Deal Or No Deal

"Creepy Joe" was trending yesterday after President Biden inexplicably started whispering in an exaggerated manner in the middle of a press conference.  See it here. As I've noted multiple times now, something's clearly not right.

But the bigger news was that a bipartisan group of ten so-called "centrist" senators, including Senators Cassidy (R-LA), Collins (R-ME), Murkowski (R-AK), Portman (R-OH) and Romney (R-UT), emerged from the White House yesterday saying they had reached an agreement in principle with President Biden on an infrastructure bill. 

The cost is somewhere around $1 trillion – a lot less than the $4, $5 or even $6 trillion Biden initially demanded, and most of it would go to actual infrastructure – roads, bridges, etc. Many Americans probably applauded because they want the parties in Washington to work together. 

I've been uneasy from the very beginning of these negotiations. I've been here a long time, and too many times I've seen Republicans leave the negotiating table without their pants, totally clueless that they've been robbed. (Senator Lindsey Graham put it a bit more bluntly.)

Sure enough, less than two hours later, Biden said that he wouldn't sign the bipartisan infrastructure deal without the other $5 trillion. In other words, Biden is refusing to give up anything, meaning Republican negotiators didn't actually gain anything. 

A second bill with trillions in spending and tax hikes will be rammed through using the reconciliation process, meaning the Democrats only need 50 votes, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said what happened yesterday was "best described as a tale of two press conferences," going from optimism to pessimism in a short period of time. McConnell said that Biden was demanding Republicans do what they will not do, which is raise taxes on the American people.

By the way, some progressives weren't happy either with this "compromise." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez condemned it as – wait for it – racist. Her delusional attack on this bipartisan infrastructure deal is a perfect example of critical race theory in operation. It demands that EVERYTHING, including roads and bridges, be seen through the lens of race.