On Dealing with Manchin

As any reasonable person would have predicted, the left is frustrated with Joe Manchin. How should they deal with him? The choices are: (a) to rip him in the press and hope that somehow changes his mind; or (b) to get as much as possible out of him today and to make the point in the 2022 campaign that we need more Democrats in the Senate, as the left does not really have a working majority there.

In case you were wondering, the correct answer is (b). Complaining about Manchin doesn’t serve any practical purpose. He is what he is, and the left has no leverage over him, as all of the alternatives in his state are far worse.