"This is the end. My only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end." – The Doors
It's not like the Biden Presidency was breaking any records or anything (other than the daily "oldest president in history" record he sets merely by waking up). But this weekend's "It's a 'no' from me, dawg" pronouncement from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) could very well be the beginning of a very long and pitiful coda to this accident of American politics.
And while the media and erstwhile wannabe socialists across the political, academic, and entertainment spectrum insist on demonizing the West Virginia senator for literally doing exactly what he's always promised his voters he would do (remember how he ran for office in 2010 by literally using the proposed "Cap and Trade Bill" for target practice?), let's pause a moment and place the blame squarely where it really belongs: with Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Schumer possesses the agonizingly dangerous trait combination that plagues so many American politicians; he's arrogant and incompetent. And it's been on full display this past year.
He was gifted the majority leader position thanks to a chaotic Georgia run-off election, and his only job all year long was to merely wrangle the members of his own party to vote his way. And now, on the most critical piece of legislation for his party and his president, he couldn't even do that.
According to Manchin, the wheels came off for him after many bad encounters with the Biden White House. Sources keep citing "incivility" as his biggest problem with the Ivys running the show at 1600 Pennsylvania.
"It's not the president, it's the staff. And they drove some things and put some things out that were absolutely inexcusable," he told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval.
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There's no doubt civility is a trait Manchin values, and if the snot-nosed jerks at the White House like Ron Klain and Jen Psaki treat him with the same kind of know-it-all disdain they treat all of us with, there's no doubt Manchin had very little motivation to do them any favors at all, especially when those favors include going back on all his promises to his voters and destroying his state's leading industries as the Build Back Better Boondoggle would surely have done.
But, if incivility is the beginning, middle, and end of the problems for Manchin in this entire process, let's swing back to good ole Chuck Schumer and his diabolical scorched earth policy in the Senate.
Remember the first week of October when Republicans acquiesced to public pressure and personal please from their colleagues to extend the debt limit? They bailed Schumer, Biden, and Pelosi out even though they didn't have to do it. The Dems in charge (you know, "the adults").
Dems could have used the reconciliation process to raise the debt ceiling and keep the government funded. They didn't need a single Republican vote to do it, but that process would've been lengthy and difficult, and they might have had their own party members (looking at you, AOC) with stupid, last-minute items that would've embarrassed the party by revealing the truly radical nature of their power base.
So, McConnell gave in and did Schumer a favor.
Remember how Schumer thanked him? By laying into him with a diatribe on the floor of the Senate.
Remember how Manchin reacted? Watch:
Manchin was not digging Schumer's victory lap. Gets up and leaves. pic.twitter.com/Yd3z4zUC11
— SCUBA MIKE ?? (@realscubamike) October 8, 2021
"This is crazy," you can see Manchin mouth to an unseen colleague. He then buries his head in his hands in frustration and despair before he gets up and storms out of the chamber while Schumer continues his rant.
You want a picture of incivility? That's the freaking Mona Lisa right there. And it pretty much set the table for Manchin from that day forward, culminating in his proclamation to Brett Baier on Sunday. Manchin knows that there's no way forward with these people. And the old, trusted allies he fooled himself into thinking he had (Schumer and Biden) are long gone.
That speech from Schumer may have made the New York Democrat feel great. Must've been real cathartic for him. And the lefties on Twitter absolutely loved it as well. "Slay Queen!" they tweeted in all CAPS!
Good for Chuck!
He owned the cons for a night and alienated the one guy he needed to accommodate, thus ensuring his status as a failed Senate leader.
He also solidified the death knell for his president's last chance to get anything done before Republicans take over the House and the Senate in eleven months.
This could mean that the Biden presidency, in terms of any real legislative achievements that would matter to a Democrat, is over. And Chuck Schumer ended it.
It couldn't have happened to two nicer guys.
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