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Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who voted against raising the minimum wage, wore an expletive-laden ring to brunch. It is not sexist to criticize it.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyrsten-sinemas-fuck-off-ring-is-the-new-i-really-dont-care-do-u
For a woman who voted against raising the federal minimum wage, leaving servers across the country underpaid, Kyrsten Sinema sure seems to love brunch. Or at least she appeared to be enjoying a carefree #SundayFunday this weekend, made evident by a post to her Instagram page. In the screenshot, Sinema sips from a bendy straw, her eyes looking off into the distance as if she just recognized a friend. She wears pink glasses and a raspberry newsboy cap that match her drink. Thick hoops containing pressed flowers dangled from her ears. But the focal point of the image, nearly dead center in the frame, was Sinema’s ring: gilded script wrapped around her third finger that screamed, “FUCK OFF.” Those seem like fighting words from Sinema, who turned against her fellow Democrats—not to mention the 80 million people who rely on hourly pay—to vote no on bumping the minimum wage up to $15 an hour. (She is currently working with Senator Mitt Romney on a proposal to make it $11— lower than her home state Arizona’s $12.)
The ring seems to communicate a perceived irritation—those pesky haters deigning to criticize her decision to leave millions living in poverty. The photos made the rounds on Twitter, with some seeing “let them eat cake” in the message. But the accessory isn’t just touting aloofness; there is venom in the statement. Leave me alone, it says, even though our anger is a direct response to her own choices. “The fuck off ring is a gut punch to the people that worked their ass off to elect her. Shameful,” Breonna Westbrook, the vice-chair and executive committee member of the Arizona Democratic Party, tweeted. (The organization did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for further comment, and neither did Sinema’s office.) Others saw in the ring the centrist Democratic version of that grotesque, “I really don’t care, do u?” Zara coat Melania Trump chose to put on while visiting detained migrant children at the border.
But really, this posturing—the “Who, me?” of it all—is the latest in a series of Sinema missteps. The senator’s office called it sexism when people reacted to her dramatic thumbs down vote on the minimum wage. “Commentary about a female senator’s body language, clothing, or physical demeanour does not belong in a serious media outlet,” Sinema spokesperson Hannah Hurley told Huffington Post back in March. That is an obvious cop-out, a deflection meant to obfuscate and distract from the main issue. But with the “Fuck off” ring, Sinema wields a token of girlishness—costume jewellery—to double down on her horrendous decision. No, it’s never OK to comment on a woman’s appearance, but when a public figure incorporates her trash values into her wardrobe, then all bets are off. Sinema has definitely been the target of misogynistic trolls before. When she wore a mint green wig to Congress last summer, Conservative pundits made fun of her Troll doll-hued strands. It was a tired, and deeply flawed attempted “gotcha” moment from Republicans: can you believe a sitting U.S. senator dresses like that?
Sinema’s hair color doesn’t matter much to me. But her “Fuck off” ring begs the question: why does she work as a public servant if she seems to hate people that much? It’s also reminiscent of Lindsey Lohan’s “Fuck you” manicure, the one she wore while in court for a probation violation back in 2010. The nails were hotly debated at the time, taken as exhibit A of the young star’s privilege and brattiness. Sinema’s ring is the same talking point: she’s giving us the finger just because she can. And what does Sinema have to complain about right now? Expletives aside, it’s not very radical or punk rock to erode the rights of the working class—even if you sometimes dye your hair green. Sinema, who rose to prominence in the Green Party and was the first bisexual member of the U.S. Senate, might want to fashion herself as the cool alt senator. But time and again, she proves with her stylings that there is more to walking the walk than mere dress-up. Wear all the rings you want, Senator Sinema, but do not be upset when we take you at your word.
snip
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kyrsten-sinemas-fuck-off-ring-is-the-new-i-really-dont-care-do-u
For a woman who voted against raising the federal minimum wage, leaving servers across the country underpaid, Kyrsten Sinema sure seems to love brunch. Or at least she appeared to be enjoying a carefree #SundayFunday this weekend, made evident by a post to her Instagram page. In the screenshot, Sinema sips from a bendy straw, her eyes looking off into the distance as if she just recognized a friend. She wears pink glasses and a raspberry newsboy cap that match her drink. Thick hoops containing pressed flowers dangled from her ears. But the focal point of the image, nearly dead center in the frame, was Sinema’s ring: gilded script wrapped around her third finger that screamed, “FUCK OFF.” Those seem like fighting words from Sinema, who turned against her fellow Democrats—not to mention the 80 million people who rely on hourly pay—to vote no on bumping the minimum wage up to $15 an hour. (She is currently working with Senator Mitt Romney on a proposal to make it $11— lower than her home state Arizona’s $12.)
