The perennial dilemma for congressional progressives has always been that while they have a working moral conscience, their opponents don’t.

This fundamental quandary is at work yet again, as progressives, after gamely holding the line for months on the Democrats’ infrastructure bills, are now coming under intense pressure to swallow another loss, smile, and say thank you. As Senator Joe Manchin, the public face of the corporate-funded wrecking ball that’s been taken to the party’s once-ambitious plans, reportedly told Bernie Sanders behind closed doors, he’s willing to go without any of the reconciliation bill’s measures passing, let alone the tatters that are left of it, if progressives continue to insist on their $3.5 trillion framework.

So progressives are back in a familiar situation. They can either stand firm and, ultimately, make good on their threat to torpedo both parts of Biden’s infrastructure proposal — and, so, his entire presidential agenda — winning nothing for their constituents in the process. Or they can accept the watered down reconciliation bill and get something done for the country in a moment of profound insecurity, no matter how inadequate, while putting on a brave face.