consideration this is an historic choice. it goes beyond this senate and his term in office. the person he chooses has to serve our nation for a long time to come. >> let's talk about inflation now because it's at a 40-year high and i'm sure you're hearing a lot from your constituents about it. your democratic colleague, senator joe manchin, told a west virginia radio show that the problem of inflation is, quote, self-inflicted in his view because of democrats' massive spending packages. he said while biden's social spending plan is well intentioned, the united states is not in a financial place to take it on. it sounds like manchin doesn't think democrats will fare well in the midterms if inflation isn't under control soon. >> inflation is a problem for families, it's a problem for our nation and a political problem on top of all that. we see it when we drive past the filling station and look at the price of a gallon of gas. it's a real challenge. the combination of this inflation with a pandemic is weighing heavily on american