CNN panelists say legislative wins speak to 'how Democrats adjusted their goals to reality'

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CNN panelists suggest Democrats 'adjusted their goals' to fit reality with Inflation Reduction Act

CNN panelists discussed recent Democratic legislative victories and said that the Inflation Reduction Act spoke to how Democrats 'adjusted their goals' to fit reality.

CNN panelists discussed a "vibe shift" in favor of the Democratic Party on Sunday during "Inside Politics," arguing that the recent Democratic legislative wins speak to how members of the party have "adjusted their goals to reality."

Host Abby Phillip said that Democrats sounded especially optimistic about things, as several pieces of legislation, such as the semiconductor chip bill, have passed the House and the Senate. 

Politico's Marianne LeVine said Democrats were "ecstatic," because they were not expecting the Inflation Reduction Act. LeVine said Democrat lawmakers believed they were going to get a "narrower health care package" that Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., approved. 

The Senate is currently engaged in a vote-a-rama to pass the bill with budget reconciliation. 

CNN panelists discuss Democratic legislative wins and a "vibe shift" in the party. Screenshot/CNN/InsidePolitics (Screenshot/CNN/InsidePolitics)

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"I think the fact that the expectations were lowered so much by the assumption that they were going to get a narrower bill, only made this what they see as a pretty big victory for them, and only made the passage of this that much of a bigger deal," she said. 

Phillip noted that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT., was likely to vote for the bill, but that he was "unhappy" with it and offered several amendments that probably would not go through. 

Time Magazine's Molly Ball noted a "vibe shift" for the Democratic Party. 

"There’s been sort of a vibe shift in favor of the Democrats. I think in so many ways this bill they feel like sort of fell out of the sky thanks to Joe Manchin suddenly reversing himself. And so it just feels like this thing they didn’t expect," she said Sunday.

"And then you have gas prices coming down, the economic news you mentioned, the foreign policy news you mentioned, just after at least a year where it seemed like they just could not catch a break - even on stuff that they sort of had nothing to do with," Ball said, adding that Democrats were "depressed" over Roe v. Wade being overturned and frustrated over a lack of action on climate change. 

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks to reporters outside a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

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"It's just like we're in a completely different world now," she continued. 

CNN's Kaitlan Collins said that many Democrats generally supported Sanders' proposed amendments to the bill, but that many would vote against them as to not upset the balance. 

"It shows how striking it is, what Democrats wanted and talked about a year ago to what they’re accepting now. Because, I mean just look, even in the name in it of itself and how they rebranded this to Build Back Better, to now it is called the Inflation Reduction Act. That is the work of Senator Joe Manchin. And it speaks to how Democrats have adjusted their goals to reality and what they’re seeing," Collins noted.

"This bill is transformative when it comes to climate change and what not. It’s very different from what they wanted a year ago. That’s what Senator Sanders is complaining about. There’s not the child care, the elderly care, all of these other efforts to rewrite the social contract that they initially sought. Though you can see, given how enthusiastic Democrats are about this, how much their goals basically have changed," Collins asserted. 

Kaitlan Collins says Democrats have adjusted their goals to fit reality. Screenshot/CNN/InsidePolitics (Screenshot/CNN/InsidePolitics)

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Manchin said he would support the Democratic spending bill, which has been rebranded as the Inflation Reduction Act, a scaled back version of President Biden's original Build Back Better bill.

"I now propose and will vote for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Rather than risking more inflation with trillions in new spending, this bill will cut the inflation taxes Americans are paying, lower the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs, and ensure our country invests in the energy security and climate change solutions," Manchin said in a recent statement. 

Watch the Senate's ‘vote-a-rama’ over the Inflation Reduction Act live here.