There is a huge wrench in the works of President Joe Biden’s signature domestic policy agenda and his name is Joe.

Senator Joe Manchin is blocking “Build Back Better” legislation in the name of being a really smart fiscal conservative just looking out for his West Virginia constituents. Surely the fact that he made his fortune and continues to make around $500,000 a year from the coal industry has nothing to do with his opposition to the climate change measures in the bill, right?

It’s not looking too good for the U.S. leading the world on the climate front. President Biden announced some measures at the recent COP26 climate conference but not what he hoped to unveil. The centerpiece of the climate portion of Biden’s Build Back Better agenda has been gutted.

Sigh. If only we could satisfy Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema’s unreasonable demands by stuffing their heads into virtual reality goggles. Then maybe Democrats could pass truly meaningful legislation that would do a world of good.

It is not looking too good for the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan that is the cornerstone of President Biden’s agenda. The reason? A small handful of Democrats who are acting far too much like Republicans. “Centrists” like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin are so determined to be the leaders of an imagined bipartisan revival they are willing to throw Biden and their own party under the bus.