I’m out of popcorn already, and it’s only Wednesday. I note that amidst the Democrats’ Manchinangst, clear signs of Venezuela-envy have emerged. The CNN story about the civil war inside the party includes this tidbit:
There are clear signs that the party is hardly on the same page about how to move ahead. In a phone call Monday, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said she conveyed her frustration directly to the senator — and she’s now calling on Biden to act administratively instead.
Because, you know, who needs Congress or a statute to spend $3 or $4 trillion and do everything else you want!
Surprise, surprise, AOC also has Venezuela-envy:
Meanwhile, Politico has a curious story out today about what some people think is an organized campaign to undermine Kamala Harris on Spanish language radio:
Florida Democrats are sounding alarms over what they believe is a sustained and coordinated campaign rapidly unfolding across Spanish-language media to tarnish the image of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Democratic veterans in the state are unnerved by the ferocity and speed of the attacks, which have come from callers and guests on local radio programs in recent weeks. They suspect the participants are part of a larger, astroturf effort to diminish Harris’ standing among key Latino constituencies in a region where Republicans have notched sharp gains. Even more worrying for these Democrats has been the lack of pushback from their party.
Maybe the reason there is no pushback from the Democratic Party is that the calls are coming from inside the house the campaign—if it is one—is being done by Democrats themselves to take out Harris before 2024. Why would Republicans waste their time and effort attacking Harris when she is the person (after Biden) they’d most like to run against in 2024?
CHASER: Biden’s poll numbers have slumped to a new low.
Biden approval rating at historic low in NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll
President Biden’s approval rating is at a historic low in a new poll, which coincides with a national surge in COVID-19 cases, rising consumer prices and struggles to advance his legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.
The new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found that Biden’s approval rating has sunk to 41 percent, a historic low for the president in polls conducted by the groups. Fifty-five percent of adults in the U.S. disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president.
This poll was actually conducted before Manchin’s announcement on BBB. I’ll bet the next round of polls will be even worse.
CHASER 2: So, his plan appears to be even more of a secret than Nixon’s alleged “secret plan”* to end the Vietnam War.
NB: *Nixon actually never claimed to have a “secret plan” to end Vietnam. This urban legend arose from a misreport in a wire service story, and it stuck, as fake news often does. Biden has no such excuse.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.