ED MORRISSEY: Dems about to play hardball with Manchin … and vice versa?

Excuse me? “Absolutely no pressure”? Not only has Manchin been under constant pressure from progressives in both the House and Senate, he’s been the target of so much abuse from them and their allies that at one point they finally realized it wasn’t doing them any good. That was after House Democrat Cori Bush attacked Manchin for being “racist” over his opposition to BBB.

Manchin wasn’t the only senator targeted over BBB. Kyrsten Sinema got repeatedly harassed in public by activists, including in public restrooms. It got so bad for both Senate Democrats that the White House’s blame-shifting last week to Manchin finally pushed him over the edge in part because Manchin knew that would set off another round of harassment.

Build Back Better is so popular that Democrats can’t even get it through their own Senate caucus.

But the party leadership’s sense of entitlement is so overweening that they can’t tell — or at least won’t admit — that their own lack of political skill is the reason why.