UPDATED: Briefly Noted: Joe Manchin's Role In The Senate

I counted at least three articles about Joe Manchin at Red State yesterday. However, the prize for hands down best would have to go to shipwreckedcrew's 

Democrat Self-Interest in Re-Election Overtakes Desire to Pass the Socialist-Progressive Legislative Agenda

SWC offers a lucid explanation for why the Left simply has zero leverage over Manchin--their childish attacks on him do Manchin nothing but good in West Virginia. If he hopes to live out his days as senator from West Virginia that's all that matters. Indeed, as SWC suggests, Manchin might be tempted to 

send a bus to pick up AOC, Rashida Talib [sic], and Cori Bush and bring them to Charleston and Wheeling to campaign against him.

However, SWC's main point, as we have also emphasized, is that Manchin's role is actually to be the front man for non-radical Left Dems. In other words, he fronts for several other senators (not just Kyrsten Sinema) with similar views. They're not all completely on the same page, but they're close enough that they'll hang together. Now that Diane Feinstein (a surprise) has come out, I count five--including, unsurprisingly, both AZ senators. Remember, there's an election audit going on in AZ, so any expectation of those two going out on a far Left wing is ridiculous. Neither are the ideologues that some other senators are, and there is the possibility of their elections being ruled invalid.

SWC goes on to point out why Schumer--just like McConnell--is highly unlikely to draw any hard and fast lines that exclude wayward Dems. With a 50-50 Senate he has to be concerned for maintaining even that precarious grasp on his position--not, as SWC says, paying "fealty to the nutjobs in the House."

That nevertheless puts Schumer in an unenviable position. The Dem agenda has gone down in flames. It's fine for SWC to deride the "nutjobs in te House"--and nutjobs they are--but Schumer was fool enough to identify with much of their agenda (Court packing prominently among them). That agenda is deeply unpopular around the country. So the Dems will be running on no accomplishments and an unpopular agenda. Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil fomented by the Loony Left, with increasing grass roots led resistance springing up. And inflation--absolutely do not discount the effect that will have.

So, while the country does a slow burn, voters will be treated to the spectacle of internecine warfare on the Left while nothing productive gets done. They will also be treated to the spectacle we're already seeing of a barely--if that--compos mentis geriatric case occupying the White House while election fraud audits proceed. And an utterly incompetent and deeply unlikeable Kama Sutra in the wings:

The battle is now joined — inside the Democrat party.  ...

The GOP has more Senate seats to defend in 2022, but the election won’t be about Donald Trump, it will be about Joe Biden and the Democrat party’s first two years in office.

But even that is not accurate — it will be about Joe Biden and the Democrats’ first 12-14 months in office because one year from now some states will already be conducting primary elections for the November 2022 midterm election.

Meanwhile, Trump is about to launch--or be associated with the launch--of a new social media platform that bids fair to be a wild success against the despised Tech Titans. As Trump pointed out yesterday with iron logic:

They are shutting down an entire group of people. Not just me. They are shutting down the voice of a much more powerful and a much larger group.

That's exactly why I expect a huge percentage of Trump voters to turn to the new platform. That will be another thing the Wokesters have awakened. A mass movement that will have an unstoppable social media presence--one that they will not be able to marginalize.

UPDATE: Oh my! SWC noted in his article that Manchin is Catholic. I generally take that with a grain of salt these days, but Don Surber had this in his highlights this morning:

ITEM 12: National Review reported, "Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) said he would continue to support the Hyde amendment, in comments to Bloomberg Government on Thursday."

The amendment bans federally funded abortions.

The story said, "Because Manchin sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, Manchin could require the Hyde amendment to be included in any spending bill to reach the Senate floor."

Manchin is rising to the occasion.

This is getting to be fun!