U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) speaks at a press event following the House of Representatives vote on H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, at the U.S. Capitol on August 24, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Pelosi and Hoyer to Progressives: Just Pretend Democrats Are Winning (Even If Corporate Lobbyists Are)
"If we don't act like we are winning, the American people won't believe it either," advised House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
Democratic leadership advised House progressives behind closed doors Monday night that they better start acting like they are getting a major win even if the reality is that President Joe Biden's signature domestic infrastructure plan seems on the verge of "being gutted beyond recognition" thanks to an aggressive assault by corporate lobbyists and the obstructionism of a small handful of right-wing lawmakers within the party.
"If we don't act like we are winning, the American people won't believe it either," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Democrats during a private meeting, according to Politico.
"Embrace this," said House Speaker Pelosi. "And have a narrative of success."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also suggested that spinning the current situation--one in which an initial $6 trillion ambition to invest in the nation's crumbling physical infrastructure and care economy over ten years has reportedly been reduced by relentless corporate pressure down to something between $1.5 and $2 trillion--will be necessary.
After Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)--both in their own way but also with the backing of huge sums of campaign donations from Wall Street, Big Pharma, the right-wing Koch network, and the fossil fuel industry--have stood against the ambitions and popular policies embraced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Pelosi suggested to her members Monday that it was time to admit that the corporate influence campaign has won the game.
"Embrace this," Pelosi reportedly said during the same closed-door meeting. "And have a narrative of success."
So what is there to embrace? And what is the new vision of "success" that Democrats should be touting--especially progressives in the 95-member CPC who have so far been heralded for holding the line against the internal sabotage by Manchin, Sinema, and other corporate Democrats?
As of this writing, the hope for 12 weeks of paid family leave has dwindled to just four weeks--or perhaps none at all. The promise of Medicare expansion is in serious doubt, with dental on the chopping block, an industry-friendly voucher now replacing full coverage on hearing and eye care (though Manchin opposes even this industry giveaway), and the drug-pricing portion possibly out entirely. The expanded childhood tax credit is now just one year, as opposed to ten or five or even three. Tuition-free community college is likely out. Universal pre-K and childcare remains, but only as a fraction and likely mean-tested into a worrying absurdity.
On climate, the Democrats' plan has been massacred by Manchin--a lawmaker who received over $400,000 from the fossil fuel industry over recent months and who thanks his personal fortune to investments in coal. Specifically, Manchin appears to have successfully stopped inclusion of the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), an omission which experts warn will make it now impossible for the U.S. to meets is international emission reduction obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
In August, when it still seemed like Democrats might be able to push something through equal to the ambition outlined by President Biden and bolstered by progressive like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other progressive members of Congress, the Washington Post was among those who reported that "Corporate America" was launching a "massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts" of the economic recovery plan focused on lifting up the nation's working families devastated by the pandemic and years of neglect.
"The emerging opposition appears to be vast, spanning drug manufacturers, big banks, tech titans, major retailers and oil-and-gas giants," the Post reported at the time. "In recent weeks, top Washington organizations representing these and other industries have started strategizing behind the scenes, seeking to scuttle key elements in Democrats' proposed overhaul to federal health care, education and safety net programs."
Over the ensuing weeks and months, that corporate investment to "blitz" lawmakers has clearly paid off.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Democratic leadership advised House progressives behind closed doors Monday night that they better start acting like they are getting a major win even if the reality is that President Joe Biden's signature domestic infrastructure plan seems on the verge of "being gutted beyond recognition" thanks to an aggressive assault by corporate lobbyists and the obstructionism of a small handful of right-wing lawmakers within the party.
"If we don't act like we are winning, the American people won't believe it either," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Democrats during a private meeting, according to Politico.
"Embrace this," said House Speaker Pelosi. "And have a narrative of success."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also suggested that spinning the current situation--one in which an initial $6 trillion ambition to invest in the nation's crumbling physical infrastructure and care economy over ten years has reportedly been reduced by relentless corporate pressure down to something between $1.5 and $2 trillion--will be necessary.
After Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)--both in their own way but also with the backing of huge sums of campaign donations from Wall Street, Big Pharma, the right-wing Koch network, and the fossil fuel industry--have stood against the ambitions and popular policies embraced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Pelosi suggested to her members Monday that it was time to admit that the corporate influence campaign has won the game.
"Embrace this," Pelosi reportedly said during the same closed-door meeting. "And have a narrative of success."
So what is there to embrace? And what is the new vision of "success" that Democrats should be touting--especially progressives in the 95-member CPC who have so far been heralded for holding the line against the internal sabotage by Manchin, Sinema, and other corporate Democrats?
