Kyrsten Sinema: You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know which Way the Wind Blows
How she turned green supporters red, with anger.
What do Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney have in common with Kyrsten Sinema? Nothing.
Reps. Kinzinger and Cheney drew the wrath of their supporters and party for agreeing to sit on the January 6 Committee because they felt a responsibility that came from their own morality. Sinema has drawn the wrath of her supporters and her party for a twisted morality that comes from her pocketbook and her ego.
She simply wants to be noticed. To make it easy to understand, I told my wife I was going to wear a tuxedo for my sister-in-law’s surprise party this weekend. My wife said: “Don’t. It’s not about you and it will look like you are trying to draw attention to yourself.” I acquiesced because, she was right in how it might be perceived though that was not my intention, despite my fragile ego!
Sinema has done what she must be coddled for and to leverage herself to a position of importance. The people who voted for her as a Democrat did so because of the ideals she once represented, and she is trying to morph into someone who bears no resemblance to the Green Party, born from poverty candidate that has been re-elected over the past decade, but people are now seeing through her.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Angus King are true independents who caucus with the Democrats. Sinema is an opportunist who will caucus with those who can benefit her the most. She certainly is not looking to those who put her into the office to help her. They do not have the pockets or connections to make her a star, like the pharmas who have become her new pals or the ‘dark money’ she will so heavily rely upon.
Like or not like Sen. Joe Manchin but he is a true moderate who I, personally believe, is looking after the needs of West Virginians and yes, corporations that provide employment to his constituency. He has held up legislation, and pissed off many but in the end, remained relatively Democrat.
Some Republicans are having a political wet dream with Sinema’s announcement, though she ‘says’ she will caucus with Democrats. I don’t believe her for a moment. Her comments about ‘not changing, just being true to her independence,’ are really saying: “I’m for sale. Whadda ya got?”
In 2019 alone, Kyrsten Sinema had broken with her party on more votes than nearly every other U.S. senator so far that year. When virtually every other Democrat voted “present” on the Green New Deal resolution, Sinema crossed party lines to register her opposition to the very concept of a pro-labor, climate-centric industrial policy. She voted against restoring Obama-era regulations on coal pollution. In all of these cases, no Democratic senator from a remotely purple state voted as Sinema did. Montana’s Jon Tester, whose state backed Trump by 20 points in 2016, toed the party line on all of these votes. Sinema knows which way the wind can potentially blow and she’s like a weather vane that goes with the wind.
Fast forward to 2024. It’s becoming more evident that D Representative Ruben Gallego will run for the Democrat Senate seat now held by Sinema. She is terrified of a primary so she will run as an Independent, drawing other I’s who make up a third of Arizona’s voters and moderate Republicans and some Trump enthusiasts because they see the seat going to someone who can be wooed to vote against some Democrat positions. The Republicans can very likely put up Blake Masters again which could create a shitstorm which is the worst case of a climate crisis in a long time.
Then again, she can switch back and run against Gallego but people are wise to her. She has lost the trust certainly of her ‘former party’ supporters and only people who are brain dead like manipulators and those who use and pervert-and subvert-the system. Oh, wait. They did that in 2016 and 2020 and we know how 2020 turned out, not to mention the rejection of deniers, haters, and con men and con women.
I appreciate those whose views change, in either party because most often, they are strong in their commitment.
This is just a case of waiting for someone to ask you to the prom and if you don’t like the choices or the right people aren’t asking, you choose to go alone. And THAT, people, will notice.
(note: the original title of the column was “Sinema: In Hebrew, a Sin is a Shanda.” Time for a name change.” Well, a Shanda is a ‘shame’ not a SIN so the title wasn’t that clever using her name…)
She wants the Dems to be nervous about which way she votes! Also, she just stopped her old party's’ ability to make any and all special committees more dem based. She likes to stir things ups and I wouldn’t be surprised if she runs for President in 2024
I think you nailed it!