You might remember the various Senate "Gangs of 8 (or 6 or 10 or whatever)" that popped up occasionally, when the "moderates" who are at best stupid and generally quite corrupt decide that only they can Save The World. They spend weeks having closed door meetings, occasionally meeting for photo shoots, after which they tell the political journalists who live for that stuff just how much they love smelling each other's farts, the very best farts America has to offer. Impossible to find groups of people with more self-regard, quite convinced that their bit of substanceless theater has entranced the people of America.
The Manchin show has been like that, except just Manchin.
