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🇺🇸 Sinema Says So Long

🇺🇸 Sinema Says So Long

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December 12, 2022

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Business: Twitter to relaunch Twitter Blue at higher price for Apple users (CNBC)

UK: Prince Harry, Meghan warned not to attend King Charles' coronation (Fox News)

US: Arizona governor builds border wall of shipping crates in final days of office (The Guardian)

POLITICS

Sinema Says So Long

Credit: Gage Skidmore CC 2.0

On Friday, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced she was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an Independent. This does not change the Senate’s balance of power, as Democrats retain control.

Reporting from the Right: Sinema's exit from Democrats could complicate efforts to organize Senate (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: Sinema switches to independent, shaking up the Senate (POLITICO)

From The Flag: Sinema has been criticized by progressives for refusing to do away with the filibuster as well as several other legislative efforts. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Sinema Is Looking Out for Herself, Which Is Remarkably Consistent

This was a career move for Sinema who is a political chameleon, but hopefully, she will keep working with Democrats.
Facing a bruising primary challenge, and having angered many on the left, Sinema decided to switch to Independent.
Sinema is probably telling the truth when she vows to stay the same: she’ll continually shift for her own political benefit.

“Sinema's big breakup was all about her, not partisan politics” Elvia Díaz, USA Today Opinion: “She’s no victim. She’s ditching the Democratic Party because she either figured she can’t win a primary or she no longer needs the party’s money and infrastructure for her next move – or both. Her trajectory suggests she’s adept at ditching anyone or anything no longer useful to her. She began her public life as a Green Party activist. That went nowhere so she became an independent, which didn’t work either. Her big break came after she conveniently became a Democrat. Her rejection of ‘party politics’ and breaking away ‘from the broken partisan system in Washington’ is just another one of her political moves. … No matter what, Arizonans are stuck with Sinema for the next two years. Let’s hope she keeps working with Democrats and Republicans to get things done.”

“The politics of Kyrsten Sinema’s party switch” Aaron Blake, Washington Post : “Sinema looked set to face an arduous primary if she sought reelection with her former party… So the move makes some sense for her personally. … She has alienated many Democratic voters by resisting moves like nixing the filibuster and by standing in the way of some key agenda items for President Biden. It’s to the point where she would have had a very difficult time winning a primary, if she ran. … She’s not particularly popular among Republicans or independents, either, but if she were to run as an independent in a three-way race, it might open the door a little wider. That goes particularly if Arizona keeps nominating the kind of far-right Republicans they put up for statewide this year. … Then there’s the matter of what the change means for how she votes in the Senate. Sinema has maintained that she won’t change her approach.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Kyrsten Sinema Is Leaving the Democratic Party Inae Oh, Mother Jones

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Arizona’s Political Landscape Is Changing: The Two-Party System Could As Well

Sinema’s switch to Independent lets her focus on the general election as opposed to facing a primary challenge.
This is an indication Sinema realizes Arizona’s electorate has shifted, and the GOP has an opportunity, if it charts a new course.
The two-party system is at risk of being upended in the 2024 presidential election, and this is connected to that.

“Sinema ditches Democrats, but analysts say it’s no Senate earthquake, just a re-election gambit” Victor Reklaitis, MarketWatch : “Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced Friday that she’s leaving the Democratic Party to register as an independent. So what does that mean? The initial reaction from analysts is that the Arizona lawmaker’s move won’t shake up how the Senate functions that much, and that it has more to do with her possible 2024 campaign for re-election. … Sinema, who has been criticized frequently by progressive Democrats for moves such as opposing changes to the so-called carried-interest loophole, was expected to face a challenge from the left in a Democratic primary. But as an independent, she can avoid a primary and focus on the general election in her battleground state. … The Biden White House offered a similar reaction on Friday, saying… ‘we have every reason to expect that we will continue to work successfully with her.’ Sinema has voted with Democrats 97% of the time, according to Bloomberg Government data.”

“Why Sinema's Defection Just Made 2024 More Interesting” Guy Benson, Townhall : “This does not functionally change much in terms of the balance of power in the upper chamber over the next two years… Sinema is definitely more progressive than, say, Joe Manchin… But she's enough of a wild card that she derailed the 'Build Back Better' monstrosity, sending left-wing activists into spasms of fury. We all recall the harassment she faced, from getting chased into a bathroom, on camera, to the disruption of a wedding at which she was a guest. No doubt remembering her treatment, and anticipating a bruising primary from the Left, Sinema decided to chart a third course. … There's a clear roadmap to winning back Arizona, but the GOP needs to respond to what voters are telling them. It's not a red state anymore; it's a purple state that could be purplish-red, or could slide deeper blue if Republicans refuse to adjust.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Sinema’s party switch has major presidential implications Quin Hillyer, Washington Examiner Opinion

FLAG THIS

Electioneering Agreement and Less-Than-Favorable Ratings

Some of you have urged us to identify when the political left and right seem to be in agreement.

In this instance, many of the commentators surveyed agree Sinema made this decision to boost her reelection chances.

Meanwhile, polling conducted in September indicated Arizona residents have a largely unfavorable opinion of Sinema, with 57% describing their opinion as unfavorable, compared with 37% who said the opposite (AARP).

Will Sinema’s switch make a big impact on Congressional politics?

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Transatlantic Radio, Office Apocalypse, Fuel Up!

On December 12, 1901, Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi sent the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the earth's curvature would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. The message, simply the Morse-code signal for the letter “s,” traveled more than 2,000 miles from Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada. Above is a photo of Marconi watching associates raising the kite (a "Levitor" by B.F.S. Baden-Powell) used to lift the radio's antenna.

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