And you know who comes from coal country, right? Senate Democrats want the Build Back Better bill wrapped up by Christmas, and Politico reports that Chuck Schumer’s feeling the pressure to get a big win for his caucus. But time is running out, and Joe Manchin looks even further away than ever:

Chuck Schumer leapt over the trap doors of a potential government shutdown and debt default. Now he has to stick the landing on one of the largest spending bills in American history.

As the Senate majority leader checks off his chamber’s list of must-pass bills, he’s turning to the urgent task of passing President Joe Biden’s $1.7 trillion social safety net bill before the long holiday break. Just a few obstacles lie in his way: Joe Manchin’s concern over rising inflation, the need for total party unity and only a few days left to meet his goal of final passage by Christmas. Oh, yeah, and the final deal isn’t finished yet.

Nonetheless, Democrats say Schumer is pressing forward on his repeated vows to finish work on the climate and social policy legislation in the next two weeks.

Nonetheless, this is a perfect portrait of Beltway politics. Schumer’s priority should be on fixing a bill that’s so problematic that no one can honestly say how much it costs, how much it raises, and all of the changes it will make. In fact, it’s a safe bet that few if any of the people who will vote for it now have read it yet, even in its current form, or even read the full House version that passed last month. Instead of producing a bill before scheduling a vote, Schumer’s priority is scheduling a vote.

And why is it soooo important to vote on this before the end of the year? Nothing changes in 2022 in terms of Senate or House composition, after all. It’s not a new session of Congress, so the bill won’t need to start over from scratch. One reason why Schumer wants it wrapped up this year is clear, even if Politico never mentions it. Schumer and the other Democrats don’t want the Build Back Better vote fight getting pushed into the midterm election cycle.

The Hill sees this as the primary reason for a fast resolution, but also the embarrassment of rolling back Biden’s direct-payment child tax credit:

Democrats have both political and policy reasons to want to get the bill done this year. They are loath to kick the can to 2022, a midterm election year where typically little significant legislation gets accomplished. And the longer the bill stays in limbo, the longer Republicans have to target it and key Democrats, whose support will be needed to get it to Biden’s desk.

Democrats are also barreling toward a cliff on the child tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of the year. Aides warn that they need to pass the Build Back Better legislation, or a short-term extension, by Dec. 28 or January payments could be disrupted.

“You need to pass Build Back Better that continues the program by Dec. 28. …That’s what I’m working on. That is my focus,” said Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). …

Neither Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) nor Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have said yet that they support the bill, and both have privately predicted it won’t be ready to pass by Christmas.

But there’s another reason why this has to happen soon or not at all. The longer this drags on, the more inflation becomes a problem for its passage. Joe Manchin isn’t the only Democrat starting to worry that spending profligately while inflation hits a 39-year high is problematic, both politically and economically. One more month of sky-high inflation reports will peel away Senate Democrats facing tough elections next November.

Of course, that’s an argument for not doing the BBB at all, either. Schumer hopes that pushing the win up to now will make the spending look better (or at least more distant) by the midterm elections. Right now, however, it’s making the Democrats look like fools as well as spendthrifts. That’s not a message Schumer wants to continue into the midterms either.