Bernie Sanders isn't holding back anymore, accusing Sinema and Manchin of selling out Biden's agenda

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been letting loose lately.

With the two moderate Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema opposing the passage of President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion social-spending package, Sanders has held several press conferences, venting his frustration at the slow movement of a bill he shepherded as chairman of the budget committee.

On Friday, he went so far as to imply that their resistance to the spending bill comes from the prescription drug overhaul he wants to see included.

"Take a hard look at those people who are opposed to strong legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs and take a look at their campaign finance reports," Sanders said during a briefing with reporters. "See where they get their money, how many of them get their money from the pharmaceutical industry and the executives there. And I think there will be a direct correlation."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bernie-sanders-isnt-holding-back-anymore-accusing-sinema-and-manchin-of-selling-out-bidens-agenda-to-big-pharma/ar-AAPhYe5

[BlueLucy]

1. Bernie is right.

[Mister Ed]

6. Yep. He's just plain right.

I'm not a committed, devoted Sanders supporter, but how can I argue with him when he's right? And he is right.

[BlueLucy]

7. I've never been a Sanders supporter

but he is turning out to be a better Democrat than either Manchin or Sinema. I just can not defend the indefensible.

[George II]

8. As far as voting with Biden's agenda since he's been President, both Manchin and Sinema have voted..

...with him 100% of the time.

On the other hand.............

[BlueLucy]

9. There are some big things we could be getting done but won't

The filibuster needs to go! Voting rights is a must. If nothing else gets done, voting rights is a must or we lose forever. I can't defend Manchin or Sinema.

[George II]

12. Two points:

1. Again, neither Manchin nor Sinema have voted against ANYTHING Biden has put forward for his agenda
2. Manchin and Sinema, despite how people feel about them for whatever reasons, are still DEMOCRATS!

[jcgoldie]

16. Thats deliberately disingenuous

They havent been able to put forth Biden’s agenda without the support of those two “democrats”.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. Deliberately disingenuous is an understatement.

[Celerity]

58. +1

[Celerity]

57. +1

[BlueLucy]

22. Yes they're democrats but they are still holding us back on some pretty big issues.

I'm not thinking about who voted for what in past votes. I want voting rights passed and I know Bernie is ready to get rid of the filibuster to get it done, is Manchin? Sinema?

[KPN]

10. Defending Manchin and Sinema? Really?

[George II]

13. Yes really. I support ALL Democrats. Is there something wrong with that?

[wellst0nev0ter]

20. Support all Democrats who are more conservative than goops

[George II]

21. So you're advocating for supporting republican Senators ("goops") over Democratic Senators?

BTW, Alexander and Jones are no longer Senators. Where did this come from?

[wellst0nev0ter]

23. I support *Democratic* Democratic senators

And this is the latest ideology scorecard from Govtrack, which is done annually.

[George II]

28. ANNUALLY, meaning there hasn't been a scorecard in months. There's also this (with link!).....

This is current, not old data under a republican president. Every Democratic Senator including Whitehouse and those above him have voted for Democratic President Biden's agenda 100% of the time. Those below Whitehouse haven't.

Facts.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-congress-votes/

[wellst0nev0ter]

29. You're saying Elizabeth Warren is more conservative than Manchin?

This ranking is worthless. Good luck with it.

[George II]

31. I'm not saying anything. These are ratings compiled by the respected projects.fivethirtyeight....

....people based on current Senators and votes since Biden took office.

You can draw your own conclusions.

[Demsrule86]

61. The former Senator from Arizona...voted with the GOP all of the time.

[TomSlick]

19. As I understand the DU terms of service, we are all supposed to support Democrats,

or at least not attack them.

Manchin and Sinema are not my favorite Democrats but they are Democrats. They stand between us and McConnell being the Senate Majority Leader.

[George II]

24. Yes indeed, thank you. You know, with all the bashing of those two DEMOCRATIC Senators....

....I haven't seen one critic put forward the name of a Democrat in either state who could replace either and win a General Election against a republican.

[TomSlick]

26. Damned good point.

[LymphocyteLover]

50. therein lies the rub

[wellst0nev0ter]

18. So the two bills passed last month?

Didn't notice with all the support they've been giving Biden

[George II]

25. Did Manchin or Sinema vote against either bill?

[wellst0nev0ter]

27. Did they voice support of both of them?

Because I didn't notice.

[George II]

30. They didn't vote against them. I'll reserve criticism until either, or anyone....

....actually does something.

I'm not clairvoyant.

[wellst0nev0ter]

32. Of course you're not

Also, this is you when AOC didn't vote against funding the Iron Dome

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2805169

[George II]

33. Yes, that was an ACTUAL vote. Like I said, I'll reserve criticism of any DEMOCRAT until....

....they actually cast a vote that I don't agree with.

Simple, isn't it?

[wellst0nev0ter]

37. Even those who *didn't* vote for something for or against?

Glad we're being consistent.

[George II]

43. Once again, the example you've given was about a vote that actually HAPPENED, not one....

....that hasn't occurred yet.

Why did you bring that one up?

