What the moderate resistance stands to lose


Democrats have had a big week, and the kids are not...exactly alright; the party's moderates are up against the party's progressives, each with their own agenda in mind. Moderates — namely Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) — want the House to pass the Biden administration-defining bipartisan infrastructure framework, while progressives say they'll refuse to do so without a more firm agreement on the accompanying reconciliation bill's price tag. But which side does the infighting hurt more?
As some progressives have pointed out, moderate bull-headedness "will only hurt moderates in addition to the party at large," writes Politico. Why? Because progressives largely represent safe seats, "while many moderates hold swing districts."
"It will be moderates who suffer. We will lose moderates if we're running on a record that is not attractive enough to voters," Matt Bennett of the centrist think tank Third Way told Politico. "And we've been very clear, along with the vast majority of Democratic moderates including the president, that reconciliation is absolutely vital. ... And I think we'd agree that the infrastructure bill is necessary but not nearly sufficient."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Biden "really, really needs this win," added Colin Strother, a Democratic stategist.
And, in what might be seen as another notable strike against moderate resistance, the White House is actually "convinced progressives' end goal is still aligned with theirs and see the pressure they're exerting as ultimately helpful rather than damaging," writes Politico.
"We want to know what will be in a bill, especially if it's going to be anything less than $3.5 [trillion]," said Rep. Chuy García, (D-Ill.). "The holdup isn't with progressives, because we've maintained our position throughout. It's the moderates that have slowed this down and delayed it." Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Easy listening: the best audiobooks
The Week Recommends Swap hefty hardbacks for hands-free reading this summer
-
Sharenting: does covering children's faces on social media protect them?
In The Spotlight Privacy trend has 'trickled down' from celebrity parents but it may not protect your kids
-
Syria's returning refugees
The Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump