It isn't just Joe Manchin standing in the way of the social spending bill

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

The latest: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Finance Committee, told reporters there are more than 20 issues currently playing out before the chamber's parliamentarian. That means it isn't just Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) standing in the way of getting the bill done before Dems' ideal Christmas deadline.

"We have more than 20 issues that we're litigating with the parliamentarian."
— Finance Chair Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

Read more: https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/12-14-2021/not-just-manchin/

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[The Magistrate]

1. Sounds Like They Need A New Parliamentarian, Sir

Someone who knows the score, and is reliable as an alderman from the 11th Ward....

[onenote]

3. Not going to happen.

The current Parliamentarian was appointed by Harry Reid in 2012. She has issued a number of rulings that enraged Republicans.

Moreover, apart from the first parliamentarian (who served from 1935 to 1964) every Chief Parliamentarian has been chosen from the ranks of assistant parliamentarians and changing parliamentarians isn't likely to change the decisions.

[The Magistrate]

4. I Know. It Ought To, Though

It's flat ridiculous to pretend rules and such apply at this point. Nothing but raw power and the will to use it counts today. Leadership which does not realize this and act on it will lose, and not just themselves, but the country.

[madville]

7. Yep, take a page out of the last guy's playbook

Fire people until you get to someone who will say “Yes”.

[MichMan]

9. Yep, eventually someone will just do as they are told

[Walleye]

2. I don't think the voters are buying that excuse

[The Magistrate]

5. Nor Should They, Sir

It is an excuse, not a reason.

[Hortensis]

10. :)The kind of people who think we have excuses

instead of reasons don’t know there is a parliamentarian. And half of them don’t vote or swing around erratically for what they think are good reasons, you know, the establishment, as bad as Republicans, the system, they don’t care about people like me, etc.

[Walleye]

12. True, some have been treating the pandemic like it's an excuse

[Hortensis]

14. The Republicans are committed to

obstructing virtually everything we do and very noisily so. Never say they don’t have principles, they have one and defeating us is it.

As for their fellow travelers among the faux progressive left, all they have is excuses.

[Walleye]

15. That, As they say, is the long and the short of it

[lapucelle]

6. Page 750 of the bill has a placeholder for the SALT exemption.

Who’s supposed to be working on that?

[madville]

8. And appeasing Manchin will create a new hurdle in the House

The Progressive Caucus and CBC may not support the Senate version if certain things are removed.

[karynnj]

13. Not likely to be an issue

EVERYTHING in that bill has long been on the progressives' wish list. For example, imagine that nothing but the childcare portion remains. Given the choice to get just that or nothing, which way will progressives vote?

The biggest fear I have is that Manchin will block most or all of the climate change part - because he has a lot of personal financial involvement in coal. The first thing I remember hearing about him is that in his first Senate run, he had an ad where he used a gun to shot a hole through a paper copy of the Markey climate bill.

[Deminpenn]

11. Parlimentarian rulings are technical procedural issues

My guess is that these rulings have already been anticipated in the bill.


Manchin is a roadblock. That is quite a difference.

Also, the House already "pre-negotiated" with both Manchin and Sinema, except for the paid leave provision, for the pending House/Senate conference committee.

[maxsolomon]

16. I don't remember voting for Parliamentarian.

Years ago when my niece was a Page, I used to tell her "the Senate should be burned to the ground".