Six Things I Think: Reconciliation and the Dirty Pair

NinaIllingworth October 8, 2021November 5, 2022 Andy Kroll, API, Ari Berman, Arizona, Biden Agenda, Brett Wilkins, Build Back Better Act, CA4, CC3, CEPP, Charles Koch, Clean Electricity Performance Program, climate catastrophe, Climate Crisis, coal, Common Dreams, corporate donors, corruption, Daniel Boguslaw, Daniel Strauss, dark money, David Sirota, Democratic Party, FA1, Fantastic Lies, filibuster, fossil fuels, Geoff Dembicki, Gizmodo, immigration reform, infrastructure bill, infrastructure spending, Joe Biden, Joe Manchin, Kate Aronoff, Kochtopus, Kyrsten Sinema, legalized bribery, liberal politics, lobby groups, lobbying, lobbyist, Mark Gruenberg, Media, migrants, Molly Taft, money in politics, Mother Jones, MP6, natural gas, neofeudalism, neoliberalism, oligarchy, People's World, plutocracy, Politics, progressive politics, Propaganda, reconciliation bill, Rolling Stone, Ryan Grim, Sara Sirota, Sharon Zhang, Six Things I Think, Super PACS, the Daily Poster, The Intercept, The New Republic, Truthout, US Senate, West Virginia

Editor’s note: Six Things I Think is an ongoing political media deconstruction and analysis series, featured here on NIDC.

It’s the Money, Dummy

Hey buddy, have you heard about the internal Democratic Party battle over the reconciliation bill? Naturally, I ask that question in jest; in light of the wall to wall narrative coverage afforded the subject in U.S. corporate media, it would be objectively hard to turn on a television without catching some of the background chatter. Indeed, given the milquetoast nature of the proposed programs and crudely obvious strategies being employed to prevent the bill from passing, one might say never before has so much ink been spilled over what amounts to a game of political three card monte.

The operative phrase here is of course, narrative coverage. The reconciliation bill fight is the perfect news story for the American political media in two obvious ways. First, no navel-gazing liberal with a journalism degree can resist a circular firing squad. Furthermore, this issue is just complicated and wonky enough to allow corporate propagandists to spin the fabric of the story into any sort of yarn their paymasters might like them to tell. Are progressives sinking Biden’s agenda? Is an entitlement mentality threatening the social fabric of our nation? Have activists gone too far protesting Joe Manchin on his yacht and Kyrsten Sinema when she’s hiding in the bathroom? Hey, we’re just asking questions; cover the controversy baby!

Frankly however, when you look past folksy meanderings about Manchin’s “conservative values” and insider reports about Sinema’s quirky stubborn streak, this isn’t actually a complicated story at all. One side of this battle is telling the truth, the other side is lying. There are nominal champions of (some of) the downtrodden in the fight, and obvious villains. And at the root of it all is the oldest motivation in politics; unadulterated greed.

Let’s unpack that story.

Process and Progress Primer

Is understanding the contours of the reconciliation bill battle absolutely required to grasp the levels of political fuckery involved here? No. Are some of you reading this going to want to know the gory details anyway? Of course you will; but let’s trying to stick with the short version.

For a brief primer on the two bills at the center of the reconciliation fight, and the brazen political machinations surrounding them to this point, we’re going to turn to Sara Sirota and Ryan Grim, writing in The Intercept on September 30th, 2021:

The two-track approach has emerged as a central flashpoint in the final phase of a bruising battle over the course of the Biden presidency and, in no small measure, the future of the Democratic Party. A handful of party holdouts are insisting the strategy be abandoned by passing the infrastructure bill on its own, thus stripping progressives of any leverage. To make their case, they’re pretending no agreement ever existed.

For those who haven’t been following congressional maneuvers in fine detail: Months ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., publicly said they would tie the reconciliation package to the Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure plan...

The goal was to get the progressive, centrist, and conservative flanks of the Democratic Party on board with both. Centrists and conservatives would get the infrastructure plan, which had bipartisan support and would help them in swing districts, and progressives would get reconciliation, which would put in place a transformative social safety net and crucial climate provisions. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal would invest in roads and bridges but hardly make a dent to enact reforms that Democrats promised constituents on the campaign trail. So infrastructure was paired with reconciliation, which can use a simple majority in the Senate to pass crucial pieces of budget-related legislation that can’t make it through the normal legislative process. (Unlike most legislation, bills passed through reconciliation are immune to the filibuster.)