As of this writing, the hope for 12 weeks of paid family leave has dwindled to just four weeks--or perhaps none at all. The promise of Medicare expansion is in serious doubt, with dental on the chopping block, an industry-friendly voucher now replacing full coverage on hearing and eye care (though Manchin opposes even this industry giveaway), and the drug-pricing portion possibly out entirely. The expanded childhood tax credit is now just one year, as opposed to ten or five or even three. Tuition-free community college is likely out. Universal pre-K and childcare remains, but only as a fraction and likely mean-tested into a worrying absurdity.
On climate, the Democrats' plan has been massacred by Manchin--a lawmaker who received over $400,000 from the fossil fuel industry over recent months and who thanks his personal fortune to investments in coal. Specifically, Manchin appears to have successfully stopped inclusion of the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), an omission which experts warn will make it now impossible for the U.S. to meets is international emission reduction obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
In August, when it still seemed like Democrats might be able to push something through equal to the ambition outlined by President Biden and bolstered by progressive like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other progressive members of Congress, the Washington Post was among those who reported that "Corporate America" was launching a "massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts" of the economic recovery plan focused on lifting up the nation's working families devastated by the pandemic and years of neglect.
"The emerging opposition appears to be vast, spanning drug manufacturers, big banks, tech titans, major retailers and oil-and-gas giants," the Post reported at the time. "In recent weeks, top Washington organizations representing these and other industries have started strategizing behind the scenes, seeking to scuttle key elements in Democrats' proposed overhaul to federal health care, education and safety net programs."
Over the ensuing weeks and months, that corporate investment to "blitz" lawmakers has clearly paid off.
Democratic leadership advised House progressives behind closed doors Monday night that they better start acting like they are getting a major win even if the reality is that President Joe Biden's signature domestic infrastructure plan seems on the verge of "being gutted beyond recognition" thanks to an aggressive assault by corporate lobbyists and the obstructionism of a small handful of right-wing lawmakers within the party.
"If we don't act like we are winning, the American people won't believe it either," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told Democrats during a private meeting, according to Politico.
"Embrace this," said House Speaker Pelosi. "And have a narrative of success."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also suggested that spinning the current situation--one in which an initial $6 trillion ambition to invest in the nation's crumbling physical infrastructure and care economy over ten years has reportedly been reduced by relentless corporate pressure down to something between $1.5 and $2 trillion--will be necessary.
After Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.)--both in their own way but also with the backing of huge sums of campaign donations from Wall Street, Big Pharma, the right-wing Koch network, and the fossil fuel industry--have stood against the ambitions and popular policies embraced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Pelosi suggested to her members Monday that it was time to admit that the corporate influence campaign has won the game.
"Embrace this," Pelosi reportedly said during the same closed-door meeting. "And have a narrative of success."
So what is there to embrace? And what is the new vision of "success" that Democrats should be touting--especially progressives in the 95-member CPC who have so far been heralded for holding the line against the internal sabotage by Manchin, Sinema, and other corporate Democrats?
As of this writing, the hope for 12 weeks of paid family leave has dwindled to just four weeks--or perhaps none at all. The promise of Medicare expansion is in serious doubt, with dental on the chopping block, an industry-friendly voucher now replacing full coverage on hearing and eye care (though Manchin opposes even this industry giveaway), and the drug-pricing portion possibly out entirely. The expanded childhood tax credit is now just one year, as opposed to ten or five or even three. Tuition-free community college is likely out. Universal pre-K and childcare remains, but only as a fraction and likely mean-tested into a worrying absurdity.
On climate, the Democrats' plan has been massacred by Manchin--a lawmaker who received over $400,000 from the fossil fuel industry over recent months and who thanks his personal fortune to investments in coal. Specifically, Manchin appears to have successfully stopped inclusion of the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), an omission which experts warn will make it now impossible for the U.S. to meets is international emission reduction obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
In August, when it still seemed like Democrats might be able to push something through equal to the ambition outlined by President Biden and bolstered by progressive like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and other progressive members of Congress, the Washington Post was among those who reported that "Corporate America" was launching a "massive lobbying blitz to kill key parts" of the economic recovery plan focused on lifting up the nation's working families devastated by the pandemic and years of neglect.
"The emerging opposition appears to be vast, spanning drug manufacturers, big banks, tech titans, major retailers and oil-and-gas giants," the Post reported at the time. "In recent weeks, top Washington organizations representing these and other industries have started strategizing behind the scenes, seeking to scuttle key elements in Democrats' proposed overhaul to federal health care, education and safety net programs."
Over the ensuing weeks and months, that corporate investment to "blitz" lawmakers has clearly paid off.