I'm Not A Karl Rove Fan

But the clip above shows he's been paying attention. I've been focused on the putative Oct 31 deadline to pass BBB via reconciliation, but Rove speaks to the bigger picture: by the White House schedule, the debt ceiling extension, governmnent funding, the BIF, and the BBB must all be passed by December 3. He makes the point that Sen Schumer doesn't want to use reconciliation to pass the debt ceiling extension, because this leads to a "vote-a-rama". CNN explains this:

Usually in the legislative process, lawmakers can use a series of procedural maneuvers to avoid voting on amendments. But in a budget reconciliation process -- which Democrats are using to advance their sweeping package -- you can't do that.

Lawmakers cannot hold a final vote on a reconciliation bill until all the amendments have been "disposed of," or in simpler terms, "voted on." The practice involves votes on a series of amendments that can -- and usually do -- stretch for hours.

. . . These marathon voting sessions can go for hours and often all night. The amendments are not binding, but they serve as a way for each party to force the other side on the record about controversial issues. This is where future political ads are born.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday that it's possible an agreement is reached to have 10-minute votes and to finish by midnight, but he cautioned that it's "easier said than done."

Other estimates I've heard recently suggest it would take roughly two weeks to pass either the BBB or debt ceiling extension by reconciliation with a vote-a-rama. This is at least the public reason Sen McConnell allowed Sen Schumer until December to pass the debt ceiling extension, presumably plenty of time if Schumer actually takes that step. However, every indication is that Schumer won't take it.

But Rove also raises the point that the UN Climate Conference is taking place in Glasgow on Nov 1-2, to which many administration figures will travel, and it will be part of Biden's own European trip beginning Oct 30. And although Rove mentions the Thanksgiving holiday (a week-long congressional recess), he doesn't mention the additional week-long Veterans Day congressional recess, also in November. So between junkets and holidays, it's even more likely than I had originally surmised that November is a near total loss.

And so far, all we've heard from Speaker Pelosi is the same happy talk about "progress" that she gave last month. And if Sen Schumer were serious about advancing anything via reconciliation, the unlikelihood of getting anything at all done in November means he needs to start when the Senate returns from its latest recess tomorrow.

So it looks like the Democrats are continuing to channel the incompetent tech managers I used to work for, doubling down on bigger and bigger deadlines that they're gonna work all weekend to meet. But now there's yet another deadline:

Since his inauguration this year, questions have been raised about Biden's physical and cognitive wellbeing.

Psaki repeated her previous promise that once the president gets a physical - which she said in May would be before the end of 2021 - the administration would be 'transparent' about its findings.

. . . Requests for Biden's medical records were reignited last month after a September 16 speech the 78-year-old president made was frequently interrupted by his persistent cough.

Stein's Law: that which cannot continue must stop