Democrats Need to Count Up, Not Down

With the finish line in sight (if still stubbornly out of reach) for the Democrats’ massive social-programs and economic development bill, the party now faces the challenge of focusing the attention of its key constituencies and the public on what remains in the package, not on what was cut in the exhausting legislative maneuvering.

To meet the objections primarily of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, party leaders underwent a grueling process of shrinking the bill roughly in half—from about $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion in spending over 10 years. That forced Democrats to jettison or severely scale back a daunting list of priorities, including free community college, Medicare dental benefits, higher tax rates on the wealthy and corporations, paid family leave, and a system to pressure utilities to accelerate their transition from fossil fuels to renewable-energy sources.

[Read: Manchin and Sinema now face the weight of history]

Manchin and Sinema have infuriated not only liberals but also a broad range of Democratic officials by dragging out the talks and repeatedly insisting that ideas supported by virtually everyone else in the party (such as the clean-electricity provisions, paid family leave, and higher personal and corporate tax rates) be removed because of their personal objections. Even after President Joe Biden unveiled the “framework agreement” yesterday morning, Manchin’s and Sinema’s striking refusal to explicitly declare that they would support