'Becoming an Independent won't change my work
in the Senate; my service to Arizona remains the same,' Sinema said in a
tweet early Friday morning. (photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
readersupportednews.org
Charles Pierce Esquire
Sometimes, the people who boast most proudly of their unpredictability are actually as predictable as a Hallmark Channel holiday movie. Anybody who didn't see this move coming from a mile away needs to stay as far away from any poker table as is humanly possible.
From the Washington Post:
“Registering as an independent and showing up to work with the title of independent is a reflection of who I’ve always been, and it’s a reflection of who Arizona is,” Sinema said in a video. “We don’t line up to do what we’re told. We do what’s right for our state and for our country. I’m going to be the same person I’ve always been[...]Americans are told that we have only two choices — Democrat or Republican — and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes[...]Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different.”
Oh, for the love of god, get a grip. You did not make a profound statement of principle here; you made your customary grab for the main chance. You saw your path to re-election getting narrower because Rep. Ruben Gallego would likely beat you in a primary, and with a 51-49 Democratic majority in the Senate, your ability to make the kind of grandstanding mischief that could help you in that primary will be severely limited. As the Post points out (albeit in a roundabout, Beltway kind of way), this has been Sinema's only true contribution to the issues facing the country.
During her Senate tenure, her willingness to break with her party on key issues has drawn praise from the other side of the aisle. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) invited Sinema to speak at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville in September, calling her the “most effective first-term senator” he has seen in his nearly 40-year Senate career.
“She is, today, what we have too few of in the Democratic Party: a genuine moderate and a dealmaker,” he said.
Well, if the guy who stole a Supreme Court seat from Barack Obama says you're a "dealmaker," what more does anyone need to know, right?
She has said she'll continue to caucus with the Democrats, but she could play coy about it when it suits her purposes. The signs point to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer letting Sinema keep her committee assignments, which means that, in theory, the Democrats will continue to have a majority on those committees.
This situation will hold until Sinema sees another chance to get on camera and pose, whereupon Schumer and the Democrats will have to come and treat with her. Then we can watch her calculate which option makes it easier for her to construct her 'independent thinker' persona, instead of revealing her as the utterly predictable opportunist she clearly is.
She can paint herself white and stick a golden horn on her forehead. Won't make her a unicorn. Never will.
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