As the deputy chief of staff to former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Jentleson had a front-row seat to the Republican Party’s obstructionism during the Obama years, from basic gun reform (which Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) helped defeat in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre) to the nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court (which McConnell, again, helped defeat). So long as Democratic senators like Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) cling to the arcane Senate tradition of filibustering, the party is unlikely to pass major legislation on healthcare, immigration, infrastructure and more.Īdam Jentleson knows the stakes all too well. ” )ĭespite winning full control of the federal government for the first time since 2008, Democrats face a firm limit on how much they can accomplish in office. ” (Manchin then reiterated his commitment to the “involvement of the minority. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) offered a ray of hope for President Joe Biden’s nascent administration March 7 during an interview with Chuck Todd on Meet the Press.Īsked whether he’d be willing to exempt certain forms of legislation from the filibuster - which functionally allows any senator to “veto” a bill that doesn’t have a 60-vote majority of support - the mercurially moderate Manchin answered: “If you want to make a little bit more painful - make him stand there and talk - I’m willing to look at.

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