Really benefit Americans and
their families.
And he's talking about the fact
that corporate Democrats,
like himself probably, and
corporate Democrats in the Senate,
like Senator Joe Manchin, want to
spend a maximum of 1.5 trillion,
whereas the current bill proposes
spending 3.5 trillion.
Well, Clyburn is saying that all of
this back and forth that's taking
place in the public needs to stop.
We need to have these discussions
in smoke-filled rooms
where the public doesn't know
what's going on, let's watch.
>> 3.5 trillion,
it's just that, a ceiling.
No one has ever said that's
the exact number, but that's
a floor, is up to 3.5 trillion.
Now I see that Joe Manchin has
mentioned it,
a $1.5 trillion number.
But somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5,
there is $2 trillion,
those $2 trillion are there.
And I think that there is a lot of
room for people to sit down and
negotiate.
It may be,
when you're sitting around a table,
you may not need 3.5 trillion to do
what the president wants done, and
what the country needs done.
But let's work on it and
stay out of all of this negotiating
in the media.
That's not the way to negotiate.
Let's keep this around the table
and see what we can come up with.
>> Clyburn says as he's negotiating
in the media.
And let me just say that there
should be transparency.
And that's the reason why we have
interviews with members of
Congress to begin with.
It's not to ask them how their day
is going or what color they painted
their house.
The whole point is to know what
they're up to in Congress
in regard to policies that have
an impact on our lives.
So Clyburn saying don't debate it
publicly is ridiculous.
But what's also ridiculous is that
he's making it clear there that the
3.5 trillion, that's the ceiling.
Whereas progressive Democrats,
like Representative Rashida Tlaib
is saying, no, that's the floor.
And I like that, there it is,
she said it in the form of a tweet.
I like that, because,
at least rhetorically so far,
what we've seen from Progressives
is a willingness to fight.
And understand that in this case
they do have leverage, because they
can in fact withhold their vote on
the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Something that corporate
donors desperately want,
something that both Democrats and
Republicans desperately want.
They can withhold their vote on
that unless there is a clear path
forward for the passage of
the Budget Reconciliation Bill.
And so far from what we've seen
from them, rhetorically,
they're willing to withhold their
votes to get what they want,
and I hope they stick to that.
>> Now, guys, when you see people
on television, politicians don't
always go on television.
There's a reason why they're going
on, so Clyburn went on here for
a specific reason.
It was not to push the bill more
towards Joe Biden's position,
Democratic position,
the Progressive position of $3.5
trillion.
It was to push it down, and what
specifically he came on to say,
stop negotiating in the media.
Okay, that was the most important
message that he was saying.
And obviously it's ironic, because
he's going on media to say that,
as Anna pointed out.
I'll get to how,
if he was honest person,
which he most certainly is not.
But if he was an honest person,
then he's the world's
worst negotiator,
we'll get to that in a second.
But understand that when Manchin
had been saying for months, and
same with Sinema, hey,
I don't accept 3.5 trillion.
We need to hit the pause button,
1.5 trillion should be the max we
should give, etc.
Clyburn never went on television
and told them, hey, stop it,
cut it out, right?
So why is he going on now?
Because now Progressives are going
on TV and saying, no, we need to
fight back against Manchin, and
we need to insist on 3.5 trillion.
So, you know the famous movie Horse
Whisperer and the book and stuff?
And so, people who are good at
talking to certain creatures In
the case of Clyburn,
he doesn't whisper, and
he's not good at talking to us.
His job is to be the Progressive
screamer, so he's supposed to come
out here and scream and yell at us.
So he's uprating us here,
how dare you Progressives try to
get more for the voters,
is going to think about our donors?
Well, don't worry about it, Jim,
that's your job to help the donors.
And then what you did spectacularly
here on television, because I think
he's a corporate stooge.
And he purposely is ambushing the
$3.5 trillion, so that we get less.
So that his donors will give him
more money in the form of campaign
contributions.
But let's hope I'm wrong, but
what's the alternative.
Now, everyone agrees, as a matter
of logic, if you say that the $3.5
trillion is our ceiling, and
we should negotiate down, you're
going to bring the number down.
That's what you're going to do,
everybody understands that, right?
So at a bare minimum, Clyburn is
the world's worst negotiator.
Coming on here and going,
I made it 3.5 trillion,
we don't really need it.
Let's go and
negotiate it all the way down and
see how low we can go.
So Jim Clyburn, and I'd like to ask
you, I know this is sacrilege in
Washington, because you cannot ever
criticize Democratic leadership.
But are you stupid, or
are you working for
your corporate donors?
because if you're not working for
your corporate donors,
that was a really stupid thing
to do on national TV.
You just cost the voters tons of
money, and you just saved
corporations, through higher taxes,
tons of money.
Did you go oops, I did it again?
Or you just didn't see it,
because you're not very bright?
I don't know,
inquiring minds want to know.