The Politics Thread

[JaneAusten]

I think Garcia and Barbot resigned around the same time. Within a month of each other. Says a lot about the idiocy and incompetence of the current mayor.  He just announced all in person learning for the next school year without consulting anyone.  He's ended up surrounding himself with people who nod and agree with him I guess. I assume the NYC public school system is not a whole lot different than Chicago and that there will be people who want their children to continue remote learning. Even in Chicago as problematic as the school situation here has been, they will be continuing some form of remote learning and are going to require those students 12 and over be vaccinated to attend in person learning.

[Vee]

 

[Vee]

 

[Vee]

 

There is a lot of sky is falling/hair on fire talk about this news (which I suspect was leaked by the Republicans), and I think if it stands it is an awful deal and a big mistake. But I don't think it will.

 

I don't believe in 3-D chess with Dems most of the time, and I don't think there is any here. It doesn't have to be that sophisticated. But I do think the naturally cynical Republican sympathizer Jake Sherman is right when he says that both the WH and Capito are simply waiting to walk away and claim the other side wasn't bipartisan enough - and when that happens, and the WH decides to go it alone, this particular wildly inadequate ghost of an infrastructure bill will not be part of what is finally put to the House and Senate. This is something to float to signal to the Beltway 'look, we tried'.

[JaneAusten]

I'm more convinced at this point that Sinema and Manchin have been bought. McConnell's wealthy donors. I'll give Manchin a little leeway maybe he is a true believe but Sinema is as phony as they come.  I expect she'll run as a republican in 2024 or just go do lobbying work. She practically salivates over Mitch McConnell and IMO is not very smart.

[DRW50]

 

She was originally a Green Party member - the last 20 years or so of that party (in the US anyway) have been toxic and self-involved beyond all reasoning. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if she switched parties any day, especially after seeing her pal around with vacuous, despicable John Cornyn yesterday at the border wall. 

 

Manchin is probably too proud to switch parties, but he will continue to watch us all suffer and lose what little is left of our country so he can show us how bipartisan and sensible he is. 

[Vee]

 

Given the intense rancor surrounding Summers in the WH and the party, I don't think he will but I look fwd to plumbing through countless tweets about how he's surely going to get rolled.

[JaneAusten]

Until Vee or someone mentioned it I had no idea she was Code Pink. So basically she's a pretend activist and has been for years. Just an attention getter. 

 

I know Manchin has done some odious garbage and we have to know he ditched Neera Tanden because of her criticism of his daughter(rightfully so), but I feel at least I think he's gettable.  I think they could float some huge infrastructure project by him in WV and put his name on it and he'd be in. I also think he has cover by the Governor there who is not quite as odious as most of the GOP Governors are across the country.

[DRW50]

 

I sometimes feel bad about singling out Manchin, as multiple articles have claimed there are others who share his views (and you hear and see a number of moments from Feinstein, Warner, Coons, etc. which suggest as much), but he's always shoving his face in front of a camera, so I guess he wants the attention.

[Vee]

 

The difference is that if one or both of them break, the others are too chickenshit to turn into Manchin. They'll vote party line.

[JaneAusten]

True although I would take Feinstein out of that. I hate saying this but I really don't believe she understands what she's saying anymore.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

I also get the sense that Sinema just isn't that smart. In other words, a perfect fit for the current crop of GOP.

[Vee]

 

Me neither, sadly.

[marceline]

 

File me under people who think Sinema just isn't that smart and obviously being advised poorly. I don't see her as a closet Republican though.

[Vee]

I think if Sinema starts losing cover from other moderates she'll fold quick. She's stupid but she's all talk. I don't think she'll switch parties.