Powerless

I don't have the one quick trick that Biden can use to make senators do what he wants them to do. I don't think he can Give A Soaring Speech or Call Them Into His Office and just make things magically happen.

But I also don't think any assertion that the President of the United States is the most powerful guy on the planet and therefore might have some legitimate, noncorrupt, perfectly legal way of Doing Things And Influencing People, is what the Smartest Boys On The Internet would call "Green Lanternism" back when there was a supermajority of Democrats in the Senate.

Lots of carrots, some sticks, and perfectly legal executive authority to achieve, if not precisely Goal X, Goal X' which is pretty good, also, too, in many cases (often even better!).

Biden’s assertion that he could persuade actual Republicans to play fair was central to his campaign, which the Nates of the world fawned over as the most skillful political showcase in many years. https://t.co/ntiKubne36

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) June 8, 2021

Let’s put a finer point on this. pic.twitter.com/B13GKSDzuY

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) June 8, 2021