Joe Manchin has repeatedly set lower fiscal bars and goals for the Democratic caucus to meet, only to pull away the football like Lucy in the Peanuts comic strip as deadlines approached. Manchin’s constant bad faith negotiating has left Biden’s Build Back Better program in shambles, with Democrats once again scrambling to salvage crumbs for financially stressed Americans.

Manchin has consistently protected tax cuts for the wealthy and the fossil fuel industry while eliminating fiscal programs that actually could have reduced household inflation for American families, improved business supply chains, and taken meaningful steps toward meeting America’s clean energy goals.

Meanwhile, the ambitions of the Biden administration and hopes for a cleaner and more competitive economy have gone by the wayside. Once again Manchin is facing blowback from his Democratic caucus, receiving comments such as “failure to negotiate in good faith”, “moving the goal posts again and again”, and “we don’t trust him”. Faced with this righteous rage, he tries to deflect responsibility by claiming “he hasn’t shut the door”, and “he is still willing to negotiate”.

The Democratic caucus should shut the door on Manchin and end all negotiations with someone who obviously cannot be trusted and does not share the same goals. We need to move on to improving the lives of average Americans, protecting the planet, and restoring fairness in the economy. We need to move away from Joe Manchin and his planet-burning and billionaire-protecting policies.