Progressives are from Mars, Manchin is from Venus – Politico
With help from Renuka Rayasam
CONGRESSIONAL LOVE LANGUAGES The 1992 best-seller Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus looks today like a reductive exercise in gender stereotypes. But set the retrograde cliches aside: The book accurately conveyed a central truth that might help congressional Democrats as they stare down a brutal fall. Relationship breakdowns happen when you and your partner are communicating on your own terms, rather than trying to find common ground despite different frames of reference.
And lately, Democratic centrists and progressives are not only talking past each other, they are also doing so in two separate languages. So while the binary Mars-Venus frame doesnt work for gender, it might just teach the two camps inside President Joe Bidens party how to live under the same roof without the stakes of its big tent flying away in a gust.
Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Mich.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) are pictured on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. | Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
The first lesson comes from Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). She told POLITICO on Friday that she has the votes within her 96-member bloc to stop the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill from clearing the House next week unless a multitrillion-dollar social spending bill also moves ahead. People want to see us fight for them, she added.
This is Mars talk, more or less. Progressives are willing to risk short-term legislative failure if it connects to their deeply held policy principles because theyre motivated by the fight itself.
Centrists, on the other hand, are from Venus. Heres how Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) addressed the social spending bill in a recent ABC News interview: No one is talking about inflation or debt, and we should have that as part of the discussion. I cant understand why we cant take time, deliberate on this, and work.
Centrists like Manchin would prefer long-term legislative stasis to a short-term failure if it gives them more time to socialize their goals. Theyre motivated by the act of outreach, however performative it may look to their colleagues on the left.
Can Democratic leaders please both fight-for-whats-right liberals and talk-it-through centrists? Possibly, but it would require a conversation about the $550 billion infrastructure bill that bridges this Mars-Venus divide.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) leaves a hearing on Capitol Hill. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
Each wing would have to accept the others needs for the whole party to get what it wants. And based on Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinemas recent ultimatum to Biden about walking away from the social spending talks if the House infrastructure vote fails as soon as next week, the chances of that acceptance arent looking good.
The second lesson comes from Reps. Cori Bush (R-Mo.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and other progressives who, after the Senate parliamentarian ruled against including immigration reform in the social spending bill, urged their party to push past the rules referee. Top Democrats can and should ignore the parliamentarian, Omar tweeted. The parliamentarian must be overruled, Bush tweeted.
This isnt going to happen, but theyre illustrating a classic element of progressive communication: Always try to move the range of acceptable outcomes.
Think of this as the progressive version of what original Mars/Venus author John Gray described as the cave that Mars denizens retreat to when theyre under pressure. A trip to the cave doesnt necessarily accomplish the goals of Mars natives, but it lets them blow off steam that later helps them communicate better.
To that end, the Democrats left flank is going to naturally want to clamor for bigger and bolder resistance after a defeat like the one they got dealt on immigration. That venting is valuable and is likely to be followed by a come-together moment for the party when the time is right.
Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at [emailprotected]. Or contact tonights author at [emailprotected] and on Twitter at @eschor.
A message from Altria:
Moving beyond smoking. Altrias companies are leading the way in moving adult smokers away from cigarettes by taking action to transition millions toward less harmful choices. We are investing in a diverse mix of businesses to broaden options beyond traditional, combustible cigarettes. See how were moving.
Dems rope debt to government funding, lassoing GOP into clash: Congressional Democrats are proposing lifting the debt ceiling through the 2022 midterm elections as part of their plans to fund the government into December, leaders said this afternoon. But that measure, which is set for a House vote this week, faces an uncertain future as Senate Republicans remain unwilling to help Democrats neutralize the looming crisis over the nations debt limit when their party controls Congress and the White House.
Bidens broad booster plan driven partly by supply concerns: Top advisers to Biden pushed for his administration to announce a broad booster rollout for September in part because of fears that the U.S. could run short of doses needed to offer the shots to its entire population if vaccines protection decreased suddenly, according to two senior officials with knowledge of the matter. The internal campaign coincided with pleas from international leaders for the U.S. to do more to help lower-and middle-income countries secure initial doses.
Pfizer, BioNTech say Covid-19 shot for kids is safe and provokes strong immune response: The immune response seen in the 5- to 11-year olds enrolled in the late-stage clinical trial was comparable to that seen in teens and young adults, even though the childrens dosage was one-third the amount used in people 12 and over. The companies have not released detailed data from the study, nor have they published the findings in a peer-reviewed journal.
