THE TRAIN WRECK – OVERNIGHT:  The Democratic Party is hopelessly split, and one can only wonder why there is no talk of a new center-left party, which would certainly pick up significant support from the sane members of the electorate.  From Fox: 

Congressional Democrats Thursday night called off an effort to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill through the House after negotiations on their reconciliation bill stalled, leaving the two major pieces of President Biden's economic agenda in limbo. 

The failure to pass the infrastructure bill so far this week – and the failure to come to an agreement on what the reconciliation bill should look like – were major blows to congressional Democrats and the president. And they underscore both Democrats' razor-thin majorities in Congress and their internal divisions. 

But the two bills were not necessarily dead yet, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., continued to express optimism as she left the Capitol early Friday morning. 

"We're not trillions apart," she said at 12:01 a.m. "There'll be a vote today."

House progressives have for months said that they would not vote for the infrastructure bill unless the reconciliation bill is passed first through both chambers of Congress. But meanwhile, House moderates extracted a promise from Pelosi to bring up the infrastructure bill before the end of September in exchange for their votes for the budget resolution in August. 
Against a deadline

Slow negotiations, however, on the framework of the reconciliation package between moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and party leaders butted up against the deadline for the infrastructure vote. 

This created a situation in which progressives demanded immediate action on reconciliation in order for them to vote on infrastructure, and moderates simply demanded immediate action on infrastructure. 

Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and White House liaisons Susan Rice and Brian Deese tried until late Thursday night to reach a deal before House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced there would be no further votes for the evening. 

Shortly after that, Problem Solvers Caucus Chairman Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., walked briskly into Pelosi's office, holding a phone to his head and appearing displeased. Gottheimer was one of the infrastructure bill's biggest supporters in the House. 

He left the speaker's office a little over a half-hour later. Gottheimer declined to speak to reporters on both occasions. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki had said in a Thursday statement that an agreement was close. 
"A great deal of progress has been made this week, and we are closer to an agreement than ever. But we are not there yet, and so, we will need some additional time to finish the work, starting [Friday] morning first thing," Psaki said. 

COMMENT:  The party now is essentially controlled by the militant left.  They are fanatical and have no idea how government in a democracy works.  It is time to begin discussions about the formation of a new center-left party. 

September 30, 2021