"'I would not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact it will have on our national debt, our economy and most importantly of the American people.'

He [Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)] repeated his concerns about inflation, the insolvency of social safety net programs and the growing national debt. He's opposed to expansion of Medicare, a key priority for progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders.

'I will not support the reconciliation legislation without knowing how the bill will impact our debt and our economy and our country and we won't know that until we work through the text,' Manchin said."

Hard to know whether Manchin understands the impact climate change will have on the people of West Virginia, much less those living in the other 49 states, much less the other 7 billion of Earth's residents. But the stalemate in Congress brings to the fore an inherent weakness in U.S. democracy, one that should raise questions about whether policy on such a critically important issue should be entrusted to two senators in a state with less than one-half of one percent of the U.S. population.