Biden called Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to the principal's office to try to bully them into going along with the party's wants. Apparently, the thought here was that the latter would burn down their political careers to please Bernie Sanders? Here's how that went per Axios:
Defying a president from his own party — face-to-face — is the strongest indication yet Manchin is serious about cutting specific programs and limiting the price tag of any potential bill to $1.5 trillion. His insistence could blow up the deal for progressives and others.It seems as if Biden's play here was to say to Manchin:
Axios was told Biden explained to Manchin his opposition could imperil the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that's already passed the Senate. Biden's analysis did little to persuade Manchin to raise his top line.
"That's a nice infrastructure deal you have there, and it would be a shame if anything happened to it."















Comment: Biden has long lost the plot and frittered away his edge. Some Dems are on a fast learning curve to seek better alternatives than blind-walking the president's line.