[wellst0nev0ter]

46. Because she didn't vote "no"

It's really that simple

[George II]

47. Nope. Unlike the bills that Manchin and Sinema are being criticized for, your example is of....

....a bill that WAS voted upon.

Or did I sleep through the votes on the BBB and infrastructure bills?

I'm amazed you're pushing these as "equivalent".

[wellst0nev0ter]

48. A vote that's neither in favor nor against is not actually a vote

So criticizing her is inconsistent at best, especially if she did not hold up the vote.

[George II]

52. That's not the way most people look at it, and at least there was a floor vote on the bill, unlike..

....Manchin and Sinema, who are being criticized for not voting for bills on which there hasn't been a floor vote.

I wish I could come up with a suitable analogy, but this is so illogical that I'm at a loss.

Next thing we know they'll both be criticized for not voting for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

[wellst0nev0ter]

54. They're criticized for holding up the vote

Just like the segregationists in 1965.

[dflprincess]

35. If Schumer and Pelosi didn't have to worry about the two stooges voting against either one of them

both bills would have passed by now.

[BlueNProud]

2. I don't think either ever had any intention of supporting any bill.

Manchin is a right winger and Sinema will end up full MAGA when all is said and done.

[George II]

34. We won't know that until either actually votes against one of the bills, and neither has yet.

[myohmy2]

45. +1...

...

[NH Ethylene]

3. I'm glad somebody is being vocal about it. n/t

[JohnSJ]

4. Yes, and is anyone really surprised? Unfortunately we need both Sinema and Manchin to maintain

the majority

The reality is the Democrats are being held hostage by these two people, and most likely they will determine what is necessary and what is not

[ShazzieB]

11. It's not just the Democrats being held hostage.

The American people, the majority of whom support the things in both infrastructure bills, are being held hostage. Our Democracy is being held hostage, in the form of voting rights legislation that Congress could be passing right if Manchinema would jus t get out of the way and let them get things done.

I have had it up to here with those two fakes!

[DanieRains]

15. By Corporate Influence

What is good for people, well good luck.

[Lunabell]

5. Love Bernie!

Like him or hate him, he's got this country 's and the people's best interests at heart. As do I.

[budkin]

14. Bernie nails it

As usual.

[LymphocyteLover]

36. Bernie is right but will it help or hurt?

I feel like this public criticism enables Manchin and Sinema to walk away blaming leftist Bernie

[Irish_Dem]

38. Bernie is an independent, so he is the designated official basher of wayward Dems.

Bernie is doing the talking for progressives.

[LymphocyteLover]

39. Yes-- but still, will his bashing hurt or help?

[Nixie]

40. +1, bingo

[Irish_Dem]

42. I guess they figure it is a degree of separation from the Dem party, so maybe it is safe.

To answer your question, I don't know if the strategy will work or not.
Or backfire.

[LymphocyteLover]

49. Yes, I feel like it could go either way

His public denunciation of them could allow them to vote for a reduced version of the bill they want and they could claim they stood up against far left Bernie Sanders.

or he could piss them off and lose their support altogether.

Either way, we seem unlikely to get what most Dems want from this legislation.

[Irish_Dem]

55. I guess the hope is that Bernie could shame the two senators into doing the right thing.

But they have no shame.

Or maybe Bernie is hoping to rile up the voters who would put pressure on the two senators...

[LymphocyteLover]

59. Right, but I feel like we're past that point now...

seems clear they don't have much if any shame and are very resistant to popular pressure. Very frustrating.

[Irish_Dem]

62. Yep. Frustrating and tragic.

[betsuni]

41. What's the proof that campaign financing has "a direct correlation" to policy positions?

"Enough is enough" ring a bell?

[George II]

44. Better yet, what's the proof that any of these so-called contributions even occurred?

[LymphocyteLover]

51. I think it's pretty well established that Manchin and Sinema court corporate donations

[George II]

53. Corporate donations are illegal. They'd both be expelled, and they should be, if they accepted any.

Thankfully neither had done so.

[LymphocyteLover]

60. "corporations are people too, my friend"

Joking aside, this is what people mean by corporate donations

"Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., is scheduled to hold a fundraiser with business lobbying groups that eager to defeat President Joe Biden's $3.5 trillion spending bill, according to a leaked invitation published by The New York Times.

Sinema, a corporate-friendly first-termer who has rejected the bill's price tag and reportedly opposes drug price reform and tax increases on the wealthy and corporations that would help pay for the Biden package, will meet with business groups that have criticized the proposed tax increases. In an invitation emblazoned with Sinema's campaign logo, the groups invited members to an "undisclosed location" for 45 minutes on Tuesday to write checks between $1,000 and $5,800 to Sinema's campaign."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/kyrsten-sinema-holding-fundraiser-with-business-lobby-groups-that-want-to-kill-biden-s-agenda/ar-AAOV1TP

AND

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/climate/api-exxon-biden-climate-bill.html

"API ads laud Sen. Manchin, meanwhile, for his opposition to the plan. Sen. Manchin has received more campaign donations from the oil, coal and gas industries than any other senator. “Help us thank Senator Joe Manchin,” reads one recent ad, “for being a champion of American made energy.”"

[Polybius]

56. Bernie has been fantastic since Biden won the nomination

He's really grown on me again.