The current spat between the Progressive wing of the Arizona Democratic Party and it’s first Arizona Democratic Senator in 30 years is nothing new in Political History.
As has been pointed out in the media, Republican zealots censured John McCain in 2014. He still won reelection in 2016.
Republican hardliners thought Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush was too cozy with Mikhail Gorbachev. History judged otherwise.
Democratic progressive elements thought Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were too centrist. These hardliners in the Democratic Party, in their quest for ideological purity, helped create the circumstances (staying at home, supporting third Party Candidates like Ralph Nader and Jil Stein) that gave us two Popular Vote Loser Republican Presidents (and four conservative Supreme Court Justices) instead of left of center Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.
How did that attitude work out for the country?
Progressives and Centrists in the Arizona Democratic Party should learn from history and not repeat the same mistakes as before.
As columnists like Az Central reporters Laurie Roberts and EJ Montini have written, attempts by the Progressive Caucus of the Arizona Democratic Party to censure Senator Sinema for voting 19 percent of the time with the Popular Vote Loser administration (now slated for January) is foolhardy and counterproductive.
2020 Democratic Senate Candidate Captain Mark Kelly echoes that sentiment.
Arizona is a Purple State.
To have the first Senator in 30 years from the Democrat Party vote like Arizona is New York is ill-informed and inflexible to the point of self-inflicting wounds on the party.
That said, Senator Sinema would do well to reach out to the Progressive Caucus for an attempt to reconcile differences and forge an alliance that all Democrats can build on to make Arizona bluer in 2020 and beyond.
The Arizona Democratic Party has wisely put this censure motion on hold until January.
Hopefully, both sides will wisely use the time to mend fences and put this episode behind them.
The problem isn’t the percentage, it’s that on some of the most important votes, Sinema has made terrible choices that have enabled Trump and his sycophants.
“That said, Senator Sinema would do well to reach out to the Progressive Caucus for an attempt to reconcile differences and forge an alliance that all Democrats can build on to make Arizona bluer in 2020 and beyond.” is the only line of this piece that makes sense. The rest is just a new version of red-baiting, like somehow asking your Senator to actually REPRESENT YOU is a Stalinist request. Pima County probably pushed Sinema over into the winning column but does that rate us an office? response to emails and phone calls, or any attention other than daily fundraising requests? NO IT DOES NOT. The idea that Progressives stayed home and that is what accounted for the phenomenal losses of the Democratic Party in the last presidential election–(really, we may be the only town and county that still have Democrats in leadership because across the country the Party lost at EVERY LEVEL OF GOVT.)–is giving us way too much power. If Heritage Dems like the author really thought that Progressives are the difference between winning and losing, we would be being courted on a daily basis. Believe me, as this piece shows, we are not. We are just the favorite punching bag for a Party that lost its way and is only now starting to find it again. Accountability is a good thing–voters ought to demand it without fear of being excoriated by their own party members, and electeds ought to get used to providing it.
Actually, in 2016, the Democrats gained House, Senate, and state seats as well as winning the Presidential Popular Vote.
She has not taken a stand against human rights violations, like babies and children being kidnapped from their parents, kept in cages or even dealing with the assault weapons ban. I volunteered on her campaign and am dismayed on her voting record so far. She has been silent on issues which progressives support.She is a major disappointment.Voted for Barr and voted for Kavanaugh. Shame Shame.
She was not in the Senate at the time of the Kavanaugh Confirmation.
Using hyperbolic language like, ” in their quest for ideological purity” is unhelpful. Why can’t we expect better from someone we voted for? It’s not like we’re asking for purity, just better representation. This is the United States of America, and we haven’t devolved into an authoritarian government yet, so I am not going to let up on Sen.Sinema.
As always, Demos are open to the ideas of others. Amazing.
Sinema has never been a Democrat, a blue dog at best which is really just a republican in sheep’s clothing