Comment by andrekandre
4 hours ago
there are many democrats who would block such a thing as well.
historically there is always the one or two who (perhaps too conveniently?) block or water down legislation: joe lieberman against public option [0], two democrats block student debt relief [1], the dynamic duo of manchin and sinema blocking voting rights legislation and build back better [2] [3]...
you don't need to blame republicans for democrats sabotaging themselves over and over.
[0] https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/12/joe-liebermans-...
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/which-democrats-voted-to-blo...
[2] https://apnews.com/article/biden-voting-rights-bill-collapse...
[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/manchin-says-he-no...
Lieberman and Sinema are great examples of quixotic people who weren't even representing their constituents' wishes. They're legitimate targets of criticism and intra-party competition through being primaried or losing access to fund raising.
Manchin also didn't represent his constituents' wishes, but in the other direction on the political axis. The Democratic caucus won many votes it otherwise would not have, if a Republican was occupying the seat. If the Democratic party is serious about gaining and holding power, it needs to accept that some seats are tenuously held. Legislators in those seats need to be able to break with the party line to satisfy their constituents.
Ironically, Manchin attempted to include permitting reform, which would allow renewables and utility projects the same latitude that oil & gas projects enjoy. However, Democratic party stalwarts blocked the proposal.
If the margins weren’t so razor thin, it wouldn’t happen