Link to tweet
The ring seems to communicate a perceived irritation—those pesky haters deigning to criticize her decision to leave millions living in poverty. The photos made the rounds on Twitter, with some seeing “let them eat cake” in the message. But the accessory isn’t just touting aloofness; there is venom in the statement. Leave me alone, it says, even though our anger is a direct response to her own choices. “The fuck off ring is a gut punch to the people that worked their ass off to elect her. Shameful,” Breonna Westbrook, the vice-chair and executive committee member of the Arizona Democratic Party, tweeted. (The organization did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for further comment, and neither did Sinema’s office.) Others saw in the ring the centrist Democratic version of that grotesque, “I really don’t care, do u?” Zara coat Melania Trump chose to put on while visiting detained migrant children at the border.
But really, this posturing—the “Who, me?” of it all—is the latest in a series of Sinema missteps. The senator’s office called it sexism when people reacted to her dramatic thumbs down vote on the minimum wage. “Commentary about a female senator’s body language, clothing, or physical demeanour does not belong in a serious media outlet,” Sinema spokesperson Hannah Hurley told Huffington Post back in March. That is an obvious cop-out, a deflection meant to obfuscate and distract from the main issue. But with the “Fuck off” ring, Sinema wields a token of girlishness—costume jewellery—to double down on her horrendous decision. No, it’s never OK to comment on a woman’s appearance, but when a public figure incorporates her trash values into her wardrobe, then all bets are off. Sinema has definitely been the target of misogynistic trolls before. When she wore a mint green wig to Congress last summer, Conservative pundits made fun of her Troll doll-hued strands. It was a tired, and deeply flawed attempted “gotcha” moment from Republicans: can you believe a sitting U.S. senator dresses like that?
Sinema’s hair color doesn’t matter much to me. But her “Fuck off” ring begs the question: why does she work as a public servant if she seems to hate people that much? It’s also reminiscent of Lindsey Lohan’s “Fuck you” manicure, the one she wore while in court for a probation violation back in 2010. The nails were hotly debated at the time, taken as exhibit A of the young star’s privilege and brattiness. Sinema’s ring is the same talking point: she’s giving us the finger just because she can. And what does Sinema have to complain about right now? Expletives aside, it’s not very radical or punk rock to erode the rights of the working class—even if you sometimes dye your hair green. Sinema, who rose to prominence in the Green Party and was the first bisexual member of the U.S. Senate, might want to fashion herself as the cool alt senator. But time and again, she proves with her stylings that there is more to walking the walk than mere dress-up. Wear all the rings you want, Senator Sinema, but do not be upset when we take you at your word.
snip
What a freakin clown! 
Gimme another:
This outfit? 
What is she? Twelve?
Fur shur!!!!!!! 
I've got a puka shell necklace that went with my 'lime green leisure suit' - John Travolta had NOTHING on me!!!
I actually melted a hole in a beautiful "Hawaiian polyester shirt" one evening because I dropped an ash from a 'medicinal' herb that I was enjoying.....
Fortunately, there is NO photographic evidence of ANY of this - and even this post is from a Russian hacker!
ratfuck Biden and Pelosi with the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill.. Also involved are the odious RW backed 'centre-right-wearing bi-partisan clothes' stalking horse Problem Solvers and their Lieberman-run (and RW billionaire founded and funded for the most part) No Labels parent group. Many from that Problem Solvers group where the ones who led the charge against Pelosi for speaker as well.
Manchin and Sinema lead the Democrat mutiny against Nancy Pelosi by telling moderates NOT to back the $3.2TRILLION budget until the $1.2trillion infrastructure deal is signed
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9908843/Manchin-Sinema-lead-mutiny-against-Pelosi-telling-moderates-NOT-3-5-TRILLION-budget.html
Manchin and Sinema advising House centrists
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/democratic-standoff-manchin-sinema-advising-230407254.html
Centrist Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are reportedly advising — and encouraging — the nine moderate House Democrats who are threatening to derail the party’s $3.5 trillion budget plan containing major portions of President Biden’s economic agenda.
The nine House members have threatened to withhold their support for the budget blueprint unless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) agrees to a quick vote on the $ 1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate.
