-
fromJohanna Soll
–
conclude
–
Joe Biden can expect nothing more than a blockade policy from the Republicans during his presidency. More decisive, however, is resistance within one’s own ranks.
Washington, DC – US President Joe Biden has big plans for his presidency. With the American Rescue Plan, an extensive Corona aid and stimulus package that was passed within the first 100 days after taking office in the US Congress, the new US President was able to set the first clear legislative accent. His next major piece of legislation is an infrastructure bill.
But as with the legislative process for the American Rescue Plan, the decisive resistance comes not from the opposition of the Republicans, but from within themselves – from other Democrats. It became clear early on that there is above all one Democrat who shoots crosswise and who seems to enjoy this role – Joe Manchin.
Democrats in the USA: Joe Biden sits in the White House, Joe Manchin rules the country
A running gag in Washington, DC says that while Joe Biden is in the White House, Joe Manchin rules the country. The two-party system in the USA inevitably means that there are different currents within both parties. With the Democrats, a broad distinction can be made between three camps, the moderates / centrists, the conservatives and the progressives.
While Joe Biden is more likely to be assigned to the former, Joe Manchin is considered one of the conservatives, if not the most conservative of the Democrats. The 73-year-old has represented the US state of West Virginia in the Senate since 2010 and is – typical of Republicans, not Democrats – an advocate of coal mining, an opponent of the right to abortion and restrictions on the right to own firearms.
Joe Biden can expect nothing more than a blockade policy from the Republicans during his presidency. But the resistance from its own party could seriously jeopardize its legislative proposals: Currently, the Democrats have a slim majority in the House of Representatives with 218 Democratic to 212 Republican MPs (five seats are currently vacant, a replacement is still pending) and a wafer-thin majority in the Senate. Of the 100 senators, 50 are Democrats and 50 are Republicans. In the event of a stalemate, Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting vote. In the case of laws that only require a simple majority, all votes of the Democrats in the Senate are therefore required to pass the respective law.
Joe Manchin failed to raise the nationwide minimum wage to $ 15 an hour
Among other things, because of Joe Manchin’s resistance, an important concern of the progressives, the gradual increase of the nationwide minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, failed. As part of his infrastructure law, Joe Biden now plans to increase corporate tax for companies from the current 21 to 28 percent. Before corporate income tax was cut to 21 percent in 2017 by the Trump administration, it was 35 percent. Accordingly, the 28 percent envisaged by Joe Biden and promised in the election campaign are already a compromise. As Axios now reports, the Democrats are likely to give in to Joe Manchin’s insistence and agree to raise corporate tax to just 25 percent.
The reason for Joe Manchin’s power within the Democrats in Congress is because of the interests he represents. While he claims to represent the interests of his constituencies in West Virginia, that is only partially true. According to surveys, around 60 percent of Americans are in favor of an increase in the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour; in West Virginia it is 63 percent. Further polls show that 67 percent of people in the US are in favor of taxing companies and the rich with annual incomes above $ 400,000 higher.
The interests that Joe Manchin claims to represent are not those of his constituents, but those of his donors. It is true that many people in West Virginia are conservative when it comes to issues such as coal mining, abortion and gun rights, but even in the state, which on average is rather poor, people certainly want higher incomes and higher corporate taxation.
Name Joseph Anthony „Joe“ Manchin III. birthday 24. August 1947 place of birth Farmington, West Virginia, USA Spouse Gayle Conelly Manchin (verh. 1967) children Heather Bresch, Brooke Manchin, Joseph IV Manchin government office Senator (Democratic Party since 2010 —
Kyrsten Sinema also makes life difficult for Joe Biden
However, Joe Manchin is not entirely alone in his struggle for donor interests and against voter interests: Kyrsten Sinema, 44, a senator from Arizona, is just as conservative and neoliberal. After both speaking out against a $ 15 minimum wage, they will soon speak at the restaurant lobby national conference, which is not open to the press. This lobby organization is fighting against a minimum wage increase and against the Democrats’ plans to facilitate the formation of trade unions.
Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have also recently received donations from corporate interest groups campaigning against an increase in the minimum wage. In addition, both senators have received campaign contributions from the US Chamber of Commerce for rejecting some of Joe Biden’s legislative initiatives and for trying to work with Republicans. Such donations are publicly available and completely legal in the United States.
Progressives are not quite sure what place to take in the Biden government
The progressive Democrats could counterbalance the right-wing twist by Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. The most prominent representative of the progressives in the Senate is Bernie Sanders, the best-known representative of the party left in the House of Representatives is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Since Joe Biden took office, things have become quieter in the progressive camp. While there has been a loud voice against Donald Trump’s policies in recent years, the progressives do not seem to know what place to take in the Biden government.
Other than a few half-hearted protest posts on social media, they don’t do much to advocate core issues like the $ 15 minimum wage. The progressive MPs in the House of Representatives as a parliamentary group have the power that Joe Manchin has in the Senate, namely to block bills. What Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are doing on the conservative side in the Senate, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on the left could do the same.
Joe Biden must strike a balance between the Democratic wings
Joe Biden
All information about the 46th US President can be found in the Biden News.
–
Fighting politically tough is rated very differently by the leading US media, depending on the political orientation of the fighters: The efforts of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to work with Republicans and thus to move away from a more social policy that the Majority of Americans: wanting inside is generally appreciated. If, on the other hand, the progressives take a somewhat tougher pace on economic issues, they are often met with criticism from the media. If, on the other hand, they show themselves to be conciliatory, as they have recently, they will be praised for their political foresight.
Joe Biden’s task during his presidency will be to strike a balance between the conservative and progressive wings of his democratic party – provided that the progressives, despite all criticism, show strength and stand up for the interests of their electorate. (Johanna Soll)
–
