Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has a plan to save ... herself, not voting rights
Opinion: The senator is a smart woman. She has a plan. We don't know exactly what it is, but we know – for sure – that it's all about her.
EJ Montini
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has a plan.
We don’t know exactly what it is, but we know – for sure – that it does NOT involve saving voting rights.
That’s why Republicans love her.
The GOP faithful will tell you they admire Sinema because she believes in the art of compromise, as evidenced by her undying support of the Senate filibuster.
That is a lie.
Republicans in Washington, D.C., and here in Arizona, have proven they are not interested in compromise. The reason they love Sinema is because her support of the Senate’s filibuster rule allows the Republicans in Congress to block any effort to restore the voting rights that Republican-controlled state houses – like Arizona’s – have been eroding over the past year.
Sinema understands this completely.
Sinema knows the reality, sides with fantasy
She acknowledges the reality, yet sides with the fantasy. Here she is in her most recent speech on the Senate floor, describing the reality.
She said:
“Our country’s divisions have now fueled efforts in several states that will make it more difficult for Americans to vote and undermine faith that all Americans should have in our elections and our democracy. These state laws have no place in a nation whose government is formed by free, fair and open elections … .
“And I strongly support and will continue to vote for legislative responses to address these state laws – including the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, that the Senate is currently considering. I support these bills because they strengthen Americans’ access to the ballot box and they better ensure that Americans’ votes are counted fairly.”
None of those bills will pass the Senate as long as the filibuster exists, however. Sinema knows this. Still, after stating the reality, Sinema drifts into fantasy.
She said:
“And while I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country … . There is no need for me to restate my long-standing support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role protecting our country from wild reversals in federal policy.”
GOP is rigging the system with Sinema's help
Sinema also knows her view is not shared by Republicans. She recognizes that reality.
She said: “I share the disappointment of many that we have not found more support on the other side of the aisle for legislative responses to state-level voting restrictions. I wish that were not the case ... .”
Then she immediately dives into the fantasy.
She said: “My Republican colleagues have a duty to meet their shared responsibility to protect access to voting and the integrity of our electoral process. We need a sustained, robust effort to defend American democracy – an effort on the part of Democrats, Republicans, independents and all Americans in communities across this country.”
How can that happen if there is a sustained and successful voter suppression movement being led by Republicans? Why would Republicans protect what Sinema calls “the integrity of our electoral process” if they are rigging the system to their benefit with Sinema’s help?
Sinema took a beating on social media on Monday for posting a tweet saying: Today we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Marting Luther King, Jr.
Since Sinema isn’t taking the opportunity to actually honor Dr. King’s legacy by helping to preserve voting rights, her critics found her comment laughably hypocritical. Perhaps because they were.
The senator is a very smart woman.
She understands how Republicans on the state level (like Arizona) are passing voter suppression laws on simple-majority, party-line votes, while she (and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia) won’t join a simple-majority vote in the Senate to stop them.
So, Sinema must have a plan.
Something beneficial ... to her.
We don’t know exactly what it is, but we know – for sure – that it does NOT involve saving voting rights.
Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.
For more opinions content, please subscribe.