The infrastructure bill passed the Senate in August, and Pelosi set a September 27 deadline for the House to vote on it, though she has since delayed that date to today. In the meantime, the House began the drafting process for a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.

This was already a compromise for progressives; the proposal, which seeks $3.5 trillion over the next decade, is much smaller than the $6 trillion the Senate Budget Committee pushed over the summer. But it would still achieve key aims like expanded Medicare coverage, universal prekindergarten, and paid family leave.

If for some reason you’re curious about what’s actually inside the sausage, you can read more about the infrastructure bill here, and the reconciliation bill here. While only a reactionary mutant would describe either of these bills as revolutionary, the Build Back Better Act does contain some important climate and social spending legislation. Even as watered-down as it is, it’s no stretch to say passing the reconciliation bill is a matter of life or death to a significant number of poor people in America.

Overall however, I’d say the two major themes here are disappointment and betrayal. After being promised a boldly transformative spending program on the campaign trail, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party was repeatedly forced to sacrifice huge chunks of its agenda to appease corporate lobbyists and Blue Dog conservatives. The party’s right wing then convinced brainwormed leadership to divorce any remaining socially uplifting aspect of Biden’s plan from the juicy corporate welfare parts; and now two “DINO” extremist Senators are breaking ranks to play nuclear chicken with House progressives for all the marbles.

To quote the immortal Lando Calrissian, and to the surprise of precisely no one who knows anything about neoliberal incrementalism, “this deal is getting worse all the time.” Hey, I never promised it would be a particularly inspiring story; there’s still a pretty good chance this all ends horribly. For the moment however the progressives are holding out (with nominal support from Biden himself) by insisting the Build Back Better Act be passed before they’ll allow the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reach the President’s desk.

The Reasons Why

Of course, all of the above is about the progression of ritual legislative battle; the personalities and pageantry of a political war. This Senate clash may produce thrilling copy for lanyards, but the Pig Empire doesn’t run on personality. Furthermore, maggot lackey politicians like Manchin and Sinema don’t have the clout to take on their own party’s President by themselves; who is really behind the project to sabotage the reconciliation bill? Frankly, it might be easier to ask who isn’t. There are rivers of cash riding on every aspect of this bill; and the rich guys know it. Obviously there’s a larger story to be told here, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s about the influence of money in American politics.

It’s Always A Battle Against Corruption

As David Sirota from The Daily Poster explains in this September 24th, 20201 article, the most obvious explanation for why this is happening is also an explanation the corporate media will rarely be willing to explore; bald faced corruption. From pharmaceutical industry-funded dark money advertising blitzes, to campaign cash and cushy lobbying jobs for former staffers, the rewards on offer for Democrats willing to protect big oil and corporate power from even Biden’s modest reforms are tangible. Frankly, buying American Senators is nothing new at the big league level. Worst of all, and despite the pervasive silence of the media, all of this legalized corruption is happening out in the open.

Of course corporate media *does* report on shady campaign finance situations, and occasionally even dark money groups or SuperPACs. Acknowledging that, it’s hard to understate the amount of institutional amnesia required to keep publishing mystified editorials about what makes folks like Joe Manchin, or Kyrsten Sinema tick. To quote Sirota directly:

"We’re asked to believe ever-more ridiculous lies designed to avert our eyes from the payoffs, graft, and legalized bribes taking place right in front of our faces."

In Anti-Reconciliation Blitz, Exxon Spent $275,000 on Facebook Ads in One Week

Speaking of big oil, would you be surprised to learn fossil fuel mega-corporation Exxon Mobil has been funneling money into lobbying efforts designed to cripple or eliminate the reconciliation bill? If you know anything about how fossil fuel industry lobbyists operate, you probably guessed. As Sharon Zhang explores in this September 30th, 2021 article on Truthout however, they’re hardly alone, and they have a powerful ally in the Senate. An influential oil and gas trade association, The American Petroleum Institute, is also teaming up with other fossil fuel lobbyists to buy Facebook ads targeting specific politicians to sink the Build Back Better Act. Because the bill contains climate legislation that threatens fossil fuel profits, big oil is working to kill it.

The Koch Empire Goes All Out to Sink Joe Biden’s Agenda; and His Presidency, Too

What would a story about dark money fossil fuel lobbyists and astroturfed pressure campaigns be without an appearance by the dreaded Kochtopus and the surviving supervillain Koch brother? Thanks to Andy Kroll and Geoff Dembicki over at Rolling Stone, we no longer have to ask. In this September 30th, 2021 expose, our reporters reveal that the Koch propaganda network is the driving force behind a coalition of “over one hundred” pressure groups dedicated to killing the reconciliation bill; and with it, Biden’s entire agenda. And before you even ask, yeah these guys are all over elite capital’s moron puppet of the hour; Senator Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia.

