President Joe Biden. Credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
Senator Joe Manchin accurately described why he would not support President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Manchin proclaimed that Democrats intended to “reshape our society” with the BBB Act. And reshaping our society is exactly what Democrats promised to do. President Biden explicitly stated, both before and after he was elected, that one of the purposes of the BBB Act was to show that democracy was still capable of transforming society. Regardless of whether the social programs in the BBB Act would squash the anti-democratic well-spring in the country, President Biden has modeled his efforts on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.
The efforts of Joe Manchin and a few other Democratic politicians to pare down the BBB Act raises a fundamental dilemma about a minimalist BBB ACT. Will a minimalist BBB Act be enough to demonstrate that democracy works? But one of Manchin’s primary objections to BBB is that it would change our country. FDR successfully defeated domestic fascism because his programs yielded significant changes in our society. If, as some say, the way to gain Manchin’s support for BBB is to strip most of its transformative provisions, President Biden’s ability to save our government may also be reduced.
Manchin has been unable to think of a single reason to support the BBB Act. For example, Manchin has not mentioned his regret for opposing President Biden and the Democratic caucus. Instead, Manchin has put forward many reasons for his opposition, none of which is strongly supported by objective observers. For example, he has argued that the bill is inflationary, even though 56 economists, including 15 Nobel prize winners, say the bill is not inflationary. Further, Eric Levitz has pointed out that although Manchin had succeeded in killing off a key climate provision, he called for eliminating other green energy tax credits in his latest rejection of BBB. And Manchin, as an investor in a coal mine, personally benefits from his opposition to renewable energy. Also, Manchin says that some of his opposition to BBB programs is based on it being partisan. According to Manchin, Republicans, who do not support for the bill, will overturn it when they take control of Congress. One might think legislation that transforms our society could not be easily toppled.
The efforts of Joe Manchin and a few other Democratic politicians to pare down the BBB Act raises a fundamental dilemma about a minimalist BBB ACT. Will a minimalist BBB Act be enough to demonstrate that democracy works? But one of Manchin’s primary objections to BBB is that it would change our country. FDR successfully defeated domestic fascism because his programs yielded significant changes in our society. If, as some say, the way to gain Manchin’s support for BBB is to strip most of its transformative provisions, President Biden’s ability to save our government may also be reduced.
Manchin has been unable to think of a single reason to support the BBB Act. For example, Manchin has not mentioned his regret for opposing President Biden and the Democratic caucus. Instead, Manchin has put forward many reasons for his opposition, none of which is strongly supported by objective observers. For example, he has argued that the bill is inflationary, even though 56 economists, including 15 Nobel prize winners, say the bill is not inflationary. Further, Eric Levitz has pointed out that although Manchin had succeeded in killing off a key climate provision, he called for eliminating other green energy tax credits in his latest rejection of BBB. And Manchin, as an investor in a coal mine, personally benefits from his opposition to renewable energy. Also, Manchin says that some of his opposition to BBB programs is based on it being partisan. According to Manchin, Republicans, who do not support for the bill, will overturn it when they take control of Congress. One might think legislation that transforms our society could not be easily toppled.
