Kyrsten Sinema wore a “Fuck Off” ring back in April that was clearly meant to mock people/her constituents. But some of you are worried about ~decorum~ from folks whose lives/livelihoods are on the line? Nah. pic.twitter.com/kYivYkLRTJ
— Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) October 4, 2021
What if Sinema’s colorful wigs were just foreshadowing that she is actually a clown?
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) October 4, 2021
The Grey Lady (NYTimes) regrets “The Cocooning of Kyrsten Sinema”:
In February 2018… Ms. Sinema, then a three-term congresswoman, was the leading Democrat for the state’s Senate seat being vacated by Jeff Flake, a Republican. She was handpicked by Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, for her fund-raising acumen and a carefully curated moderate image that was believed to play well in Arizona, which hadn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in 30 years.
Before flying to Phoenix, I asked Ms. Sinema’s aides whether she would be doing any campaigning or whether I could come see her — it was a week of congressional recess when members of Congress tend to spend time in their districts.
After obfuscating about her whereabouts, Ms. Sinema’s team finally told me to meet her at a bookstore in Phoenix for what was described as a round-table discussion with local businesswomen. When I got there, I encountered a highly unusual scene for a major campaign.
There was nobody else at the event, just the seven businesswomen, Ms. Sinema and her highly attentive staff (one aide unwrapped a straw before carefully placing it in Ms. Sinema’s can of La Croix), me and a small CNN crew.
She spent the 38-minute discussion — seemingly conducted purely for the benefit of The Wall Street Journal, where I worked at the time, and CNN — taking every opportunity to praise President Donald J. Trump and her meetings with him. When she was asked about child care, she said Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump was working on it.
In our subsequent 13-minute interview, Ms. Sinema couldn’t name any topics in which she disagreed with Mr. Trump. When I asked what her younger self, who worked for Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign, would think of her in 2018, she said she would be “proud of the growth.”…
What is perhaps most notable about that interview is that she did it at all. Ms. Sinema rarely granted requests for sit-down interviews with national reporters during the rest of her 2018 campaign. Since coming to Washington, she has been one of the most elusive senators on Capitol Hill…
Notably, Sinema’s numbers are down with Democrats AND independents. She went from +11 with indies to -3. So all this posturing about her independence has yielded her… a net negative approval rating from independents. pic.twitter.com/eQUD4Figyh
— Adam Jentleson ?? (@AJentleson) October 4, 2021
Politico just announces “‘Her calculation is off’”:
… [T]he novelty has worn off. Nearly one-third of Arizona Democrats view Sinema unfavorably, according to one recent poll. The state party put her on notice of a potential vote of no confidence. She was greeted by protesters over the weekend when she returned home for a fundraiser, and then confronted Sunday by activists who filmed her in a restroom…
“She’s trying to be a moderate, because Arizona is a moderate state and the way you get elected here — or at least the way you have in the past — is to not be challenged in a primary and get your ass to the middle to try to keep enough swing voters in your camp,” said David Doak, a retired longtime Democratic strategist and ad maker living in Arizona. “Given the polarization — the leftists are more left now and the right-ists are more crazy now — your calculation needs to be different … Her calculation, I think, is off.”…
Calling Sinema an “obstructionist” rather than a centrist, Garrick McFadden, a former vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, said it’s “not just the hippies and the 20-, 30-year-old” Democrats who are fed up with her, but more moderate and institutional-minded Democrats, as well.
“I don’t understand the calculus,” he said. “It’s not like we’re asking her to do the Bernie Sanders or the Elizabeth Warren agenda. It’s the Joe Biden agenda.”…
if you fancy yourself the manic panic john mccain, you have to do the full mccain: doing all the sunday shows, getting yourself on the working groups, doing the hits on cable news, etc. his whole shtick was dependent on being everyone's favorite permanent washington resident.
— BESTCOASTMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) October 2, 2021
mccain could get away with being an absolutely blistering prick in private because he spent years being the go-to that any reporter in washington could get a quote from, at any hour, on any topic, and loved sitting on the television panels. the whole bit doesn’t work w/out that.
you can’t just shitpost your fuck off ring on instagram. a lot of things have changed with social media, but that isn’t enough to polish all the edges off your personality, it just reinforces them. you need all the talking heads to genuinely love having you around all the time.
mccain was mostly a garbage fire human being and wasn’t a particularly dynamic legislator most of the time, but he deliberately made himself a swiss army knife for washington green rooms who had an “serious” opinion on everything and could play distinguished on television.
if you’re mostly just an asshole, you end up being ted cruz or rand paul (and even those two are forever thirsty for television hits). no one should ever want to be the democratic party’s ted cruz.
though i have to admit that flying off to a pricey spa fundraiser in the middle of negotiations for a bill that you say is extremely important to you and your constituents is a very ted cruz thing to do.
but arizona is not texas, and sinema isn’t running as a republican. she’s going to have to work hard to get re-elected, which seems to be what she thinks she’s doing. i’m skeptical that she’s right about that.
Liberal senator who is not doing her job gets defended by white nationalists because the person who pointed out she didn't do her job is brown. healthy society, no serious problems on the horizonhttps://t.co/TBnAALR9lx
— halloween display name ?????? (@MenshevikM) October 4, 2021
Liberal senator who is not doing her job gets defended by white nationalists because the person who pointed out she didn't do her job is brown. healthy society, no serious problems on the horizonhttps://t.co/TBnAALR9lx
— halloween display name ?⚰️? (@MenshevikM) October 4, 2021
How dare they bother her in the sacred space that is the airport. Lol, just kidding.
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 4, 2021
Dana Houle is an actual political professional, not a media guy:
Norm is right. I’m exasperated w her, & heartened by my belief that she’s ruined her career. I want (non-dumb) pressure on her. But I’m worried, not really that she’ll switch parties—impeach Trump, you can’t win a GOP primary—but that she’ll just quit, & Ducey appoints a Repub /1 https://t.co/wXGJ5iG3RC
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 5, 2021
And therein is the danger & difficulty of negotiating & pressuring her. She’s not, from what I can see, pursuing any kind of reasonable & effective strategy. She’s just taking poses, which ultimately seem mostly about putting herself at the center of attention. /3
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 5, 2021
[Also, drawing on the Garland precedent, I’d expect Ducey to do whatever he could to delay/sabotage/defy implementing the law.] /5
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 5, 2021
Mike in NC
Why are we still being exposed to the fascist rants of Trump’s neo-Nazi immigration advisor Stephen Miller?
Emerald
Glad to learn that AZ state law mandates the governor to appoint a Democrat if she quits, but what’s to make him do that quickly? Could he lawfully wait for months, all the while with Mitch McConnell in charge of the Senate?
Poe Larity
Trump should just announce her as a candidate for his 2024 running mate. That would own a lot of liberals.
Major Major Major Major
If only!
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … RollCall:
Manchin supposedly said he was good with raising his $1.5T limit for the RB to $1.9-$2.2T in a headline I saw earlier today.
Democrats in the Senate are going to get it done. They know how to do this politics stuff. Moscow Mitch’s day has come and gone – he doesn’t get to decide how Democrats do their job any more.
Cheers,
Scott.
the pollyanna from hell
The stress of high office might help induce some mental problems. Sinema does seem paranoid.
Skepticat
Proofread her campaign ads. Wish I could leave Easter eggs in them if we’re hired for her next campaign.
Morzer
I can’t imagine Sinema just quitting to spend more time with her self-pity and vanity. She needs attention as much as Thingummy from Mar-a-Largo does. I could see her becoming some variety of independent out of pique and a deluded belief that she would win re-election that way. I could also imagine her simply refusing to do or vote for anything because people were mean to her.
sdhays
@Emerald: I think Dana is grossly underestimating the degree to which any Republican would be willing to sink in this situation. All they need to do is pick the Republican they want to appoint, have that guy (and it almost certainly will be a guy) change his registration to Democrat, appoint him, and then have him go toddle over to Mitch McConnell and caucus with the Republicans.