Axios’s Hans Nichols reports that Manchin (WV) and Sinema (AZ) “are helping allies in the House to stake out — and defend — their centrist position” and are providing advice on negotiations with the White House and congressional leadership. Both senators voted for the budget resolution but have expressed concern about the cost of the Democratic spending plan it outlines. No Labels, a group that advocates for bipartisan legislation, is also backing the House moderates with a reported six-figure ad buy on national cable.
Pelosi reportedly referred to the House moderates’ pressure tactics as “amateur hour” on a leadership call early this week and has held fast to her plan for a vote next week on the $3.5 trillion budget resolution. “Pelosi’s plan is, essentially, to stare them down and to let them feel what it’s like to have the sensation of an entire party, and the future of that party’s agenda, bearing down on them,” Slate’s Jim Newell writes.
Link to tweet
9 Moderate Democrats Threaten To Derail Pelosi's Infrastructure And Budget Plan
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/13/1027371749/moderate-house-democrats-infrastructure-budget-vote-pelosi
Nine moderate House Democrats warned Speaker Nancy Pelosi they won't vote for a budget resolution critical to passing Democrats' $3.5 trillion social policy package unless the House first passes a Senate-approved infrastructure bill, a move that threatens to derail the party's economic agenda.
"Some have suggested that we hold off on considering the Senate infrastructure bill for months — until the reconciliation process is completed. We disagree," the lawmakers wrote Thursday in a letter to Pelosi. "With the livelihoods of hardworking American families at stake, we simply can't afford months of unnecessary delays and risk squandering this once-in-a-century, bipartisan infrastructure package. It's time to get shovels in the ground and people to work."
The letter is signed by Reps.
Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey,
Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia,
Filemon Vela of Texas,
Jared Golden of Maine,
Henry Cuellar of Texas,
Vicente Gonzalez of Texas,
Ed Case of Hawaii,
Jim Costa of California and
Kurt Schrader of Oregon.
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/house-moderate-letter/5b8ef8791c8e4abe/full.pdf
We’ve obtained the donor list for No Labels. It’s filled with the biggest names in private equity and hedge funds
How No Labels Went From Preaching Unity to Practicing the Dark Arts
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-no-labels-went-from-preaching-unity-to-practicing-the-dark-arts
The Slick “No Labels” Plan to Duck Debate, Cut Social Security and Coddle the 1%
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-slick-no-labels-effor_b_1678389
Policy group No Labels hires Mark Halperin years after sexual harassment scandal
https://www.axios.com/mark-halperin-sexual-harassment-hires-no-labels-053919e1-486a-4c77-97d8-c1dbd2a73723.html
Bipartisan ‘No Labels’ group’s super PAC network revealed: mega Chicago donors
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/3/12/18316470/bipartisan-no-labels-group-s-super-pac-network-revealed-mega-chicago-donors
With a boost from Chicago-area mega donors, including White Sox and Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, No Labels, a group advocating bipartisanship in Congress, has created a network of super PACs to influence the 2018 elections — but doesn’t want its fingerprints on the money.
One of the super PACs, United for Progress Inc., has spent $740,334 as of Sunday to bolster Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., in his March 20 Illinois Democratic primary battle with Marie Newman in the 3rd Congressional District. The names of the super PACS don’t link them to No Labels. A Sun-Times investigation determined super PACS related to No Labels include: United for Progress Inc.; Citizens for a Strong America Inc.; United Together; Govern or Go Home; and Forward, Not Back.
The Sun-Times inquiry included interviews with donors or their representatives and an examination of documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. United for Progress, Inc., is playing political hardball, attacking Newman in the commercials and direct mail pieces it paid for. Lipinski is part of a No Labels offshoot, the congressional “Problem Solvers Caucus.”
snip
THE ILLINOIS CONNECTIONS: Last year, a No Labels leader, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, was a draw at a meeting at the Chicago Club, 81 E. Van Buren. Lieberman was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee who became an Independent senator from Connecticut.
snip
No Labels funds dishonest attacks against Marie Newman to boost Blue Dog Dan Lipinski
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/13/1748758/-Centrist-group-No-Labels-funds-dishonest-attacks-against-Marie-Newman-to-back-Blue-Dog-Dan-Lipinski
Well what do you know: It turns out the mysterious super PAC called United for Progress, which has spent at least $740,000 to help conservative Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski in his primary against progressive challenger Marie Newman, received much of its funding from the aggressively centrist group No Labels and billionaire mega-donor Jerry Reinsdorf, who is chairman of both the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. No Labels promotes the same sort of naive #bothsides mentality that plagues the world of cable news punditry, and even went so far as to moronically label Donald Trump a "problem solver" during his presidential campaign.
