Manchin Won’t Back Medicare Expansion

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) shut down one of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) biggest priorities, expanding Medicare, which Manchin warned would undermine the solvency of the broader program,” The Hill reports.

Playbook: “The reconciliation bill is gradually shifting from a Sanders product that encapsulates the policy thinking of the modern progressive movement to a much more business-friendly and targeted package of programs reminiscent of 1990s Clintonism.”

“So far, Bernie and his allies seem OK with all of this — or at least quiet. But as the Democrats prepare to unveil the final agreement, we would be surprised if there isn’t one more rebellion from the left to protest how much progressives have lost in the sausage-making so far.”