The only thing stopping them from doing something like that would be fear of blowback, but I don’t see this Republican Party worrying about that anymore.
Emerald
@the pollyanna from hell: That’s what’s starting to scare me. She seems to be exhibiting some serious mental stress. How do you corral someone like that?
piratedan
@Emerald: if she did step down and Ducey had to appoint someone…. it would for sure not be someone on the short list of challengers… so.. the speculation would swing to a seat that the GOP would think is gettable or unlikely to run again. So maybe O’Halloran or Grijalva
Major Major Major Major
@Another Scott: yeah changing the rule here seems like the thing that’s obviously going to happen.
sdhays
@piratedan: Ducey is term limited and looking for his next job. Switch parties, appoint himself, switch back or just caucus with the GQP and be a literal DINO until any legal questions are settled. Done.
Sure, he has to face the voters in 2024, but he’s won twice and Republicans would be thrilled. Dump might even get over his resentment over losing Arizona after seeing a “boss” move like that
ETA: If, for some reason, the seat did become available, it’s crazy to think that a Republican governor 202* would allow something like the text of a law make him appoint an actual Democrat to fill the seat. No freaking way.
debbie
@Poe Larity:
She’s not a 10.
Chetan Murthy
@debbie: Also 45. Too old for Lord Littledick.
debbie
I’m surprised her ratings aren’t higher with Republicans. They should be delighted at her shenanigans.
sdhays
@debbie: They’re pleased that she’s fucking over Democrats, but they’ll never actually like her.
Chetan Murthy
@debbie: what makes her better for GrOPers than McSally?
Suzanne
FFS, we have known this for years.
piratedan
@sdhays: doubt it would work… Schumer wouldn’t seat him and there would be an immediate court challenge…. plus that would likely scuttle any legit shot at a real election.
Suzanne
@piratedan: I think O’Halleran is likely.
He’s a good dude. Just so, so boring. The ultimate nonentity. Which sounds great in comparison to Sparkles the Shitty Senator, but would be a hurdle to get him elected when the term is up.
Suzanne
@sdhays: Ducey wants that Senate seat for himself. Or Mark Kelly’s.
I think Biggs and Gosar might want the other one.
Major Major Major Major
@Suzanne: “boring normie Democrat” might be a much easier sell than “Democrat who’s only popular with republicans”…
piratedan
@Suzanne: looking at it pragmatically… the GOP might think they could grab his congressional seat in a special and hes not a daunting challenger for Ducey should he decide to seek the office
Suzanne
@Major Major Major Major: So over 60% of Arizona lives in Phoenix. O’Halleran doesn’t, and he has very little name recognition there. The AZ Dems should work on raising his profile.
Shalimar
So Sinema has no chance of re-election if she switches parties, but she could switch parties and then resign so Ducey could replace her with himself.
Shalimar
@Emerald: If Sinema switched parties, how long would she have to be a Republican before Ducey could name a Republican to replace her if she quit?
piratedan
@Shalimar: that would be the ultimate FU move, yes… if so… she might not bother coming back and just transition to a gig on The View.
Suzanne
@piratedan: I really think that’s closer to her endgame. She wants to be famous.
piratedan
@Suzanne: based on her actions, thats my take… i think she finds politics boring and really isn’t enjoying the time spent justifying anything, much less a well reasoned policy position that matches her own self image… While i don’t think much of Ducey, there are savvy strategists that will advise him accordingly.
HumboldtBlue
The Yankees lost!
Thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhe Yankees lost!
