“I’ve never been a liberal in any way, shape, or form,” so if progressives want a bigger reconciliation bill, “elect more liberals.”
–West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin responding to criticism of his refusal acccept a $3.5 million final tab for the reconcilation bill. According to a report, Manchin told Senate Majority Leader he had a $1.5 trillion limit this summer.
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Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.