Joe Manchin pledges to block Biden's infrastructure bill if Republicans aren't included

[Politicub]

100. I was a couple of years out of high school during the early Clinton era

I don’t see that period of time as a golden age of compromise. It was more a product of brow-beating and political expediency.

Gay people like me were traumatized at the time by being used as political pawns. I remember a Republican Party threatening to push a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, with DOMA ending up being the compromise... and I guess it was a toxic display of bipartisanship.

And the trauma didn’t stop. Don’t-ask-don’t-tell became the policy of the United States military.

I grew up fighting to survive not getting beat up, and graduate to a hostile political world that was bipartisan in its approach, I suppose, to make sure that LGBT folk did not have the same rights as others.

More compromises came. One of which, “welfare reform,” stopped help that people in poverty relied on, taking away their benefits after a set period of time. Clinton signed it. I remember, and it was touted as progress.

So forgive me if I don’t have experience seeing Republican compromise when it comes to progressive priorities. It has been the democratic side voting with republicans. Technically compromise, I suppose.

Don’t even get me started on the religious freedom restoration act, which is still causing problems for the gay community.

I guess the banning of assault rifles was a good compromise position. It wasn’t lasting, though.