So, Mitch has decided to play poker by bringing the Green New Deal to the floor of the Senate. And the pundits are going wild. How could the Democrats do this? How could they hand him this win? Wait a minute. This is only a win for Mitch if the Democrats blow it and let it become a win.
In poker, if you have all your cards laid out, face up, on the table and you bluff, you’re not going far. Everyone knows what Mitch is doing, including his fans. There’s only one way to beat the bluff, call it.
Schumer needs to whip his caucus and tell them they are voting yes. Then he needs to make a statement along these lines:
Mitch McConell is playing poker. I’d like to make it his Waterloo. He’s not interested in this legislation, he’s not interested in the jobs it will create for Americans, he’s not interested in the infrastructure it will create that will support this country for decades, and he’s not interested in the problems that global warming is creating. He’s interested in keeping power and in keeping his leadership in the Senate. Well, Mitch, my caucus has talked, and we think those things are important. We are voting yes, all of us. Now you need to decide what you’re going to do.
Mitch has no intention of letting this bill pass, period. If he lets it come to the floor and it passes, he’s done, and he knows it. If Schumer can whip his votes, then if it comes to the floor, and Mitch has to whip his vote to make it fail, he’s done.
The secret is for Schumer to be upfront. He needs to state exactly what Mitch is doing, and what his intent (Schumer’s) is. Folks in this country have come to hate politics. They hate it exactly because of the shenanigans that Mitch is pulling. They want honesty. If Schumer states that he has one intent, to let Mitch eat his words, then he will win. He should carefully state that he supports the Green New Deal and would love to have a Green New Deal, a good one, passed. But that Mitch has no interest, so he’s not playing.