Because the truth is, McConnell has the likes of Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska firmly in his pocket. He’s counting on their help to kill Biden’s infrastructure and jobs packages. And he’s going to get it.

It’s not that the moderates don’t consider themselves to be independent thinkers, and don’t make occasional efforts to work with Democrats. But when it counts, they do what McConnell wants.

We’ve been through this routine so many times it’s remarkable that there are still people who don’t understand how it works. The moderates string Democrats along for as long as possible, assuring everyone that they really, really want to be bipartisan. They express deep concern about the extremists in their own party. They pine, visibly and painfully, for the days when members of both parties routinely crossed the aisle. Then they vote with McConnell.