West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin took to Fox News yesterday to let the White House know he was a big no on “Build Back Better.” Build Back Better is the profligate spending bill designed by Biden’s handlers to both bankrupt America and impose socialism, not surprisingly this bill is also the centerpiece of  Biden’s domestic agenda. (READ: WATCH: Here’s the Moment Joe Manchin Officially Killed ‘Build Back Better’, The Coping and Seething Begins After Joe Manchin Nukes Biden’s Presidency, and WH Response to Manchin Decision on Build Back Better Is Pure Delusion.)

The left was outraged and the claims that Biden and Schumer had been snookered by Manchin were widespread and, as it seems, scripted.

Progressives were absolutely right to insist on the linkage of the infrastructure bill and BBB. They got played.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 19, 2021

I've heard two theories:

1. House progressives got played.

2. House progressives were in on the charade.

Either way, they don't come out of this looking good. https://t.co/ZLdGQZUPIk

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 19, 2021

Curious if progressives like @RepJayapal and @MondaireJones who voted for the bipartisan bill feel like they got played.

— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) December 19, 2021

The use of the word “played” is everywhere. It is what detectives call “a clue.”  Someone high in the Democrat party communications apparatus had used that word in their talking points. It is much like Rush Limbaugh’s epic “gravitas” montage from the 2000 election.

When I look at the landscape, I’m a lot less sanguine about the outcome of the Senate vote. The fingers pointed at Manchin accuse him of being THE reason BBB will not pass this year. That’s nonsense. Manchin’s vote is only meaningful if the 50 Republican senators vote in lockstep to defeat the bill. I see no evidence that is a certainty.

The Senate GOP caucus is infused with quislings who will jump ship if the right offer is made. To paraphrase James Carville’s statement during the Clinton impeachment imbroglio, You drag $100 billion through the US Senate — there’s no tellin’ what you’ll find.”

For instance, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski has consistently voted for Biden appointees and nominees and is by no means a reliable member of the caucus.

Liberal Lisa Murkowski has shown us she’s Biden’s Chief Enabling Officer. She has voted over and over again to confirm multiple Radical Extreme Biden appointees! She is NOT a true Republican and does NOT lead with Alaska Values, it’s time for her to go. pic.twitter.com/HAnS6QR3hn

— Kelly Tshibaka – Endorsed by President Trump (@KellyForAlaska) December 19, 2021

In the last congressional session, Heritage Action gave Murkowski a 35% rating. The Heritage Action score is not what it used to be but Lousiana’s John Kennedy has a 96%, Missouri’s Josh Hawley has 94%, and Mitch McConnell has a 71% rating. Another weakling is Maine’s Susan  Collins. She has a 47% score. That means that both Murkowski and Collins are likely to vote with the Democrats that with their Republican colleagues. West Virginia’s Shelly Moore Capito and Utah’s Mitt Romney are a coin toss.

So while we should give Manchin props for having the stones to buck his caucus and do what is right for America, let’s not lose sight of the fact that there are at least four Republican Senators who are possible sellouts. Two of those are more likely to vote with Chuck Schumer than to stand against the BBB insanity.