The narrow Republican victory in the two special elections gave the GOP control of the Senate. This had two important results: first, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party lost any illusions about its ability to enact its agenda; and second, the GOP was forced into a partnership of sorts with Biden. Nihilism doesn’t work when you’re in charge, at least in part.
Confirming judges became a more contentious process. On the other hand, there were no issues with the debt ceiling or government shutdowns, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed without a whimper from the progressives. There was no talk about major changes to the welfare state, except, of course, on Twitter. The dollar store economy remained unchallenged.
The bottom line here is that we tend to forget that the voters didn’t give progressives any kind of a mandate for dramatic change in 2020; it was the surprise outcome of the Georgia elections that changed left-wing expectations. In a way, Manchin is right; if you want huge reforms, you need to elect more liberals.