Being Annoyed.

By Zamboni

Looks like we're all spending Sunday morning being mad at Joe Manchin again. As always, we cats refuse to join in the outrage. It's too exhausting — and contrary to rumors we've heard, Manchin is apparently more open to a voting rights bill, which is probably more crucial than Build Back Better at this point.

Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed 40 Biden-appointed judges this year. That kind of thing doesn't nearly get as much attention as legislative fights do, but it's a record. (The pundits fawned over Benedict Donald getting 19 judges through in 2017. Biden and the Senate Democrats have doubled that.)

Here's the thing: West Virginia isn't going to elect any other kind of Democrat than Joe Manchin. And as maddening as he and what's-her-name from Arizona have been, the Senate (and the House) have gotten a hell of a lot done this year with extremely narrow majorities. If America wants to stop this craziness and have more wildly popular legislation passed, it needs to elect more Democrats. (Note to Democratic message mavens: Please explain this to voters in 2022, over and over and over.)

But as long as you're spending time being mad, spare some ire for these folks: Teresa Greenfield, who only carried eight of Iowa's 99 counties, Maine's Sara Gideon, who couldn't find a way to beat the vulnerable Susan Collins, Steve Bullock in Montana, who lost to Steve Daines by 10 freaking points, and North Carolina's own Cal Cunningham, who sexted his Senate campaign into oblivion. None of these Democrats won in 2020, and if they had, we wouldn't be in this fix. We cats HISS.

(UPDATE: We need to add DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who ran against Lady Lindsey in South Carolina, to that losers' list.)