As RedState reported on Wednesday, in a sudden reversal, Sen. Joe Manchin has reached a deal with Sen. Chuck Schumer on a massive reconciliation bill that provides hundreds of billions of dollars for “climate change” provisions. It also includes corporate tax increases.

The move comes as US consumers are battling crushing levels of inflation, with June’s number coming in at 9.1 percent. Manchin had previously signaled that he would not sign onto a massive spending bill until inflation was under control. Unfortunately, he broke his promise, and now the combination of more spending and taxes being passed onto consumers will likely lead to even higher prices.

How did we get here? To put it frankly, Sen. Mitch McConnell got absolutely played.

Absolute scumbag move. Manchin waited until Rs moved CHIPS, giving up their leverage and then reversed course the very minute they passed it.

Should be a lesson for every R not work with Dems. https://t.co/IMagnbiXFF

— Mike Palicz (@Mike_Palicz) July 27, 2022

McConnell had previously had assurances from Manchin that a massive reconciliation bill was not on the table anymore. Further, the GOP minority leader had been using the CHIPS Act, which Manchin supports, as leverage to stop the passage of billions of dollars for green boondoggles.

For reasons completely unknown, though, McConnell decided to trust Manchin, delivering the votes for the CHIPS Act. The moment that leverage was nuked, Manchin ran to Schumer, reversed course, and stabbed McConnell in the back.

McConnell can claim the massive W when it comes to the Supreme Court but there has to come a point where the GOP gets tired of him spitting in their faces on issue after issue while he says "but the Supreme Court tho!"

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 27, 2022

McConnell and his defenders have long cited his Supreme Court maneuvering as proof that he is a master strategist who simply can’t be replaced by someone more conservative. And yes, he deserves massive credit for holding up Merrick Garland’s nomination in order to get Neil Gorsuch on the court (Kavanaugh and Barrett were much more straightforward as far as the procedures go). How long does he get to ride that wave, though? How many times does he get to end up not stopping Democrat spending bills? Or worse, how many times does he get excused for signing onto them willingly?

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Cocaine Mitch memes as much as the next guy, but to get played by Manchin on such a big issue feels like a bridge too far. What substantive conservative wins, outside of the judiciary (which is simply his job), has the Kentucky senator delivered? The list is short.

What’s also frustrating about this is that Republicans have routinely provided cover for Manchin by allowing him to play the role of a pragmatic moderate. By offering him deals and giving him a counter from the right, they have often saved him from having to strictly deal with and own the lunacy of the Democrat Party.

That has to stop, right now. Manchin should be cast into the abyss, made to own every single ridiculous thing his leftwing colleagues push on him. No more giving him cover so he can go back to West Virginia and proclaim how moderate he is. If Democrats want to spend $2 trillion on green initiatives, he should be made to reject his party with no nod toward trying to negotiate with the GOP. Manchin is a Democrat. Let him be a Democrat.

As to the voters of West Virginia, enough is enough. How many times does Manchin have to tell you who he really is before you believe him? Vote this guy out in 2024 if he’s dumb enough to run again.