Election 2021 has placed Dueling Democrats in Congress on notice. The danger is clear: either stop the infighting and come to some sort of agreement on the Biden agenda, or risk losing both houses of Congress in 2022 and potentially the White House in 2024.
Politics
Dueling Democrats have conjured up a war within the party between progressives and moderates, with President Biden’s agenda stalled at the center of it all. Progressives (such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders) want the Biden agenda approved ASAP and for it to go even further than the president has requested. However, moderates (such as Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema) say approving such a liberal agenda would be political suicide for the party in 2022.
The end result of the political infighting has frozen Mr. Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan to slow climate change, alter US tax code, improve America’s infrastructure, and more. It has also left Dueling Democrats smarting over unexpected electoral results on Tuesday that favored Republicans.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy eeked out a narrow win in the 11th hour over Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli on Tuesday. However, Democrats weren’t so lucky in Virginia, where Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin beat former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe by a wide margin.
In a statement to reporters, Sen. Manchin of West Virginia called the results of Tuesday’s elections “unbelievable.”
“If we’re going to do something, let’s take time and do it right. Let’s make sure that people know what’s in it,” Manchin said. “We’re talking about revamping the whole entire tax code. That’s mammoth. Totally. We’ve had no hearings, no open hearings.”
Interestingly, Democratic strategists fear the opposite and believe that prolonged negotiations and continued in-fighting will only serve to make matters worse.
“My concern is that Manchin and Sinema will feel emboldened to push for even more moderation, but midterm elections are base elections, and they aren’t the heroes that the base will rally around,” said Ed Espinoza, a Democratic strategist who runs Progress Texas.
He was not alone in his opinion.
“The inability of Democrats – so far, at least – to deliver on the promises Joe Biden made last year is an unforced error,” said Matt Bennett, a spokesman for the moderate organization Third Way. “The months of in-fighting and sausage-making must come to an end. We must pass these two historic bills and then explain what they will do to create jobs, cut taxes, and help working families afford the essentials.”
Who’s right?
Will Democrats save themselves from embarrassment and come together for the sake of the party? Or will individual factions and personal agendas ruin the party and hand control of Congress back to Republicans?
CNBC:
Several major Democratic donors have warned leaders in Congress that they may hold back on donations for next year’s midterm elections unless the party can come together and get some big wins, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Financiers have said behind the scenes that they are frustrated with lawmakers who have yet to pass President Joe Biden’s sprawling economic agenda.
Donors have also described their frustration with the gubernatorial race in Virginia, where Democratic power player and former Gov. Terry McAuliffe is running neck and neck with Republican Glenn Youngkin, a wealthy former CEO of the Carlyle Group.