Neera Tanden became President Joe Biden¡¯s first Cabinet casualty on Tuesday when she withdrew her nomination to be budget director.
The Republicans who sank her have not accomplished much. Biden¡¯s next nominee will be a little more or less progressive, and a little more or less competent, but not significantly different in any way that matters. The next nominee will, however, lack Tanden¡¯s record of combative tweets against Republican senators. Those tweets were what kept her from being confirmed.
Tanden¡¯s disappointed supporters are slamming her Republican opponents for hypocrisy. It¡¯s not just that Republicans waited until just after Donald Trump¡¯s presidency to start saying that mean tweets are disqualifying. They have also gotten more and more worked up about the excesses of ¡°cancel culture¡± except when it comes to canceling Tanden.
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