Kyrsten Sinema Is Confounding Her Own Party. But ... Why?
Most Democrats in Congress are united around the Democratic agenda, but a small number of senators and representatives have so far been able to hold up its passage. I need 50 votes in the Senate. I have 48, President Biden said last week, regarding his social spending bill. As for who is standing in the way, his blame was clear: Two. Two people.
Those two people are Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. The two moderates have forced Democrats to water down several priorities (such as election reform and the $3.5 trillion budget bill) and are blocking more ambitious reforms entirely (such as abolishing the filibuster). But while congressional observers from the commander-in-chief on down usually mention Manchin and Sinema in the same sentence, its a mistake to lump together their resistance to their partys priorities. Manchins centrism is unsurprising: He has been a conservative Democrat his entire career, and his home state of West Virginia is so red that it might be politically impossible for him to move left, even if he wanted to.
But neither is true of Sinema. Once a staunch progressive, Arizonas senior senator has taken a hard turn to the right. On the surface, that appears to have been an effort to make her more electable by courting moderate and conservative voters. If so, she may have overcompensated: Arizona is no West Virginia, and no other swing-state senator has vexed Democratic leadership so thoroughly. In fact, Sinemas established such a firm anti-progressive reputation that she may have lost the support of enough Democrats to endanger her reelection just the same.
Sinemas resistance to core pieces of her partys agenda may seem puzzling from an electoral perspective, and its possible that a motivation other than winning reelection is behind her contrarianism (more on that later). But its also possible that shes striking the ideal strategic balance between primary and general election electability.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/kyrsten-sinema-is-confounding-her-own-party-but-why/
PortTack
(32,767 posts)blm
(113,061 posts)amcgrath
(397 posts)The last numbers for West Virginia were something like 90% support for the bills from Dem voters, and about 76% from GOP voters. It averaged down to around 80% support. So Manchin doesnt seem to be trying to protect his career.
sop
(10,177 posts)re-election. Unlike McCain, who constantly jumped in front of any tv camera to talk policy positions and brag about his maverickness, Sinema is a ghost, literally running away from reporters in the halls of Congress. I think she's a one-termer.
tell her this. She is NO John McCain nor will she ever be respected by either party at this point.
2naSalit
(86,609 posts)Too bad she's such a dud.
Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
CozyMystery
(652 posts)Skittles
(153,160 posts)yup
Kablooie
(18,634 posts)Maybe she should commiserate with Lindsey Graham.