By Craig McDermott, crossposted from Random Musings
…Fellow blogger Bob Lord has written on this very topic here, far more eloquently than I can. However, I hope can make up in brevity what is lacking in eloquence…
OK, I’m done. No more “holding my nose” and voting for the “less bad” option in Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.
Former progressive icon (and current member of Congress) Kyrsten Sinema announced her complete renunciation of the pretense of working to serve the interests of her constituents (but damn, she’s always serving her own interests), or even exhibiting the most basic humanity in her conduct in office, with her vote (along with 47 other Democrats) demonizing Syrian refugees for the terrorist attacks in Paris (and, as of this writing, no Syrians, refugee or otherwise, have been shown to have been part of the attacks).
This is not the first time she has done something like this, and to be blunt, I don’t expect it to be the last time.
However, I can state unequivocally that the general election in 2014 will go down in history as the last time that I will ever vote for her.
The worst case scenario for her here is that she truly believes that demonizing people of a specific ethnic background is good for the US.
The best case scenario for her here is that she truly believe that demonizing people of a specific ethnic background is good for her.
Either way though, it’s evil.
And is something that I cannot, and will not, support
Now, I almost certainly won’t vote for the R in whatever race she is in – the next time Arizona Republicans nominate an honorable public servant for any office will be the first time they do so since former state senator Carolyn Allen and former corporation commission member Kris Mayes won their primaries (2008, I think).
However, I can skip any race on the ballot.
And in 2016 (and going forward), that is what will happen in any race where Kyrsten Sinema is a candidate.
Prediction: While it is getting late in the cycle for a Democrat to mount a credible primary challenge to her in 2016, the only way she avoids a Democratic primary in 2018 is to join State Sen. Carlyle Begay tomorrow and just change her partisan affiliation to Republican.
“OK, I’m done. No more “holding my nose” and voting for the “less bad” option”
Craig, I feel a similar dilemma in the senate race where Kirkpatrick faces McCain. I am outraged that Kirkpatrick betrayed Native Americans and voted to give their holy lands to a transnational mining corporation. I knew that McCain would vote likewise, but I expected more of her, especially given her background. I can accept other votes of hers that I disagreed with, but this I see it as a moral issue: taking religious grounds from an impoverished people and giving it to a wealthy foreign entity. So I guess I am for now at least a “one issue voter,” or rather non-voter in the senate race.
My sense is that both Nancy Pelosi and Ben Ray Lujan (chair of DCCC) despise Kyrsten Sinema. They probably will do little to help her win re-election. And she gets little big money from liberal groups. although the United Food and Commercial Workers Union is in the top ten. Much of her big money is coming from real estate and property management companies. She has also received support from Steny Hoyer’s PAC.
I have typed this many times here kyrsten sinema is for kyrsten sinema. she is arizona’s clintons. she is better then a republican and in a swing district it about what you would expect. if she can get more hispanics in her distict in sunnyslope she could be more liberal. she friars the green party as the republicans fear the libertarian party. so hold your nose and vote for her as I am doing in the general for mrs. clinton. in the primary I am voting for bernie sanders.
Don’t be so sure Hillary will still be available to vote for in the general.
If only she would change her party affiliation. But she won’t. She snookered the Democratic PAC “End Citizens United” when she spelled out on their questionnaire that she refuses to co-sponsor Democratic bills. And the PAC endorsed her anyway.
She’s got the DCCC ready to pounce on Republican challengers and perhaps they think they would do the same to Democratic challengers. But if this issue has shelf life, DCCC will have to abandon her if a credible Progressive Democrat jumps in the race.
I would be ALL IN if someone did.