Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Thursday that he will oppose nominee Julie Su as President Joe Biden's pick for labor secretary, citing her "progressive background" as a disqualifier.

"Su's more progressive background prevents her from" leading both labor and industry and finding courses of action that are acceptable and beneficial to both, Manchin said.

Su became the Acting Labor Secretary when Marty Walsh left the position in March to head up the National Hockey League player's union and was nominated for the position in April, but needs confirmation to stay in the position on a more permanent basis. She had been Deputy Labor Secretary before that time.

Prior to her work in the Biden administration, Su was California's labor secretary, and her performance in that position should raise even more questions about her fitness for a national role.

A disastrous job history

California's unemployment insurance fund is now $20 billion in the red because under Su's leadership, $31 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments were sent out while at the same time, checks were frozen on claims.

It's probably going to take years to sort out the mess, but Biden is sure Su is the right person to lead the Labor Department anyway.

Never mind that no one would be hired in the private sector with a job history like that.

"The president's support for Acting Secretary Su is unwavering, and we hope Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema reconsider their position," a White House official said.

She is "highly-qualified, experienced, and has proven herself time and time again when it comes to delivering for America's workers and our economy," the official added.

Votes uncertain

It is unclear whether Su has the votes to be confirmed or not, since Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) has not said how she will vote on the nomination.

Sinema has only said through a spokesperson that she "doesn't preview her votes," but the administration seems to think she's a "no" on Su.

With the Senate at 51-49, Su can afford to lose Manchin or Sinema's vote, but not both. No Republicans have endorsed her.

The Senate voted to advance Su's nomination in April, but no vote has been held or even scheduled since then. The law regarding the Labor position on the cabinet would allow Su to serve indefinitely in the role without a vote being held, according to NBC News.

It's become clear that Biden doesn't care about his nominees' past performance or whether they can actually do the job he nominated them for if they have the right political views and, even better, if they fit a racial profile that lets him claim equity and diversity in his administration.

In these qualifications, Su excels, but do we really want to give her a chance to repeat her mistakes on a national level?Considering that half of his cabinet deserves to be impeached at this point, his priorities seem clear.