The Democrats are essentially leaderless at this point, with multiple people trying to claim power at the same time.

The leader of the Democrats, of course, is nominally Joe Biden. Biden, of course, is essentially senile. He cannot control the progressive fringe of the party because he actually agrees with them, but then pays lip service to his alleged “moderate” stance, and then tells Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to fix it all and give him what he wants.

What Joe Biden wants from Democrats right now are two things:
1) the immediate passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIF) in the House (it passed the Senate a long time ago), and
2) a “reconciliation framework” for the “Build Back Better” bill (BBB) that both House Progressives and Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema will agree to.

The problems Biden has:
1) Joe Biden, AFTER working with Republicans to get the BIF through the Senate, then promised progressives that the BIF would not be voted on unless the BBB could pass at the same time, linking the two bills.
2) Manchin and Sinema objected to the price tag of the BBB for multiple reasons, putting them in direct conflict with the Progressive Caucus headed by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
3) Manchin and Sinema hold the upper hand on BBB reconciliation, so the Progressive Caucus has deliberately screwed over Nancy Pelosi in the House by refusing to commit to passing the BIF.
4) Joe Biden wants BIF and BBB passed immediately to look like he is winning something, so he is talking up both sides in “Shouty Grandpa” style without actually being a leader and insisting on a course of action.
5) The Virginia gubernatorial election, which has been heavily nationalized, is next Tuesday, and Democrats are looking at the poll numbers with increasing panic.

Everyone up to speed? All right. This leads us to today’s drama, when Biden went to the House and tried to throw down a gauntlet, albeit behind closed doors where he took no questions. PLEASE, please, please pass the BIF today because I’m leaving for Europe. Please don’t make your old grandpa look bad, kids.

Biden to House Dems, per source. “I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.”

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 28, 2021

To then get the progressives on board, Biden got in front of the cameras today to announce that there was a “framework” for the reconciliation bill. It’s a lot less than the progressives wanted, but still an astronomical amount of money.

“No one got everything they wanted, including me, but that’s what compromise is. That’s consensus. And that’s what I ran on,” Biden said in remarks from the White House East Room.”

Before taking the world stage, Biden put public pressure on members of his own party, especially House progressives, to come together to support what he pitched as a “fundamental gamechanger,” laying out the details of the $1.75 trillion package he presented to House Democrats earlier Thursday morning.”

He acknowledged concessions progressives made but said: “Any single part of this framework would fundamentally be viewed as a fundamental change in America.”

Four weeks of federally paid family leave is out — a major blow to progressives — but done to cut the framework’s price tag in hopes that holdouts Sens. Joe Manchin, D.W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., would pledge their support for the social spending framework. House progressives were insisting on that before a House vote on the already Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill.”

While there are claims that Virginia isn’t really a concern at the moment, that is a lie. Team Biden is well aware that Virginia is not really about McAuliffe and Youngkin any more – it has become a referendum on the agenda of the Democrats. The idea that they could lose Virginia, which has become bluer every election cycle and shares a border with Washington DC, has moderates on high alert. Even if McAuliffe manages to win with a slim margin, moderate Democrats are going to be considering their own House races and making some changes regarding what they are willing to campaign on. And if Youngkin wins, the pants-wetting hysteria will be extreme. Which is why Nancy Pelosi is telling the Progressive Caucus to suck it up.

New — Pelosi told her members: “Don’t embarrass” the president by voting down the infrastructure bill as he flies overseas, I’m told

She also said she would put the infrastructure bill on the floor today and hold the vote open to get the bill through.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 28, 2021

“Holding the vote open” means that there is no time limit. Pelosi will just let people keep voting – or changing their votes – until she gets enough to pass the BIF. This could be a very long day in the House if the Progressive Caucus digs their heels in.

Guess what?

Liberals on Thursday vowed to block a popular infrastructure bill — a central piece of President Biden’s domestic agenda — just hours after the president urged their support and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced plans to bring the bipartisan proposal to the House floor for a vote the same day.”

The move by dozens of members in the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) was hardly a departure of tactics: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who chairs the group, has said for months that liberals would oppose the infrastructure bill until there was a concrete agreement with Democratic centrists on a larger social spending package.”

Oh dear, get your popcorn. When Grandpa gets back from Europe, he is going to be MAD. If he remembers what he was doing when he gets back from Europe.

Jayapal emerged not long afterwards to explain the group’s position. With a number of issues still unresolved in the social spending bill — and parts of the text yet to be written — Jayapal said liberals are sticking with their initial strategy, even if it means bucking leadership to delay the vote on the bipartisan infrastructure framework, often referred to as the BIF, until next week.”

“There are … too many ‘no’ votes for the BIF to pass today. However, we are committed to staying here until we get this Build Back Better Act done, get the legislative text,” Jayapal said after huddling in the basement of the Capitol with other members of the CPC.”

But extending an olive leaf to Biden and leaders, Jayapal said the CPC later Thursday will endorse a resolution endorsing Biden’s $1.75 trillion framework, which was rolled out by the White House Thursday morning.”

“With the framework that is there, we can endorse that in principle, but we do need to have the legislative text and we will vote both bills through together,” she added.”

Progressives have been clear from the beginning — both bills move forward together so we don’t leave anyone behind. pic.twitter.com/hPwap9XxMR

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) October 28, 2021

So who is holding up the Biden agenda? The Progressive Democrats. They want their goodies guaranteed in writing before conceding the BIF vote. $1.75 trillion, a number which is still mind-boggling, won’t pay for everything they wanted. Rest assured, they’re going to keep coming back with open hands, wanting more taxpayer dollars to keep paying people off. And Manchin and Sinema are still holding cards of their own, because they want to see the text of the BBB bill as well before fully committing to supporting it.

So nothing is getting passed in the House today unless Republicans decide to vote for the BIF – but why should they help Biden or Pelosi or the other Democrats? This is their mess. Kevin McCarthy has been a solid “no” on the BIF, and despite a few Republican House members indicating that they could vote for it, the numbers don’t exist to make up for the Progressive Caucus sitting out or voting no.

After next Tuesday and the vote in Virginia, Biden may find himself without progressive votes for the BIF, and without moderate votes for the BBB. If that happens, then he will essentially be a lame duck for the rest of his presidency. Hang on to your hats, everyone – this could be a wild ride.

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