In summation, we’re looking at big pharma, big oil, and big everything all lined up for battle against the Biden-blessed reconciliation bill. Additionally the billionaire bad guys have got both a public relations Death Star, as well as nigh-infinite money to burn. Finally, these anarcho-capitalist muppets only need one Democrat in the U.S. Senate, and they currently have two. This situation doesn’t seem very promising; let’s take a look at the reactionary extremist Senators this kind of influence hustling can buy.

Say It Ain’t So, Joe

Thinking back on it, I really can’t tell you why I haven’t spent more time writing about what a grotesque toady assclown Manchin is. Obviously he’s an infuriating impediment to even incremental progress, but it’s not like there’s a shortage of Joe Manchin takedowns in mainstream media either. The “other Joe” is so odious, even corporate outlets like CNN are willing to dunk on him. I guess the Senator always felt like low-hanging fruit to me until now; clearly I was wrong and Manchin’s nonsense is absurdly dangerous. Let’s start working to correct that mistake here today, shall we?

Before we dive deeper into Manchin’s material motivations, let’s briefly review just a few of the many reasons this guy is flaming dogshit; in addition to being a brazenly corrupt little muppet. Keeping the discussion on topic; the Senator has spent months weaponizing reactionary Republican political positions in a dishonest attempt to sabotage the reconciliation bill, at the potential cost of literally billions of lives. Please keep in mind that the above list is by no means exhaustive. I could absolutely keep going into Joe’s past as a lackey for capital, but we don’t have all day here.

Joe Manchin’s Dirty Empire

Has it ever occurred to anyone on cable news that the reason Joe Manchin acts like a coal baron operating in the Senate, is because he essentially is one? No, really; as this September 3rd, 2021 article from Daniel Boguslaw at The Intercept spells out, Manchin is heavily invested in, and has made millions of dollars worth of profit from, two coal companies he founded in the 1980’s. Astonishingly, Manchin belligerently defends this obvious and absurd conflict of interest by insisting that his son runs the coal business, and the Senator’s (highly lucrative) shares reside in a blind trust. Although the bootlickers in polite discourse will never say it, that sure sounds like complete horse crap to me.

Follow the Money Into Joe Manchin’s Pockets

This September 21st, 2021 article by Kate Aronoff at The New Republic successfully builds on Boguslaw’s reporting; highlighting a wider swath of Manchin’s open fossil fuel corruption. I’ve included it here because of the author’s focus on the obvious question Sirota was talking about in his article above. Namely; if any teenager with a search bar can see how much the Senator profits both politically and financially from pushing a reactionary, pro-fossil fuel agenda, why is there a whole cottage industry in the media devoted to divining his motivations? This isn’t that complicated. Joe Manchin is not a beautiful mystery, he’s a self-serving mandarin; and the corporate media isn’t pretending otherwise because they’re stupid, it’s because they think you are.

The Dirty Utilities Funding Joe Manchin’s Bullshit

Not content to merely enjoy the life of a wealthy coal baron Senator who hoovers up campaign contributions from the oil and natural gas industries, it turns out “the other Joe” is also scarfing up cash from pollution-intensive utility companies too. As reported by Molly Taft at Gizmodo on October 4th, 2021, power companies dependent on fossil fuels are greasing Manchin’s palms to curtail or even cancel the Clean Electricity Performance Program. The CEPP, which is part of the reconciliation bill, is designed to strongly encourage utilities companies to decarbonize faster; as you can imagine, this provision isn’t very popular with coal and gas burning Manchin donors, such as American Electric Power and Peabody Energy.

These corporations are not alone in funding their opposition to the CEPP through Manchin; the Senator also takes in PAC and other campaign funds from utility industry groups like The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and to a lesser degree The American Public Power Association. When it comes to dirty energy lobbying cash, it seems Manchin’s motto is clearly “never enough.”

Sinema for Sale

Given that unlike Manchin, I actually *have* written an article primarily about Kyrsten Sinema, I’ll just be blunt here. At this point, I’m convinced Sinema is actually some type of human thought experiment designed to measure how long corporate cash donations alone can animate a terminal political career. Loathed by nearly every human who’s ever met her, the Arizona Senator has recently taken to cowering in the bathroom to avoid having to face her constituents. We’re talking about a woman so bad at her job, people suspect she may try to become a Republican. Although the fact that she’s an obvious careerist, with a long history of changing teams when it’s convenient, probably isn’t helping her on that front either.

