Jen Psaki's seething statement

Jen Psaki did everything in her statement except call Sen. Manchin a liar. Specifically, Psaki said "Senator Manchin’s comments this morning on FOX are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework 'in good faith.'"

Psaki continued, saying "On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submitted—to the President, in person, directly—a written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities. While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all. Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground. If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate."

Sen. Manchin is likely too polite to say it but I'll say it. I'll call that second paragraph a steaming pile of BS. Psaki wrote that Sen. Manchin submitted a plan "for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the President’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities." This is where she spoke out of the other side of her mouth:

While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all.

How can Sen. Manchin submit a proposal that "was the same size and scope" as Joe Biden's framework even though Sen. Manchin's proposal "was missing key priorities"? This can't be true:

Senator Manchin claims that this change of position is related to inflation, but the think tank he often cites on Build Back Better, the Penn Wharton Budget Institute, issued a report less than 48 hours ago that noted the Build Back Better Act will have virtually no impact on inflation in the short term, and, in the long run, the policies it includes will ease inflationary pressures.

The Penn Wharton Institute was the first think tank that issued an honest score on Build Back Better, scoring it at $4,600,000,000,000. That's certainly inflationary. This is fiction:

Senator Manchin cited deficit concerns in his statement. But the plan is fully paid for, is the most fiscally responsible major bill that Congress has considered in years, and reduces the deficit in the long run. The Congressional Budget Office report that the Senator cites analyzed an unfunded extension of Build Back Better. That’s not what the President has proposed, not the bill the Senate would vote on, and not what the President would support. Senator Manchin knows that: The President has told him that repeatedly, including this week, face to face.

In this post, I quoted Janet Yellen's statement to the Senate. Here's what Ms. Yellen said:

"And, there are policies that the president proposed as permanent and that, to achieve consensus, are now temporary in the legislation." Let me repeat. She said, "the president proposed permanent, now temporary."

Extending the entitlements force a decision. Either the additional spending is added to the debt or they'd require additional tax hikes. If this administration doesn't hike taxes to pay for the extensions, then BBB isn't paid for. Using that logic, one of two things are required: either the price tag is significantly higher or BBB isn't paid for.

Either eventuality refutes the administration's claims. Sen. Sanders thinks he's threatening Sen. Manchin with this:

What a blithering idiot. Sen. Sanders thinks he knows better than Sen. Manchin what West Virginians' priorities are. That's foolishness personified. The only person that thinks that climate change is important to West Virginians is an outsider. Hint to Sen. Sanders: West Virginia is a coal mining state. Climate change isn't likely in West Virginians' top 25 issues.

It's time for Ms. Psaki to spend time outside the DC Beltway. Ditto for Sen. Sanders. Neither Democrat/socialist would recognize reality if it bit them in their backside. Further, they're both bitter partisans who a) haven't put the nation first or b) haven't listened to the people. It's time Democrats did both.