Ken
@Another Scott: Brief fantasy: After they pass the rules change, Schumer says “Oops, I mean moops — looks like we approved the wrong draft. This one also exempts civil rights and Supreme Court legislation from the filibuster….”
sdhays
@Suzanne: Ducey appointing himself was more an example than a prediction. I wouldn’t expect him to put himself at such personal risk of “McSallying” himself. The point was that there’s no good faith left in the well here – there’s no way a Republican governor would appoint someone to a Senate seat that would allow the Democrats to keep their majority in the Senate (except, maybe, that governor in Vermont who said he would appoint a Democrat if there was a vacancy in either seat).
Either the seat is left open in 2024 or they pick someone with a “D” beside their name who will vote with the Republicans.
Fair Economist
What’s so bizarre about Sinema’s antics is that she was 90% in a cushy job as long as she wants and she’s blowing that easy job. She just has to win one election in 2024 with a clear advantage and after that demographic change would make it smooth sailing indefinitely. If she would just vote 95% normal Democrat, not block core Democratic goals, and do decent constituent service she could run marathons and wear all the flashy fashion she wants, and even be rewarded with extra media attention for it. As a critical vote from a purple state, fundraising will be easy-peasy for her (c.f. McGrath, Harrison, etc.) and she could rake in the dough herself with speeches, board position, and stock trading.
The road she’s taking is lose for her, lose for us. Why?
hilts
Fuck Sinema and Good Riddance those goddamn, motherfucking NY Yankees.
Tony Gerace
@Emerald: On the basis of my training (Psychology 101 in 1974) I don’t think that Sinema is actually mentally ill. She’s just another grifter (though one with unusual hairstyles and costumes). If/when she fails at this “U.S. Senate cosplay” gig, she’ll find another way to make money. There are plenty of marks out there.
Fair Economist
@Ken: I don’t think that will happen. But once they’ve tossed in an exception to the filibuster it’s a lot easier to do another. “The filibuster is sacrosanct” instantly becomes silly.
Major Major Major Major
Went out for snacks a bit ago and saw a flyer saying that they’ll be filming some Netflix lawyer show, Partner Track, all around the neighborhood tomorrow. That’s kinda fun.
Making me think of the “Single Female Lawyer” episode of Futurama.
Bill Arnold
@Fair Economist:
Maybe she’s being tempted by wealthy ‘donors” ? Her net worth is only a little over $1M (at least what’s public).
Could take many forms, though R promises/hints aren’t worth spit. If she does make such a move, she should not expect a smooth transition, and should expect strong long-term grudges held by powerful people.
Global heating raises the stakes, a lot. People 20 years from now will not be forgiving.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Charlie Pierce has a frequent line about South Carolina, something like “a lunatic asylum granted statehood”. Idaho seems to have seen that and said, “Hold my beer”
more here
Major Major Major Major
Lol. Andrew Yang was on Tucker tonight, naturally.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Major Major Major Major: you never know who’s gonna pop up on Fox….
Starboard Tack
@HumboldtBlue: I don’t follow MLB anymore. Lots of reasons, the DH being one of them, but I grew up in Cleveland, so yes, FUCK THE YANKEES!!
eclare
@Fair Economist: I know! That is what is so bizarre. She is in one of the world’s most exclusive clubs, and she shows no desire to stay there.
karen marie
@Emerald: Sinema has had no one answering the phone in any of her offices since she became senator. Whatever stress she’s feeling today does not explain why she’s been flipping her constituents the bird for three years.
Another Scott
@Fair Economist: She really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really wants the BIF to be passed. It’s something that she talks about constantly on her official Twitter page. It’s clear that she’s staking her political future on being a big-wig negotiator on that and on being St. John McCain’s bipartisan mavericky descendant. She mentions, once that I noticed, being a co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Otherwise, she’s BIF!!, McCain water act stuff, Veterans stuff, etc. She seems to think that if she overtly supports Democratic priorities that can’t be spun as bipartisan, then she loses her brand, or something.
This tells me that Chuck has her vote for the RB. She knows she’s not getting the BIF without it.
I expect that she’s going to recalibrate her mavericky shtick after the RB and BIF and debt ceiling stuff is resolved, especially if her polling is still in the crapper in AZ.