Naturally, Kyrsten is featured here because like Machin, she’s a corrupt sellout who is actively blocking the reconciliation bill; but don’t sleep on her retro material. Despite her brief career in the Senate, Sinema has already racked up a greatest hits list that would make Joe Lieberman jealous. New fans will definitely want to check out classics like “thumbs down,” “wine-ing for dollars,” and “fuck minority voting rights.”

Kyrsten Sinema Is Corporate Lobbies’ Million-Dollar Woman

Although Kyrsten Sinema tends to come off in the media like a dollar store version of Joe Manchin, she’s actually a real fundraising rockstar on the donor circuit. After reading this September 22nd, 2021 report by Daniel Strauss over at The New Republic, you start to understand why. Sinema will take money from virtually anyone, including big industry lobbies trying to shut down the Build Back Better Act. According to a report by a liberal watchdog group, the Senator has received at least $923,065 from special interest groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the RATE Coalition, the National Association of Manufacturers, and PhRMA. All five of whom oppose the reconciliation bill, naturally.

It’s not rocket science; it’s legalized bribery. These industry groups are buying her vote by funding her political career. As noted by Kyle Herrig (president of Accountable.US) in this very article:

"Super-rich corporations have given Senator Sinema nearly a million reasons to vote against making them pay their fair share in taxes. Make no mistake, if she sides with her wealthy donors and kills popular investments to jump-start the economy, everyday families, including across Arizona, will pay the price."

Cartoonish Level Corrupt

I know I said Sinema would take checks from almost anyone; did I mention that she’s willing to do so at any time? As Brett Wilkins from Common Dreams reported on September 27th, 2021; in the *middle* of the current reconciliation fight, Sinema held a private fundraiser with five business lobbying groups who all oppose the bill. This includes the National Grocers Association, whose director of government relations Robert Yeakel recently derided the plan as a “tax grab.” Astoundingly enough, she would repeat the feat only a few days later; although this time it was for a fundraising retreat according to Ari Berman at Mother Jones. You literally couldn’t make this crap up if you tried.

Sinema’s sabotage of Build Back Better agenda blasted in Arizona

I must confess that this September 30th, 2021 article from Mark Gruenberg at People’s World isn’t about Sinema’s corruption, so much as its potential fallout. Notably, Arizona Democrats are beginning to gather with pitchforks on her front lawn. Given her farcical devotion to self-enrichment, who can really blame them? We are after all talking about a Senator who opposed net neutrality while taking money from a telecom-affiliated Super PAC, voted down a minimum wage increase immediately before collecting donations from banks and debt collectors, and took Big Pharma cash while opposing a plan to lower prescription drug costs. The money badger doesn’t give a shit, clearly.

Sinema Cinema and Center Forward

Finally, let’s wrap up our shockingly easy investigation with a nine minute video from The Mehdi Hasan Show (see below.) Inside, Hasan builds on reporting by The Daily Poster and Axios, to expose Sinema’s mutually beneficial relationship with Center Forward; a lobbying cutout for PhRMA, among others.

A Model Modern Oligarchy

Alright then, what have we learned here today? The reconciliation bill is on life support because billionaire anarcho-capitalists and their corporations are going full Tea Party to kill it. I think it’s also fair to say we’ve learned that Joe Manchin, and Kyrsten Sinema are shameless greedbag puppets for corporate power. Were any of those things particularly hard to learn? Not really. I assume any asshole with a bit of patience and an internet connection could do it; after all, I did.

When we’re talking about mainstream media coverage of the reconciliation debate however, we’re not talking about just any assholes. These are professionals with journalism degrees; people who spend just as much time reading most of the websites referenced in this article as you or I do. The idea that these folks could somehow be unaware that Manchin and Sinema were sabotaging the reconciliation bill because they’d been bribed, is simply not plausible. There’s no Build Back Better Act murder mystery to unravel. The body is still warm and everyone already knows who’s killing it, and we know why.

In other words, every reconciliation fight story you’ve read about values, personalities, and personal relationships in government, amounts to nothing more than corporate-sponsored fan fiction for lanyards. Paid propagandists for power are peddling pig-shit to run out the clock on this bill, while charging pinheads for the privilege of consuming it. These guys are spinning bedtime stories for ruminants and rubes. All of which is pretty much what you’d expect out of the corporate media in a model modern oligarchy; isn’t it?