
Biden puts 'closer' role to the test with his entire agenda on the line
CNN
President Joe Biden wasn't pitching in Wednesday night's Congressional Baseball Game, where players and spectators alike held the key to his political fate.
But even off the mound, it was clearer than ever the moment has arrived for Biden to play the closer. His presence in in the dugouts at Nationals Park was perhaps the clearest indication yet that no opportunity will be spared for the President to pressure Democrats into getting in line behind his ambitious domestic agenda.
Using a combination of soft-touch pragmatism, hard-nosed haggling and "c'mon man" realism, Biden this week is employing a career's worth of legislative practice to ensure his agenda does not implode under the weight of Democratic infighting and Republican opposition. White House officials and others familiar with the talks insist he is making progress, even if the results are not yet clear. Others have questioned his approach and called for more explicit public pressure.