Supreme Court sets Dec. 1 for arguments in challenge to Roe v. Wade: The Supreme Court today scheduled Dec. 1 arguments on Mississippis ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippis ban has been blocked by lower courts because it directly violates Roes protections for pre-viability abortions.
Texas doctor sued after saying he defied states new abortion law: A San Antonio doctor who said he performed an abortion in defiance of a new Texas law has been sued by two people seeking to test the legality of the states near-total ban on the procedure.
White House: Possible use of whips on Haitian migrants is horrific: White House press secretary Jen Psaki expressed dismay today at images that appeared to show Border Patrol agents using whips on migrants seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border. Psaki said that administration officials were aware of the situation and that its horrible to watch.
U.S. to lift air travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreigners: The Biden administration is targeting early November for foreign travel to resume for the first time in more than a year. The head of the White Houses Covid-19 Response Team, Jeff Zients, announced today that foreign nationals must show proof of vaccination and proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken three days prior to boarding an airplane.
Attorney for Trump CFO hints at more indictments: A lawyer for Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg said today that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance may bring charges against more people as part of the probe into the former presidents company. Weisselbergs attorney, Bryan Skarlatos, did not say which people might face charges or whether he thinks former President Donald Trump could be among them.
PUTINS PARTY WINS BIG IN DISPUTED ELECTION Russias ruling party on Sunday secured a landslide win in a vote that has been dubbed the most repressive since Soviet times.
With some 85 percent of ballots counted as of early today, United Russia which backs Russian President Vladimir Putin had won 50 percent of the vote, appearing to lose some seats in parliament but paving the way for it to retain its majority.
Three days of voting an extended period the authorities claim is meant to prevent a spread of the coronavirus, but critics argue facilitates vote-rigging brought with it a litany of violations.
In Moscow, results from electronic voting had still not been made public after 12 hours, a delay that critics decried as a sign of tampering.
And as in previous elections, footage shared on social media showed brazen ballot stuffing and harassment of observers. At least one new tactic also surfaced the use of pens with disappearing ink, presumably in order to correct ballots after they had been cast.
LIGHTNING CRASHES The European Commission is set to present a legislative proposal on Thursday to force manufacturers to use a common charger for electronic devices, according to a Commission official closely involved in the file.
The proposal will require all manufacturers to harmonize the charging points on devices using a USB-C charging point and to make their software protocol for fast charging interoperable between brands and devices.
The main target of the new legislation is U.S. tech giant Apple, which has pushed back against EU attempts to standardize chargers through binding requirements, arguing that it will hamper innovation.
CALL MY AGENTS Bob Woodward and Robert Costas Peril, which will be published Tuesday, is the last of this summers flood of books about the end of the Trump presidency. Among the others: Michael Wolffs Landslide, Carol Leonnig and Philip Ruckers I Alone Can Fix It, and Michael Benders Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost.
Washington, D.C., book agent Rafe Sagalyn called the Woodward/Costa book a market test of whether there is still an appetite for Trump era books.
The Trump-related book has been a staple for a few years, but there are signs of fatigue, esp after the 3 bestsellers from last month, Sagalyn wrote in an email to Nightlys Renuka Rayasam.
Sagalyn and two other books agents that Nightly spoke with still werent quite sure what comes next for political book publishing. Agents dont think Biden will juice the publishing industry in the same way. Its hard to envision a Biden book full of the kind of salacious gossip thats made Trump books so popular over the years.
Trump was a singular, horrific figure, Gail Ross, president of the Ross Yoon agency, told Nightly. The aftereffects are just extraordinary.
Ross and Elyse Cheney, the agent who repped Leonnig and Rucker, each separately predicted that the next generation of post-Trump political books will be more issue- and idea-oriented and less focused on the occupant of the Oval Office.
We will use the term political book more elastically, Ross said. People are reading more during the pandemic or at least buying books to fill their Zoom background shelves.
Ross just sold a book from Sherrilyn Ifill about being on the cliff of democracy. Policy books can be as successful as the scandal book, she said.
