A Generational Test of Party Unity

John Cassidy: “The long and the short of all this is that Biden and other Democratic leaders are facing a dual challenge. If they don’t want to rely on Republican votes in the House to pass the infrastructure bill, they will have to somehow pair it with the big reconciliation package. At the same time, maintaining Party unity to pass the reconciliation package must be their overriding priority.”

‘This will involve persuading Sinema; Manchin; Bernie Sanders, the head of the Senate Budget Committee; and A.O.C.—a group with vastly different political priorities—to come together. Equally important will be maintaining the support of some of the less vocal centrist Democrats who are facing tough reelection challenges next year, such as Mark Kelly, Sinema’s colleague in Arizona, and Maggie Hassan, of New Hampshire.”

“For Biden, but also for the country, the stakes are very high.”