I spoke to Politico‘s Sam Stein in the wake of the breakdown of reconciliation talks between Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
But beyond the quickly-forming consensus that the current trajectory was unavoidable is a secondary conclusion, one far more biting for the White House. And that is they were painfully slow to recognize this reality, sacrificing time and political capital in the process.
It’s a synopsis espoused by the right, which has relished watching the Democratic faceplant that transpired.
LIAM DONOVAN, a GOP operative who has followed the BBB negotiations like an aspiring rabbi engaged in Talmudic studies, argued that Democratic leadership erred in managing expectations, making it virtually impossible for the party to agree to Manchin’s demands.
“They promised the world to everybody and every step of the way was essentially a confidence game to elide all the mistrust,” Donovan said, dubbing the strategy a political version of “fake it till you make it.”
Read the full piece here.