Cheney said shes been obsessed lately with the idea that civilization is collapsing and that Big Tech executives hold as much power as the president. She would love to see more books about the behind the scenes worlds of Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, though she admits Silicon Valley tends to be less dishy and transparent than Washington.
The relief of not having Trump in office is being able to think about things on a bigger scale, Cheney said. Or being able to think at all.
Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
A message from Altria:
Moving beyond smoking. Altrias companies are leading the way in moving adult smokers away from cigarettes. Today, we are taking action to transition millions toward less harmful choices.
From cigarettes to innovative alternatives. By investing in a diverse mix of businesses, Altria is working to further broaden options. Our companies are encouraging adult smokers to transition to a range of choices that go beyond traditional, combustible cigarettes.
From tobacco company to tobacco harm reduction company. And while Altria is moving forward to reduce harm, we are not moving alone. We are working closely with FDA and other regulatory bodies, and will work strictly under their framework.
See how were moving.
View post:
Progressives are from Mars, Manchin is from Venus - Politico
- OPINION: Labor, progressives, and the politics of the West Side - 48 Hills - March 5th, 2025 [March 5th, 2025]
- Adriana E. Ramrez: Progressives should admit that Donald Trump might do something right - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Decades of pandering to progressives have left both BP and Unilever at a loss - The Telegraph - March 3rd, 2025 [March 3rd, 2025]
- Progressives tap a rising star to deliver their response to Trump - POLITICO - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Two Santa Ana progressives make bids for the 68th Assembly District - Los Angeles Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The great rethink and the opportunity for progressives - Nation.Cymru - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Progressives Say They Want Clean Energy. They Held Up This Hydro Project for Years. - POLITICO - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Meet the 'old-school Democrat' defying warped progressives to make his Southern city boom now Trump's back - Daily Mail - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Progressives go silent on court-packing with Trump in office - Washington Examiner - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Can progressives and moderates bridge the growing divide in the Democratic Party? - College of Social Sciences and Humanities - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Progressives say they are prepared to take charge over any ministry in Latvia - bnn-news.com - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Can progressives and moderates bridge the growing divide in the Democratic Party? - Northeastern University - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- FTC Push for State Media Shows Progressives Need to Spend on Local Media - Daily Kos - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- For progressives, humanitarian values apply to everyone, except the Jews - JNS.org - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- Cowardly Kathy Hochul caves to progressives on punishing Eric Adams (and his voters) - New York Post - February 25th, 2025 [February 25th, 2025]
- How Progressives Broke the Government - The Atlantic - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Its too late for progressives to be careful what they wish for - Danville Commercial News - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Progressives Flood Senator Schumers Peekskill Office -Demand A Fight Against Trump & Musk - Yonkers Times - February 18th, 2025 [February 18th, 2025]
- Trump's Ideas Aren't Crazy, They've Just Shaken Progressives - Newsmax - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- How Progressives Froze the American Dream - MSN - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- Opinion: George Will: Its too late for progressives to be careful what they wish for - Longmont Times-Call - February 14th, 2025 [February 14th, 2025]
- How Progressives Froze the American Dream - The Atlantic - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Opinion | Its too late for progressives to be careful what they wish for - The Washington Post - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Progressives Sickening Embrace of the PFLP - Commentary Magazine - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Progressives demanding NYC fight ICE are at war with reality - New York Post - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Higher taxes on millionaires and a $20 minimum wage: What else are RI progressives proposing? - The Providence Journal - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Musk cuts waste and progressives melt down. He must be on the right track. I Opinion - USA TODAY - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- How U.S. progressives broke the administrative state, according to Marc J. Dunkelman - NPR - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Progressives should cheer Trumps FBI purge The bureau bullied antiwar radicals like my father - UnHerd - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Progressives let hatred of Trump push them over the edge. It's truly sad to see. | Opinion - USA TODAY - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- Progressives demanding NYC fight ICE are at war with reality - MSN - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- ASU progressives worry about tech oligopoly in Trumps second term - The College Fix - February 12th, 2025 [February 12th, 2025]
- "Solidarity is the antidote to fascism": Progressives organize Treasury protest over Musk takeover - Yahoo! Voices - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- "There is no common ground with fascists": Progressives rip Klobuchar's call for bipartisanship - Salon - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Opinion | Progressives Wont Help the Working Class by Abandoning Marginalized Groups - Common Dreams - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- "Solidarity is the antidote to fascism": Progressives organize Treasury protest over Musk takeover - Salon - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Opinion - A kicked DOGE hollers: Progressives telling response to an agency cutting spending - AOL - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Chicago alderman accuses Mayor Johnson only listening to 'hyper-White liberal progressives' on immigration - Fox8tv - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump and Musks Agenda Is a True Threat to Aviation Safety, Progressives Warn - Truthout - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- Jonathan Scott: How progressives lost rural Canadaand what they should do now - The Hub - February 1st, 2025 [February 1st, 2025]
