So this came across the transom–and most establishment Democrats belatedly agree with it:
Manchin on WV radio saying he knew from the beginning he wouldn't support BBB, but let Democrats negotiate.
That he got to his "wits end" after staff (either White House or Senate) did *something* that angered him enough to just come out and say he was never going to get to yes
— Tara Golshan (@taragolshan) December 20, 2021
Manchin is both a narcissist and an ideologue. He is a classic New Democrat ideologue, including the vintage 1990s New Democrat bigotry, so he never wanted Build Back Better.
He’s also a narcissist, who believes, like Sen. Joe Lieberman, that he is The Last Righteous Man in the Senate™. Rub these two shitty things together, and he was never negotiating in good faith–nor was he capable of doing so. He always shifted the goalposts, and he’s enough of a narcissist to be able to convince himself that he is the aggrieved party.
And if you’re wondering what I think we can do to fix this, I have no fucking clue. Maybe UNLEASH THE BERNIE! to go scorched earth on his ass because, given his overwrought, hysterical response to Sanders’ writing a single op-ed for the largest paper in West Virginia, that might be the one thing that would scare the shit out of him. Other than that, I got nothing.
Happy Fucking Tuesday.
mikethemadbiologist
I think you nailed it. UNLEASH THE BERN! And Bernie has said just what needs to be done, because Manchin is not the only one of these New Democrat/Blue Dog/New Wave/DLC corporatists. Bring it to a vote. Sure, we believe it can’t pass, but make the [bannable]s show themselves for what they are. Well, I guess most of them won’t, because they don’t have to — it only takes one, and he’ll probably get reelected anyway, but make him put it in the record.