Every time Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) dig in their heels over an issue, progressive Democrats scream betrayal. While these verbal floggings make for great entertainment, they have little impact because these battles are actually about power, not issues.

In a fifty-fifty Senate with an intact filibuster, centrists hold the most power primarily because of the filibuster. Yes, keeping the filibuster intact is in centrists’ individual best interests. Case in point, Sinema and Manchin currently have more power in their little fingers than all of the progressive Democrats in Congress combined.