Sinema and Manchin Know What They Are Doing

Business-friendly Democrats don’t need to worry about reelection when they can have lucrative second careers as lobbyists

- ANDREW PEREZ and WALKER BRAGMAN

IT’S A CORE PRINCIPLE of economics that people do what they are incentivized to do. That may be why Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia haven’t hesitated to oppose popular progressive policies in their own party’s spending bill: They can bet on getting a payoff in the end.

During the fight over Democrats’ social spending reconciliation bill, Sinema, for example, has played a prominent—albeit silent—role in watering down the party’s plan to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. She’s also helped gut Democrats’ plan to expand Medicare benefits, nixed tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations and pushed to make the overall bill smaller. While Sinema isn’t up for reelection until 2024, she is polling terribly and already facing the threat of a well-financed primary challenge.

While Manchin has a personal financial interest in protecting the fossil fuel industry, he’s also worked diligently to deny new Medicare dental benefits that seniors in his state desperately need. Manchin has been on a fundraising tear this year, despite stating recently that he hasn’t decided whether he’ll run for reelection in 2024.

To understand what’s in it for conservative Democratic senators who play the party’s villain role, look at those who came before them: Many of those who do big business’ bidding and then either fail to win reelection or retire quickly end up scoring lucrative careers on K Street. It’s the ultimate win-win situation.