My $0.02, FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
Omnes Omnibus
Please stop trying to game out outlandish scenarios in which Sinema tries to fuck is over like a second tier Bond villain.
GSV Sleeper Service
Captain C
@sdhays: It may be that he’s given a list to choose from by the state party; I think it works that way in at least one place with the same-party for open Senate seats rule.
Emerald
Major Major Major Major
@Omnes Omnibus: srsly!
karen marie
@Another Scott: There is no way in hell I would vote for her again, no matter what she does at this point.
prostratedragon
@hilts: Well now there are those who are real sorry about the latter, even if agreeing with the former.
prostratedragon
Hours ago in an earlier thread I gave a big send-off to an article reviewing the 1992 police riot in NYC, Giuliani’s role in it, and what looks a lot like organized suppression of the story in the local press from that day to this. My send-off culminated in a non-working link, as Just Chuck so kindly pointed out. One viewing of La Strada later, here’s the correct one:
Just got here, so don’t know if this has been mentioned, but there’s finally an article re-examining that cop riot outside City Hall in 1992, one of the featured attractions of which was none other that Rudolph Giuliani. I’ve been crying out in the wilderness about this event almost since it happened. Good to see it getting aired. (h/t digby)
Anotherlurker
@HumboldtBlue: I worked the Yankee booth, as a broadcast tech. and all I can say to you is: woo hoo! F$ck the Yankees!
Anotherlurker
@Major Major Major Major: If the producers association doesn’t return to the table and bargain with IATSE in good faith, then their time in your neighborhood could be very short. IATSE members authorized a strike, if management doesn’t bargain in good faith.
Management. Good faith.
Sometimes I crack myself up!
Major Major Major Major
This is also worth keeping in mind. Manchin and Sinema aren’t the only ones who have some issues with the original proposal.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Going by the conversation I had on twitter with one Sinema’s supporters she staked this position she a True Democrat and everyone else is just radical liberals. It would hard for her to switch parties from that. Meanwhile, the New True Scotsman Fallacy lives on.
Another Scott
@Major Major Major Major: I’m not sure that’s true. Joe said he only needed 2.
I think there were more senators who had issues with things like gutting the filibuster, but even that number may have dropped over the summer.
We’ll see soon enough!
Cheers,
Scott.
frosty
@Major Major Major Major: Many years ago we watched Barry Levinson filming part of Tin Men in my Baltimore neighborhood. All the street signs were changed to the style in the early 60s. I saw Richard Dreyfuss at one point. It was fun.
prostratedragon
@Another Scott: When stories about the supposed claque hiding behind M&S surfaced to utter silence, I became convinced that, when it comes down to it, it’s just those two.
Chetan Murthy
@prostratedragon: The name Coons was also mentioned. Might have been another, but I forget.
prostratedragon
@Chetan Murthy: I know. Haven’t heard a peep out of him since sometime this spring when he expressed reluctance to eliminate the filibuster entirely. That’s a ways from this recent intransigence.
Major Major Major Major
@Another Scott: I mean biden is also aware that this is the narrative they’re going with, in this scenario.
Burnspbesq
@HumboldtBlue:
Somewhere in Heaven, Steve Gilliard is smiling. FTFY!
Burnspbesq
ETA: The yankees’ loss comes in the wake of two historically awful losses for Real Madrid, in a week where Texas is behind Wake Forest in the AP football rankings.
It’s enough to renew one’s faith in God.
Anotherlurker
Lol! Brilliant! I think I’ll enjoy a Guinness as a cleansing nightcap.
@Burnspbesq:
Rusty
Who is advising Sinema? I can’t believe you could have committed staff that want this mess. Is it a cult of personality? A bunch of temps? Is literally no one at home? To work as a senate staffer is usually a sign of higher political commitment, it’s hard to see how anyone that is a solid democrat would stay.
HumboldtBlue
@Burnspbesq:
Works for me.
Major Major Major Major
@Rusty: I definitely get a “no one” vibe.
