Walter Shapiro: “Blame Cal Cunningham for everything. He lost a probably winnable 2020 Senate seat in North Carolina because of a sex scandal. In an alternative universe, the Democrats would have 51 Senate seats and Sinema could follow her own weird path without affecting the outcome.”
Manchin Sticks to $1.5 Trillion as His Top Line
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he will not support more than $1.5 trillion in a budget reconciliation package — something his caucus has known since July.
He added that Democrats need to elect more liberals if they want to go above his $1.5 trillion top line.
Pelosi Keeps Pushing for Infrastructure Vote
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday declared she had no plans to delay a high-profile vote on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, even as members of her leadership team bluntly warned the vote could fail,” Politico reports.
“Pelosi told reporters a half-dozen ways that Democrats were muscling ahead with the vote despite mounting progressive threats to tank the bill without a clear path forward for the party’s separate — but politically linked — safety net bill.”
Said Pelosi: “We’re on a path to win the votes. I don’t want to even consider any options but that. Think positively.”
Kristi Noem Severs Ties with Corey Lewandowski
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who was accused of having an affair with Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, has severed ties with him, Politico reports.
Said Noem’s spokesman: “Corey was always a volunteer, never paid a dime (campaign or official). He will not be advising the Governor in regard to the campaign or official office.”
Manchin Proposed $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill
“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) proposed a deal to Senate Majority Chuck Schumer (D-NY) this summer to limit the total cost of Democrats’ sweeping spending bill to $1.5 trillion,” according to a copy of the agreement obtained by Politico.
“Manchin also suggested beginning debate no earlier than Oct. 1.”
“The West Virginia senator has been distributing the document to Democratic colleagues and leaders in recent days to underscore that he has outlined his red lines on President Joe Biden’s jobs and families plan. The one-page understanding is dated July 28, right before the Senate passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that Manchin helped write and ahead of Senate passage of a budget setting up a spending bill as large as $3.5 trillion.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The $3.5 trillion Biden plan isn’t socialism, it’s Marxism.”
— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), on Twitter.
This suggests to me that charges of “socialism” against Democrats are no longer scary enough for Republicans.
Pelosi Declares Reconciliation Capstone of Her Service
This is interesting: Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the budget reconciliation bill the “culmination of my service in Congress.”
Justices Agree to Hear Ted Cruz’s Lawsuit
“The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by Sen. Ted Cruz challenging federal campaign finance rules that restrict a campaign’s ability to raise money after an election to repay a candidate’s personal loan,” USA Today reports.
A Deep Divide Between Trump and Biden Voters
A new University of Virginia Center for Politics survey looks at the persistent divisions between Trump and Biden voters:
- Majorities — often large majorities — of both Biden and Trump voters express some form of distrust for voters, elected officials, and media sources they associate with the other side.
- A strong majority of Trump voters see no real difference between Democrats and socialists, and a majority of Biden voters at least somewhat agree that there is no real difference between Republicans and fascists.
- Significant numbers of both Trump and Biden voters show a willingness to consider violating democratic tendencies and norms if needed to serve their priorities.
- Roughly 4 in 10 (41%) of Biden and half (52%) of Trump voters at least somewhat agree that it’s time to split the country, favoring blue/red states seceding from the union.
Democrats Need to Take the Win
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Vulnerable Democrats Sound the Alarm
Bloomberg: “Lawmakers from swing districts said in interviews they’re growing concerned about the current deadlock among Democrats on how to proceed with these massive spending measures. Progressives are insisting that both bills be considered at the same time, while some moderates want to vote on infrastructure as leaders continue negotiating the social spending package.”
Said Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA): “Quite honestly if we can’t deliver we can lose the majority. And we’ll be the minority party, and we’re not going to be talking about working on any of these things. The Republicans will be working on tax cuts for the super wealthy.”
Schumer Says Reconciliation Can’t Be Used for Debt Limit
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Congress can’t use the budget reconciliation process to raise the debt limit, calling it “uncharted waters,” NBC News reports.
Said Schumer: “This body cannot and will not go through a drawn-out and unpredictable process sought by the minority leader.”
He added: “To do this through reconciliation requires ping-ponging separate bills back from the Senate and the House… Individual senators could move to delay and delay and delay. It is very risky and could well lead us to default.”
It’s an odd statement since Schumer may be forced to use reconciliation — unless he’s got some secret plan to eliminate the filibuster.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“There is going to be a lot of disappointment in the law, a huge amount. Look at me, look at my dissents.”
— Justice Sonia Sotomayor, quoted by CNN, previewing the upcoming Supreme Court term.
Biden to Announce 14 More Judicial Nominees
“President Biden on Thursday announced plans to nominate 10 people to the federal bench and four to serve on local Washington, D.C., courts,” The Hill reports.
“It’s the eighth round of nominees announced by Biden, who has now named 53 federal judicial nominees.”
An Interesting Zoom Background
On a recent Zoom call, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) had the carcass of a dead bear pinned to his wall.
Lankford Gets Another Primary Challenger
Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) announced his primary challenge of Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on the back of a pickup truck with a red “Trump 45” license plate, according to the McCarville Report.
Lindell’s Election Fraud Claims Shot Down In Idaho
My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell alleged “electronic manipulation” in vote tallies in all of Idaho’s 44 counties, KMVT reports.
The only problem is that seven of Idaho counties don’t use any electronic steps in the vote counting processes.
Mark Kelly Leads All Challengers In Arizona
A new OH Predictive Insights poll in Arizona finds Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in a comfortable position ahead of his re-election race, leading all four Republican candidates in potential head-to-head matchups.
Against Mark Brnovich (R), Kelly currently leads 43% to 39%. Kelly leads Michael McGuire (R) 44% to 37%, Jim Lamon (R) 43% to 36%, and Blake Masters (R) 44% to 35%.
