Whenever Sen. Joe Manchin (D–W.Va.) raised the hackles of left-wing activists for opposing some trillion-dollar progressive priority during the Biden administration, liberal writer Matt Yglesias would defend the senator on the grounds that he was performing above replacement value.
Instead of comparing Manchin to other progressive senators, Yglesias argued lefties should compare him to his most likely replacement, which would almost certainly be a very conservative West Virginia Republican.
All things considered, he was the best West Virginia senator progressives could reasonably hope for.
