The Resistance erupted in anger at the decision by Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) to support Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as secretary of state Thursday, but it should have been an easy call.

On paper, Pompeo is eminently qualified. He was first in his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and spent six years in the House of Representatives, serving on the intelligence panel. He has served for 15 months as CIA director — after getting confirmation votes from 14 Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the party. His tenure — unlike some other Cabinet secretaries in President Donald Trump’s administration — included no major scandals.

And if there were any doubts about whether his experience with spy craft would translate to diplomacy, senators could be reassured by recent revelations that he made a secret trip to North Korea to lay the groundwork for a possible summit between Trump and North Korean leader King Jong-un.

For a senator who campaigned as a moderate and represents a Republican-leaning state, Jones would have been hard-pressed offering a convincing rationale for voting “no,” according to Athens State University political scientist Jess Brown.

“Doug Jones is a blue senator in a red state. And if you’re going to survive … you can’t go to Washington and be all navy blue or completely crimson red,” he said.

What’s more, Pompeo’s fate was not in doubt. He had unanimous Republican support and a handful of Democrats already had announced they would back him. So, Jones could not have blocked the nomination, anyway.

Given those circumstances, Brown said, it would be foolish for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to insist on the confirmation vote as a litmus test” for vulnerable members.

“Why make Doug Jones take a lot of heat for this vote when he’s [Pompeo] going to be seated, anyway?” he said.

In his statement explaining his vote, Jones shared concerns about some of Pompeo’s past statements but added that the nominee had “demonstrated the ability to be an effective manager and operator on the world stage. I also believe his perspective having worked in the intelligence community will be valuable given the national security challenges he would face as Secretary on day one.”

In breaking ranks with his party, Jones joined Democratic senators Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, and Ben Nelson of Florida — as well as Maine independent Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats.

All of those senators are up for re-election this year, and all but King hail from states that Trump carried in 2016.

Liberals are unconvinced, however.

Will Benton, a Democrat running for the Alabama House of Representatives in Tuscaloosa County, warned on Twitter that Jones would hurt his 2020 election bid.

“You won’t see this level of enthusiasm for your candidacy in 2020 if you continue to ignore and antagonize your base here in Alabama. #ALDems #NoPompeo,” he tweeted.

He added that Jones would not see yard signs and volunteers the helped propel him to victory in December’s special election.

“It also means no canvassing, no rallies, no prayer breakfast, and no victory parties,” he tweeted. “@SenDougJones are you really sure you want the effort #ALDems grassroots have exercised on your behalf and throw that out the door by being a yes vote on Pompeo?”

An activist named Zach Carter tweeted that the Pompeo vote can be added to votes to extend
a program allowing for warrantless surveillance and to roll back financial regulations on banks.

“We don’t just need more Democrats; we need better Democrats,” he tweeted.

Lisa Youngblood, a self-described resistance member, tweeted that Jones should be “ashamed” of himself, adding that “the people of Alabama didn’t vote for you to be against them.”

And that is just a sampling of the clean criticism. Twitter was filled with profane comments directed at Jones.

To Brown, such remarks are evidence that hyper-partisans are “blinded” by their own ideological fervor.

“In spite of their involvement in a party organization, these people, these people are, in a way, politically naïve,” he said.

@BrendanKKirby is a senior political reporter at LifeZette and author of “Wicked Mobile.”