Senate Dems Facing Re-election Suddenly Find Religion on Biden Energy Excess

It was a foregone conclusion that retiring West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin would vote to nullify a key plank in the Biden Green New Deal energy and climate agenda on Wednesday. Manchin has made a habit of opposing carefully picked aspects of that agenda over the past few years even though he folded like a cheap suit when he became the deciding vote on the Orwellian Inflation Reduction Act in August, 2022.

Everyone also knew it was likely that Kyrsten Sinema would vote her conscience on the provision given that she no longer has any hopes of being re-elected to her Arizona Senate seat this year. Like Manchin, Sinema has shown occasional displays of common sense on energy whenever it has suited her political fortunes. Unfortunately, she, like Manchin, threw her career prospects into the toilet when she sold out the country on the IRA.

What was not known until Wednesday’s vote was whether a) the GOP minority would remain unified, and b) any other Democrats seeking re-election would do the right thing for their respective states?