Of course. But one also has to question if the Democratic Party line is one of rotating villains. I don’t think it’s conscious, but Democrats probably felt like they do keep their members on the party line because large chunks of their sitting representatives are openly hostile to progressivism, so Manchin isn’t “out of line” to them.

Liberals will huff about him and Sinema, then turn around and excuse their actions because they’re from West Virginia and Arizona, and “can’t” be like “coastal dems” if they want to be re-elected to which I’m just like “then what use are they to you?”