Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has been a royal pain in the ass for Democrats throughout the Biden administration but he’s been right about two things. He was prescient about the risk of inflation and he’s been committed to raising taxes on corporations as part of any spending deal. Now, we can argue about whether passing the Build Back Better agenda in 2021 would have made the inflation problem worse (possibly not), and whether the policies Manchin has supported have contributed to rising prices (possibly yes). We can also question whether the money raised from corporations is best spent on deficit reduction, as Manchin intends.
But, right now, Manchin appears ready to reach a scaled-back deal with the administration that includes both corporate taxes and deficit reduction, and the pro-business caucus in the House led by North Jersey congressman Josh Gottheimer is trying to scuttle it.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) is gauging support among House centrists for a counteroffer to the emerging Senate reconciliation package, with one big clause: No new taxes…
…Gottheimer’s discussions target a small group that includes Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.) Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.)…
…early House discussions led by Gottheimer don’t envision any new taxes on corporations or wealthy individuals. The Trump tax cuts on corporations and individuals would remain in place…Gottheimer’s formula would leave $177 billion for deficit reduction — a step toward Manchin but a long way from his roughly $500 billion target…
…Gottheimer’s counteroffer envisions $520 billion in new spending for climate energy and health insurance exchanges, and a total of $627 billion in new money from enhanced IRS enforcement and drug pricing reform.
One thing you’d think people would understand by now is that Manchin doesn’t move very far off his bottom line. If he tells you he doesn’t support something, he probably will never support it. And if he wants something in a bill, it’s probably going to have to be in the bill. He has a good grasp on what sells in West Virginia, and helping President Biden enact his agenda is a tough sell. Raising corporate taxes, however, is actually very popular. I’m not convinced that deficit reduction is high on voters’ priority list, but it has always been a priority for Manchin and he’s not likely interested in a big spending bill unless it raises enough surplus revenue to make a big dent.
Getting Manchin to “yes” on anything is difficult, and risking the whole package to protect corporations and high income individuals from taxation is political suicide.
But the Democrats don’t seem to be able to get out of their own way.
Short term, the only thing “high on voter’s priority list” right now is cheaper food and gas. Problem is, if Biden and the Dems suddenly gave them that, they would then immediately pivot to “THE DEFICIT, TAXES….ZOMG!!!!”.
Their economic “concerns” are so easily manipulated and exploited by the top 1%, the wishes of conservative media, the natural reflex of mainstream media to parrot RW talking points, and just the overall tribal instincts of the reptilian portions of their brain that no matter what Dems do, even if it’s successful, it will likely still cost them politically. They are in a desperate position now which seems to have no escape. It is pretty damn close to a no-win situation. If your best shot is “Look, gas prices have fallen for “X” consecutive days”, then you already have about as weak an argument as you can get.
There is no way that this country can continue as democracy with a Constitution stating the government is of the people for the people and their general welfare. The struggle with Manchin is but the icon for what is the inevitable goal of the greedy unregulated corporations who really determine the fate of the majority of the lower class who work and struggle to maintain dignity as working people who need basic support such as health care, schools, education enough to tell truth from lies and who really is trying to make government work. These “lower class” people have no voice while lack of child care makes them prisoners in the land of the free as an example. Everything comes down to this, the ordinary people are not free but make it free for all the corporate leaders who live off them. Trump will come back, like an octopus, strangling all as life in America continues to worship the almighty corporations.