Grinch 3, Biden 0 – U.S is very far from normal | ticker VIEWS

It was not a good week for the home team in the White House

The plan was to win Senate approval of President Biden’s sweeping social program and climate change package and use the political capital that comes with victory to pivot to a heroic fight to change the Senate rules to enable voting rights legislation to become law in time for the 2022 elections.

But it was not to be…

Sen. Joe Manchin refused to give his endorsement to Biden’s program by the time the Senate adjourned for the year. On Sunday morning on Fox News, Manchin said he was now opposed to the bill altogether: 

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no.”

And in a statement after being on TV, Manchin added insult to injury:

“My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face. I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful.” 

The White house reaction in a statement by Jen Psaki was exceptionally blunt:

“If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate.”

The bill cannot pass without Manchin’s 50^th vote.  And if this bill cannot pass, no further Biden bills of consequence are likely to pass in the remainder of this Congress.

Without the votes of Manchin and Sen Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to change the rules and prevent a filibuster of historic voting rights, that bill could not pass either.  And this was after Biden addressed students at a Black college in South Carolina, the state where Black voters cemented his win of the Democratic nomination to become president:

“We must pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.  We must. We’re going to keep up the fight until we get it done.  And you’re going to keep up the fight.  And we need your help badly.”

Biden is lagging in the polls in part because Black voters, who overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020, see no progress on racial justice issues

Biden’s words did not change any votes in the Senate.  And the Senate has adjourned for the year.

At the same time, the new Covid variant started sweeping across the country, disrupting the holiday season. 

Cases are spiking alarmingly, with over 120,000 per day, and deaths at 1,200 per day – just as the US marked 800,000 dead from this pandemic.  That toll is expected to reach 1 million by Easter.

The score this Christmas week: Grinch 3. Biden 0.

With the pandemic raging, lives and hopes are disrupted. Covid is people and people are the economy.

Households in this economy are immensely burdened with the spikes in inflation. At 6.8%, the highest in 39 years, with beef up 20%, fish and eggs, 8%, petrol 58%.

Biden came into office signaling that the pandemic can be managed, and the economy will recover and we will have normal.

The US is very far from normal. And this is why it is really hurting the president, in his overall standing, in his approval rating and in the strong sentiment among voters that the country is moving in the wrong direction.

Especially in these days leading up to Christmas and the New Year, Biden urgently needs a reset.  He and his advisors now recognize this, with the White House announcing over the weekend that Biden will address the nation Tuesday night.

This is what it needs to accomplish in that speech:

• On the virus.  What to do.  What not to do.  What the situation really is.  How we will handle it.  How we will get through the holidays and January.  How those who are not vaccinated are at mortal risk.  How he has done everything he can.  How everyone has it in their hands whether they will stay healthy or get sick and possibly die. This is not about mandates.  It’s about the choices the American make and live or die with.

• Biden needs also to update country on his Build Back Better program and why he is optimistic he  can still get it. The genius of the initiative is to lower cost for what most American households need for childcare, education, care for seniors, health care. Biden has to tell everyone what they will get.  He has to tell them why this is not done yet.  And tell them he will not stop working on it.

• And Biden must outline the strategy and tactics to change the Senate and win voting rights- or die trying. Why this is so crucial to all Americans and why this is so crucial to America’s democracy.  And demand that the Senate enable this legislation to pass. And demand that they take votes to change the rules. And demand they take votes on this even if the first votes fail – to let everyone know where each Senator stands. (That’s how civil rights bills were passed in the Senate in the ’60s: The southern Senators won early test votes on the civil rights bills, but over time, popular sentiment shifted, and the filibusters were ended by cloture votes and the bills were passed.)

On Tuesday Biden needs to make where he is right now the bottom of his term- and start going up from here. 

Biden needs a speech that turns the tide and makes things happen.