Hmm.

"Republicans in disarray after Manchin deal expands fissure between McCarthy and McConnell: report" https://www.rawstory.com/republicans-in-disarray-after-manchin-deal-expands-fissure-between-mccarthy-and-mcconnell-report/

I'm reminded of the adage that guilty people accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of. And politicians on the left *love* accusing Republicans of 4D Chess. I'm glad both bills are going to pass, but I strongly disapprove of 4D Chess in general because it backfires.

On the surface, this looks like pluses all around: Team Blue gets to cheer a bit, maybe laugh at the fascists for a minute, reward themselves for a genuine accomplishment, and declare that this is the end of Republican obstructionism, at least for the rest of this session.

But the reason why gambits work for Xanatos but not for us is that Xanatos Is Fictional. Gambits are not a long-term strategy; you can't *plan* to have a gambit for every situation, so that everything always goes your way.

This win makes the tie and suit fashies in Congress sad for a minute, but they'll be back to usual form in two weeks and won't fall for the same gambit twice. (Fash are many things, but not actually stupid.)

The other big issue with 4D Chess that it requires underplaying your hand and reverse bluffing, which in a political context demoralizes your base. Feeling like you're constantly losing and nothing can be done is *not* a feeling you want to cultivate in your voters and allies!

And for what? How long has this particular gambit been in the works? Weeks, months, a year? All that time when they were executing the gambit, laying the trap in the Senate, they were reducing their voters' enthusiasm for November 2022.

Long periods of the same emotion mark people more deeply than one would expect, and negative emotions mark more deeply than positive emotions.

Memory is a lot more complex than people think it is, especially when it comes to remembering emotions. Talk to anyone with C-PTSD to learn more.