I was hoping a miracle would save me from writing this post.
I so wanted Deedra Abboud to pull off a stunning upset, even though I knew it couldn’t happen.
But reality has arrived. Kyrsten Sinema is the nominee for U.S. Senate of the Democratic Party.
And as soon as I receive my ballot in the mail in October, I’ll be connecting that broken bar next to her name. It’ll be painful. I’ll undoubtedly throw up a little in the back of my mouth as I do it. But there will be no hesitation on my part. Sanity demands no less.
And if you want to maximize our chance of avoiding disaster, you’ll be joining me.
I will do this with no delusions about how Sinema will vote. I know each vote she casts will be an exercise in abject cynicism, with the sole consideration being how it impacts her own political future, principle be damned. I know she’ll vote to repeal the estate tax on billionaires and to let Wall Street thieves run wild. I get that.
But it’s not about how she will vote; it’s about who she’ll caucus with and about avoiding the alternative, Martha McSally. Whatever the possibilities are to wrest control of the Senate from Mitch McConnell, we need to maximize them. If that chance is a mere one percent, we need to pull for it. If it’s 99 percent, we need to make certain there is no surprise. And as tragically flawed as Sinema is, McSally, who repeatedly pledges fealty to Trump, is a thousand times worse. Yeah, I know, the lesser of two evils is still evil. But when choosing between a shoplifter and an axe murderer, choose the shoplifter. It’ll be a choice you can live with.
For Arizona progressives who resent the condescension of establishment hacks stupidly blaming you for Hillary Clinton’s loss, when any moron could figure out that the election was lost in the rust belt, I feel your pain. But the election isn’t about those establishment hacks, no matter how much their condescension tempts you to lash out and vote Green or stay home. This is not 2016. This time, Arizona is the epicenter. Sinema’s success in November is crucial. Arizona very well could decide the balance of political power in the U.S. Senate.
And there is nothing remotely as important as constraining the power of Donald Trump. Nothing.
So, when you receive your ballot, get it over with right away, lest you not give in to the temptation to send a message, or forget to vote early, then get whacked with some emergency on Election Day.
And if you wake up feeling a bit cheapened on November 7th, you can find redemption by gearing up for the 2024 primary. It’ll be here before you know it.
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I hate what politics has come to – very hard to make a decision on who to vote for – with all the party bashing. Would be nice if the candidates spent their time just talking about what they would do and their views and stop bashing the other candidates. Run honest campaigns and just talk about yourselves.
I know how a lot of progressives feel about Kyrsten Sinema, and I feel much the same about Ann Kirkpatrick, now the Democratic CD2 nominee.
Two simple questions. How exactly do most voters decide who to vote for? And when are voters going to make the connection between their daily struggles and who they send to Congress, state legislatures, etc…?
Take Ann Kirkpatrick, for example, the 68 yr old CD2 non-resident and DCCC pick who sucked the life out of what could have been a competitive primary. With all the name recognition from her 2016 senate race (where John McCain cleaned her clock) and the DCCC seal of approval, all the donors and endorsements starting going to her and no one else. And what did she do with all that? She ran an extremely negative campaign against the only challenger who had the resources to compete.
Yet, from the CD2 candidate forums we know that AK doesn’t see much hope for Medicare for All, she doesn’t want to legalize marijuana, she’s okay with ICE, etc… And, of course, we know that she doesn’t like guns as much as she did in 2010 because her friend and current “mentor”, Gabby Giffords, was shot in 2011. Prior to that, she was blissfully unaware that gun violence devastates lives and families and she treasured her A from the NRA.
For God’s sake, this woman is a CLOWN. And who in the blazes are the 28K voters (so far) who believe she was the best choice to represent them for at least the next two years? Are there really that many #ImWithHer dingbats and toe the line Democrats out there?
Now we’re all supposed to line up behind the winner and give our support to yet ANOTHER UNINSPIRING CD2 Democratic candidate. So, yes, I’ll have to vote for Ann Kirkpatrick. I totally get the “fierce urgency of now” and so forth. But that will be the extent of my contribution.
And I wonder if this CD2 race will be reminiscent of Barber/McSally in 2014. Two uninspiring candidates, one of them has to win, and one of them does. Just look at the consequences.
These days, sadly, every vote, from dog catcher on up, is about Trump.
I’m going to vote for some people I don’t like, and that’s going to hurt.
But a massive Blue Wave in November isn’t just about voting in Dems, it’s not just about stopping the caging of children and marching Nazis, it’s also a message to the GOP that they need to stop being wimpy little lapdogs and start acting like Americans.
And on the positive side, there are more women running than ever, and people of color and even a few trans folks, so maybe by next January my government will look like America and not a Toby Keith concert.
All of this.
And I’ve even asked myself, why get upset when the Democratic leadership rams their chosen candidates down our throats? Would I be upset if I agreed with their choice? I don’t even know.
But I look at a young man like Billy Kovacs. We’ve been telling young people they’ve got to step up, participate, run for office, etc… And when they do, they get nothing. Kovacs was in the CD2 race over a year ago and doing fairly well until the DCCC chose “the one who can win”. So he perseveres, works his ass off, spends his own money, wins the most recent candidate forum, and ends up with 4K votes. Not very encouraging for others who might consider “stepping up.”
But every now and then, someone breaks through. Like Andrew Gillum in Florida. A lot of folks are going to feel really good when they fill out their ballots and vote for him.
I guess it’s just not our turn.
I agree regarding Billy, but hope he perseveres and runs again in the near future. The DCCC does so much damage when it places its thumb on the scale, and to what end? To nominate an aging boomer who won’t have any meaningful seniority until she’s pushing 80?
The Democratic leadership just can’t seem to grasp the Hillary lesson.
It’s arrogance, Liza, pure and simple. The idea that the crucible of a level-field primary is a better mechanism for identifying the best candidate, as opposed to their “expert” judgment, never crosses their minds.
Great post Bob. The reason things are not well in our country right now is because power is out of balance (between the people and those at the top) and, there are no checks on those in power. We must do whatever we can to bring balance back.
Peacefully and legally, of course.
Yes, vote for her. And when she gets elected, keep in as constant contact as you can. Make her understand who actually put her in office, and who will absolutely primary her and make her pay the price if she sells out working people. Constant vigilance!
I’m with you; I’ll reluctantly connect the arrows for her.
I’m there, although reluctantly just like you.
I voted for Abboud.
In November, I will vote for Sinema.
Then I will go outside, look up at the sky, and curse the gods.
There will be actual curse words used.
I will join you.