While support from No Labels itself should be a mark of shame for any Democrat running in a safely blue district like this one, the mailer they've been funding is even more disgraceful. It takes the guise of an ominous fake-but-official-looking letter from "Illinois Restaurant Enforcement" that claims the restaurant Newman once owned was guilty of health code violations, then proceeds to outright lie about the economic impact of the single-payer healthcare plan Newman supports.
One would expect to see Republicans launch these sorts of dishonest attacks against a progressive challenger, not those who support a nominal Democratic incumbent. And it's one more reason why Democrats in this 55-40 Clinton district can do a whole lot better than Dan Lipinski.
snip
Delusional Group Declares Donald Trump a ‘Problem Solver’
The only problem Trump could solve is that we don’t have a dumb enough president
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/delusional-group-declares-donald-trump-a-problem-solver-58107/
Here are some labels that apply to Donald Trump:
–Racist
–Egomaniac
–Bloviator
–Delusional
–Liar
–Asshole
On Monday, the nonpartisan group No Labels gave him a new, and hilarious, one: problem solver.
Six presidential candidates – Democrat Martin O’Malley and Republicans Ben Carson, Chris Christie, John Kasich, Rand Paul and Trump – signed the organization’s Problem Solver Promise, officially making them No Labels Problem Solvers. The group says it will bestow the label on any candidate who signs its meaningless pledge.
No Labels declined to make an exception for Trump – the candidate who has proposed, among many other things, building a giant border wall, deporting 11 million people, banning Muslims from entering the country and shutting down mosques. In just the last two days, he’s come out in favor of direct head-to-head collisions in the NFL and elephant torture.
snip
‘Holocaust Denier’ Smear Hits Tight Chicago Area Congressional Primary
https://forward.com/fast-forward/396658/holocaust-denier-smear-hits-tight-chicago-area-congressional-primary/
A heated Democratic congressional primary race in suburban Chicago has reached a new low, as accusations of Holocaust denial are falsely hurled at progressive challenger Marie Newman.
Newman, who is seeking to unseat the incumbent Dan Lipinski as the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 3rd congressional district, has staked a liberal position, hoping it would convince Democrats to chose her way over that of Lipinski, a “blue dog” Democrat known for his more conservative views.
In recent days, Newman claimed, voters have been receiving text messages from activists with the Washington-based No Labels group, trying to convince voters not to support her. In one instance, a voter receiving the text message informed the sender that he has already decided to vote for Newman, not Lipinski. “His opponent is a Holocaust denier among other things,” the Lipinski supporter texted back. In a second exchange, the voter was told again about Newman: “Did you know she’s a Holocaust denier.”
Newman accused Lipinski of “playing politics with a tragedy in human history that cost the lives of millions—and which deeply affects those of Jewish heritage, including my husband and his family.” Lipinski is considered one of the few endangered Democratic incumbents in the nation due to the tight primary. The winner should easily beat a Republican challenger in the district that voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a healthy 16% margin.
snip
Group Tied To Lipinski Says Marie Newman Is 'A Holocaust Denier'
IL-3 Democratic challenger Marie Newman claims group tied to Congressman Dan Lipinski is texting voters saying she's a 'Holocaust denier.'
https://patch.com/illinois/oaklawn/group-tied-lipinski-claims-she-s-holocaust-denier
LA GRANGE, IL -- Challenger Marie Newman is calling out Congressman Dan Lipinski for running a "dishonest machine-style campaign" after some of her supporters complained of receiving text messages stating that Newman is a "Holocaust denier." Newman and Lipinski are said to be in a statistical dead heat in the contentious Democratic primary in Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Supporters said they began receiving the text messages this past weekend.
A woman who identifies herself as "Leslie Benjamini" from the Washington, D.C.-based No Labels group -- a political centrist organization comprised of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who aim to combat partisan dysfunction in politics by focusing on bipartisan problem solving -- texted a voter asking him if he planned to vote for Dan Lipinski in the March 20 Democratic primary. When the the receiver stated he is voting for Newman, Benjamini states that Lipinski's opponent is a Holocaust denier. Benjamini tells the receiver to look up "No Labels, a new group that is trying to get government working again." The message goes on to state that Lipinski is a "believer in this group."
"His opponent is a Holocaust denier among other things," the text goes on to say. "Please educate yourself before you vote. All I ask."
