Tonight, the media, including those sources usually friendly to the Democrats (are you listening, MSNBC?), are acting like this was a stunning defeat for the Left. You would expect this from Fox, Newsmax and OAN. But, WTF, MSNBC? Why aren't they hammering Republicans for not even allowing debate? Why aren't they drawing a clear distinction between the party that wants to protect voting rights and the one that just doesn't care? Why can't we ever count on the Liberal Media to have our backs?
Say what you want about Republicans, and I have plenty to say, but they know how to stay on message. So much so, that when someone like Liz Cheney actually steps over the line, it becomes the biggest news story in the country for 5 news cycles. There is reason to believe that at least half of the Republican Party hates Donald Trump. And yet, they continue to support him as if he actually won last November. Republicans, and their media mouthpieces, get on board with every issue, no matter how racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-immigrant or anti-poor it might be.
But Liberals wouldn't know a good talking point if it walked up and punched them in the nose. Every issue, from COVID relief, to police reform, to immigration, to Women's Rights, to LGBTQ+ rights, to the definition of infrastructure has to analyzed, discussed, debated and, ultimately, criticized for one reason or another by every "coalition" in the party. And media sources like MSNBC play right into the perpetual discord. If there is one thing you can count on Liberals for, it's that you can't count on them for universal support for anything.
Now, I can already hear the first impression of what I just wrote. "Well, it's because we have minds and we use them. We're not going to accept something 'just because'. That's what makes the Democratic Party great." And I couldn't agree more, mostly. Sometimes, you gotta fight. And fighting sometimes means that ideology needs to take a back seat in order to get a win. And in the current environment, Democrats need wins.
So, Manchin and Sinema need to get their heads out of their asses and start acting like Democrats. The filibuster rules must be overhauled. After the Summer recess, congressional Democrats need to do some broken field running. Use budget reconciliation to get everything passed for which that particular tactic can be used. The Attorney General needs to start running the CURRENT DOJ, and get busy finding out what the last DOJ was up to. MSNBC and other liberal media outlets need to get on board and be more supportive of us and more critical of them. Don't lie, don't make things up, just take off the gloves. And President Biden needs to dump his undying love for all things "bipartisan". The GQP has made it clear they will remain the Party of No, so let's tell them to take a seat and let the adults get to work.
It's a new concept, but the Left needs to start defending each other, not all the little niche positions that drag us down and allow the minority party to behave like they hold the majority. It's time for this party, for the first time in it's liberal iteration, to start pulling in one direction for a while. Americans want their government to govern. Let's show them we can.