Thursday thread: We have...good news!

Joe Manchin signs on to massive climate bill. Mitch McConnell outsmarted by Dems. Texas governor's race, like the U.S Senate races, worrying the GOP.

Out of the blue Joe Manchin switched course — claiming to have realized that raising taxes on the wealthy and putting money into saving the planet won’t actually cause more inflation.

We all said that — but whatever.

This is a massive win for the president, the American people and the world. And Medicare would, under the bill, be able to negotiate prescription drug prices while Obamacare premiums would go down.

The Washington Post headline two days ago had me doing double takes: “Biden poised for big wins in Congress.” It included the possibility of the Respect for Marriage Act passing in the Senate.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is hurting in the polls, just as the GOP is fretting about its weak Senate candidates. And Mitch McConnell is seething over Manchin joining in the budget reconciliation bill which would pour billions into green energy programs after McConnell and the GOP voted with the Democrats — giving the president a win — to pass a semiconductor bill to thwart China.

McConnell believed there was some deal to the effect that if he gave the Dems a win on the semiconductor bill there wouldn’t be a reconciliation bill. For McConnell, it clearly was more important to screw the Democrats than stop China from dominating the market. But he’s the one who got screwed in the end.