I’m generally sympathetic to the political pinch Democratic elected officials in conservative states find themselves in. I’ve lived most of my life in red states, and I get the survival instinct on display when Blue Dogs and similarly situated Dems have to tack against the national party. But what can you say about Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)? The harder he tries, the worse it gets.

David Kurtz

David Kurtz is Managing Editor and Washington Bureau Chief of Talking Points Memo where he oversees the news operations of TPM and its sister sites.