HumboldtBlue
@Burnspbesq:
You’ll appreciate this Bayeux tapestry interpretation of Mo Salah’s goal against Man City on Sunday.
TriassicSands
@sdhays: It’s a good example of how vulnerable our system is today when it relies on integrity and fair play. Obviously, the law has to be rewritten to specify that the person the D/R governor appoints has to have been a Democrat or Republican for at least n years or has to be chosen from a slate of n Democrats or Republicans chosen by that party.
TriassicSands
@Rusty:
Maybe she picked her staff at random while attending Clown School.
piratedan
@Rusty: that is a great question and it reminds me that perhaps someone in her inner circle is off base the way AOC had an issue with her chief of staff.
206inKY
Sinema will support a carve-out to the filibuster to avoid global economic collapse. She will then slam the door on any reconciliation plan that hurts the portfolios of Phoenix suburbanites. She’ll approve something in the ballpark of $1T (which is more than the 2009 stimulus!). The bipartisan infrastructure bill will then fly through the House, sending stock portfolios through the roof.
She has gained 9% approval from Republicans. Who the fuck gains 9% from Republicans these days? She’ll coast to re-election like Susan Collins. Only she’s OUR Susan Collins.
And you know damn well she’s killing it on style. 15 years from now, she’ll be a legend.
lowtechcyclist
@Suzanne:
That’s perfect. I am so stealing that.
Kay
@206inKY:
I think this really underestimates the opposition to the tax increases in the reconciliation bill. There’s a huge lobbying effort underway against the reconciliation bill – there’s nothing comparable against the infrastructure bill. The infrastructure bill doesn’t raise taxes and it makes no demands at all on wealthy people or business interests. It is a gift to them- an investment in infrastructure they don’t have to pay anything additional for. The reconciliation bill is much different- it raises taxes and adds regulatory action on climate change.
It’s not a mystery why they’re supporting one and not supporting the other and it has nothing to do with the “top line” number or “soft infrastructure” versus “hard infrastructure”. One is a gift and the other involves a tax increase and a new regulatory scheme.
Kay
Well, I won’t forget what just happened- what just happened is we watched as it became clear the “moderates” intended to pass the infratsructure bill and then renege completely on the reconciliation bill.
If the infrastructure bill had passed there wouldn’t be a reconciliation bill. They never intended to support any of it. The only reason they’re still (somewhat) engaging on reconciliation is they didn’t get their infrastructure bill. Anyone who missed that while it was happening probably shouldn’t make predictions. It was bad faith from the get-go. They’re “at the table” but only under duress and only because their gambit failed. They don’t support any of this stuff.
Kay
Good faith negotiations look a certain way- they follow a pattern. If one of the parties won’t make an offer and instead rely on delaying tactics and too-clever machinations to get their objectives met while offering absolutely nothing to the other side, it’s not a good faith negotiation. There’s not 10,000 ways to do it and we just don’t understand the brilliance of Manchin’s and Sinema’s approach. There’s 5 or 6 ways to do it and all of them involve an actual offer. They never made one. Sinema still hasn’t made one and Manchin’s is vague with ever-shifting goal posts. They’re still not acting in good faith. Why? Because they don’t want a reconciliation bill. They may have to go along with one if they want to reach their objective. But they don’t behave like people who want a deal because they don’t want a deal.
J R in WV
@Kay:
This is so on point and true. Manchin hates the very thought of cutting carbon emissions, and doesn’t care about the end of the world, he’ll already be dead.
I don’t know about Sparky the Shitty Senator, she’s just strange.
I wonder, can a donor request that their political donation be refunded if a recipient turns out to be stone-crazy? We donated, a donation I now regret.
AnthroBabe
@Suzanne:
Have to say I love your moniker for Kyrstyn Synymy – I can’t spell her name correctly. AZ peep here; Tom OHalleran is my rep (as is the Cray Cray Wendy Rogers within the state) and I agree that he is a solid guy, not too flashy. But Kresten Seenimy just chaps my hide.