Lipinski does have an opponent who is a Holocaust denier who is running as the lone candidate in the Republican primary in Illinois' 3rd District, avowed neo-Nazi Art Jones of Lyons. In the second message sent to the Newman supporter, Benjamini mistakes the receiver's phone number for his mother's.
"For the second time I am NOT [NAME] … she is my mother and she hosted a fundraiser for Marie Newman. And for the record, I voted for her early Saturday [March 10]." "Thanks for voting," Benjamini texts back. "Did you know she's a Holocaust denier."
The No Labels group based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 2010. The group strives to "create a vibrant New Center that supports leaders who put country before party." No Labels inspired the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of congressional members that includes Lipinski. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation has also tied No Labels to such Super PACS as United for Progress Inc. As of late, United for Progress Inc. has been sent out a flurry of political hit pieces attacking Newman's progressive agenda, as well as TV and radio commercials
An angry Newman demanded an apology from Lipinski, accusing the congressman of running "dishonest machine campaign."
snip
‘No Labels’ Needs A Warning Label
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-no-labels-mark-pocan_n_5c06b110e4b0cd916fb0b042
I was duped.
When I was elected to Congress in 2012, I attended the Bipartisan Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress at Harvard University. I was so excited to be a member of a branch of government for the most awesome country on the planet. At the program, one of the presentations was from a group named No Labels. The organization put forward a proposal for governing that meant working across the aisle to solve problems and stopping the gridlock in Washington. I was excited! While I was a strong progressive in the Wisconsin Legislature, that was my governing approach. By working with people who do not always agree with you, you find out what you have in common and you can get good things done.
snip
However, things quickly went south. I attended a few meetings at the outset, but the rhetoric wasn’t about finding ways to get things done and breaking gridlock ― rather it was more about finding more centrist, more corporate and more special interest-focused things to do. Soon thereafter, No Labels became involved in elections with a closely contested U.S. Senate race in Colorado, backing Republican Cory Gardner over Democrat Mark Udall. That didn’t seem right. A group that wasn’t supposed to pick labels was doing exactly that: picking a label. When asked to join the Problem Solvers Caucus, members were never told that this would be part of the program.
snip
I drifted away from the organization, as apparently did most people who thought it was focused on trying to break through the gridlock in Washington. No Labels’ membership has dwindled steadily since 2015. Fast-forward to the past few weeks, when No Labels’ Problem Solvers Caucus tried to threaten Nancy Pelosi’s speakership. While No Labels was originally advertised as a group committed to getting things done and breaking gridlock, it now seems more focused on stopping Pelosi and providing a fast track for special interests and lobbyists.
Worse, this past week I’ve read a few articles regarding what No Labels has been up to in the last couple of years. First, the organization spent almost twice as much helping re-elect Republicans as it spent helping Democrats. Second, reporters reviewed email correspondence that showed No Labels contemplating a plan to attack Pelosi and use her leadership as a wedge to divide congressional Democrats. And third, it’s clear that No Labels never had any meaningful ultimatums or demands on rules for leadership during eight years of a Republican-led House, or over the last four years of a Republican-led Senate. No Labels only has challenges for Democratic leadership in the House, specifically, for our next speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
That sure seems like a label to me. Look, I get it. No Labels is slick, and I got duped. But no other current or newly elected member of Congress should fall for its shtick. No Labels is a centrist, corporate organization working against Democrats with dark, anonymous money to advance power for special interests. Period.
snip
This is the kind of information needed, not shots at how Sinema dresses. 
BAM!
I understand that it is likely a symbol of her "individualism". I don't care. I care that she is inconsistent with her stances, and that she appears to hold or at least act like she is more in line with Republican positions then Democratic positions regarding how public policy and government should interact with the average person.
She voted for the extension of the Trump tax cuts which added over 2 trillion to the Debt, and which were at least 85% geared to the top income earners and asset holders. I don't know what is in her head, but her actions suggest that she does not care about people (individuals) making below say 250,000 to 300,000 dollars a year even though she says she is for "small business". We all know that "small business" tends to be code for rich people who have formed S-Corps or LLC's to separate themselves from large businesses they own for tax purposes. The guys who pay themselves $1 dollar a year, even though they earn several million at least, from their investments.
I know that Arizona is a more conservative state, but we need a real moderate or progressive Democrat to challenge her for the seat. As people with her style of dress might say, "This ain't it chief". 
Have a nice day.
Don't care about her hair, her dresses, her shoes - just her votes.
Same with Gym Jordan.
Same with Lindsey Graham.
JUST THEIR VOTES!!!!!
