costs and in fact, Kelly said this what seniors have to pay
in the state of Arizona for prescription drugs is fundamentally unfair.
If and when that becomes an opportunity here we will refocus on that.
So you can start to see that the Democrats
are trying to cut a deal with Senator Joe Manchin to try and pass something that can
give them a quick win and that can help their reelection prospects because
at the end of this year, we'll have the midterm elections
which will control the balance of power in the Senate and in the house.
The Democrats have a razor thin majority in both the Senate and the house and this
is going to be a very critical election because if the Republicans retake
the house and the Senate President Joe Biden will not be able to get anything
done, at least any Democratic priority done for the rest of his term.
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Let me know what you think of the Democrats agenda.
The Democrats attempt to resuscitate the agenda and the potential Manchin deal.
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I'm looking forward to seeing you in the next episode of ignition time.
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