Tanden wasn't good anyways, so who cares but this better not be Manchin trying to flex.
It’s either that or a sign Tanden is getting a Republican vote
The question then is, who?
Ironically, Tanden has mean tweets about Collins, Murkowski and Romney.
Murkowski would probably make the most sense: she'd get to look like a good person who's capable of forgiveness, while at the same time, she'd get to show the Alaskan Democrats & independents that she's gonna need for an RCV victory next year that she's sincere in wanting to work with the administration when & where she can.
I'd figure she'd do that with Haaland though.
She'll probably be forced to oppose Haaland on account of not being able to afford pissing off the oil industry, which employs 10% of her state. Supporting Tanden would present nowhere near as much of a link to any direct impacts on her constituents' livelihoods as supporting Haaland would.
The politics of opposing Haaland are complicated by her being Native, a key constituency for Murkowski. Safest bet may be to vote for her as qualified for the position while emphasizing her disagreements with Biden.