- New York magazine shows progressives are losing the culture war - UnHerd - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- New Unity and Progressives give up and decide to support Kazks to lead Bank of Latvia - bnn-news.com - January 30th, 2025 [January 30th, 2025]
- Opinion | Our Democracy Is in Peril, But Progressives Are Poised to Lead Its Revival - Common Dreams - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Progressives Are Done With Eric Adams. Can They Elect One of Their Own? - The New York Times - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Progressives' meltdown over Trump's first actions show exactly why he won | Opinion - USA TODAY - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Andrew Perez: My fellow progressives youve been lied to about Israel - National Post - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Memo to Big-City Progressives: Get Back to Basics - Governing - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Californias Wildfires and the Battle Between Populists and Progressives - Australian Institute of International Affairs - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Streeting heckled as he urges progressives to fight the populist right - The Independent - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trumps political resurrection sends three warnings to Hollywood, media, progressives - Washington Times - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Streeting heckled as he urges progressives to fight the populist right - Evening Standard - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Streeting heckled as he urges progressives to fight the populist right - AOL UK - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Streeting heckled as he urges progressives to fight the populist right - MSN - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trump inauguration: is this the end for progressives in America? - Channel 4 News - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Progressives Hate Jimmy Carters Best Accomplishments - National Review - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Jaime Watt: Advice to progressives: Public rage is real and the politics of joy is dead - Toronto Star - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Why progressives should talk to their enemies Jesse Jackson understood the power of persuasion - UnHerd - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Five reasons for progressives to take hope and stay engaged in 2025 - NC Newsline - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- 5 reasons for progressives to be hopeful, engaged in 2025 - Restoration NewsMedia - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Progressives like Greg Casar remain politically out of touch, reader says - San Antonio Express-News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Progressives Hate Jimmy Carters Best Accomplishments - AMAC Official Website - Join and Explore the Benefits - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Bill Maher's foul-mouthed rant at progressives who shun conservative loved ones over the holidays - Daily Mail - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Is the Seattle City Council 'toxic' for progressives. Newly elected Alexis Mercedes Rinck is about to find out - KUOW News and Information - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Congressional Progressives New Leader Thinks Times on His Side - The Dispatch - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Opinion | Progressives shouldnt avoid the hard conversations they need to win - The Washington Post - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Its fine to recall progressives, but not a conservative supervisor? Ask the Chron - 48 Hills - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Progressives Under Pressure: Confronting the Gradual Rise of Authoritarianism - Social Europe - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Progressives flee X for Bluesky, where they can harass others in peace - New York Post - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Opinion | Progressives should defend Bidens legacy to protect their future - The Washington Post - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Letters to the Editor: Progressives mandate is overstated; Boulder can be model supporting youth - Boulder Daily Camera - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Where Will Progressives Go from Here? Tyler Syck - Law & Liberty - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Progressives push for preemptive action on Trump 2.0 - POLITICO - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- AOC, other progressives condemn violence but suggest justification for killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO - Fox News - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- Both conservatives and progressives are paying attention to Jeong Hyeong-sik, who was designated as - - December 16th, 2024 [December 16th, 2024]
- To lead the resistance on Capitol Hill, progressives in D.C. are turning to a Texan - San Antonio Report - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Progressives Want Democratic Party Reform with Bold Working-Class Agenda - West Orlando News - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Progressives must Act to Protect the most Vulnerable: mere Resistance to Trump is not Enough - Informed Comment - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- 2027: APGA ready for alliance with fellow progressives Ezeokenwa - Vanguard - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Progressives Plan for Handling Trump Is Too Clever to Work - New York Magazine - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]
- Progressives must unite to see off the far right - The Guardian - December 4th, 2024 [December 4th, 2024]