Manchin sees clearly what his party’s progressives don’t or won’t

Manchin’s call for a pause, then, is the political version of the adage “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” He sees clearly what his party’s progressives don’t or won’t: The Biden presidency is nosediving, fast, and needs to take time to figure out what’s going wrong. Pushing an expansion of federal government power and spending on a level not seen since the mid-1960s might appease the left but would do nothing to address what the center is concerned about: fighting covid-19, reducing inflation and restoring American confidence. Manchin, and the many Democrats who silently stand behind him, don’t want to be the martyrs sacrificed on the progressives’ altar.