Here is what Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (R-AZ) actually wants...

[DetlefK]

Step 1:
Attack the establishment and position yourself as a breath of fresh air.

Step 2:
Use that goodwill to win the election.

Step 3:
Use that election-vicotry to gobble up money from donors.

Step 4:
Leave politics under the pretense that you're too good, too pure, too principled for this job. Become a corporate lobbyist for Wall Street and Big Pharma instead.


https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/17/2058325/-Kyrsten-Sinema-In-Just-Two-Words-Illuminates-The-Ego-Of-Kyrsten-Sinema
original article at The Daily Beast behind paywall

Few moments illustrate so perfectly the personal and political evolution of Arizona’s junior senator. When Sinema was first becoming active in state politics as a lefty political activist—she ran as a Green Party member and as an independent before finally joining the Democratic fold—she viewed Lieberman as the embodiment of Washington sellouts. As I reported in a profile of Sinema for the magazine, Sinema even protested outside of a Lieberman campaign event when the senator was running for president in 2003.

“He’s a shame to Democrats,” she told a reporter from the Hartford Courant at the time. “I don’t even know why he’s running. He seems to want to get Republicans voting for him—what kind of strategy is that?” Lieberman, she added, was “pathetic.”

...

“A lot of people who have considered her a friend, or confidant, or someone she’d go to for donor support or political support, she won’t talk to those people anymore,” said Matt Grodsky, a former communications director for the Democratic Party of Arizona.

“She had a big network of people who liked her—establishment Democrats, progressives—everyone marveled at her ability to win in Arizona,” said one Democratic strategist in the state. “A lot of her longtime friends and confidants are no longer there. No one knows, to be honest, where she’s at.”

...

..When people ask Kyrsten Sinema if she wants to run for president someday, the Arizona senator usually has a stock answer: “I’m overqualified.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/15/sinema-campaign-money-pharma-finance-516110

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) raised more campaign money in the last three months than in any quarter since she became a senator. And she hit that $1.1 million haul with a big assist from the pharmaceutical and financial industries, whose political action committees and top executives stuffed her coffers in the middle of negotiations on Democrats’ massive infrastructure and social spending bills.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/unite-and-conquer-how-to-build-coalitions-that-win-and-last-bk-currents-paperback_kyrsten-sinema/1073338/#edition=35133190

Illuminated by examples from her own work and a host of campaigns across the country, Kyrsten Sinema shows how to forge connections--both personal and political--with seemingly unlikely allies and define our values, interests, and objectives in ways that broaden our range of potential partners and expand our tactical options.

[Walleye]

1. There are too many greedy smart alecs in the Senate.

Is she interested in governing at all it doesn’t seem like it

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. "No one knows, to be honest, where she's at."

Clearly, she's right in front of the elevator.

[themaguffin]

3. She's a political whore. There is no pretense of geniune concern or interest. In fact, she's clearly

disinterested in her job.

She will cash out big time.

[Botany]

7. She will end up in high paying no work jobs after she leaves the Senate.

Board of directors for some big pharmaceutical company, a dean or a board member for some right
wing college or university, or a representative/spokesperson for some trade group or lobbying firm.
Maybe she will be a "Fox News Democrat" because she seems to like being in the public's eye.

There are billions of dollars in play in keeping the status quo going for the current for profit health
care/insurance/drug manufacturing businesses. And Senator Sinema is more than happy to "wet
her beak" in all that money.

I also think she is a little bit bi-polar too.

[StClone]

17. Once a Progressive Wunderkind now an addled Sad Me$$

[Botany]

19. Even as a Congressperson she started taking in money from the right wing US Chamber Commerce

I'm starting to think that she is a plant to fuck up the democrats and their agendas. Hell in 2000
she worked for Ralph Nader who the GOP and the right wing used to suck votes from Al Gore.

[StClone]

29. That "plant" thought has passed my mind.

She is honest about being bi-sexual, but oddly her politics are hidden and apparently even more fluid or phony.

[OrangeJoe]

21. A pretty good guess

I can't really see her being an effective lobbyist. I worked on The Hill as a Senate staffer and constantly met with former pols turned lobbyists. The vast majority of them were straight up with what they were doing, knew my boss and had successfully worked with him previously and were trustworthy i.e. they kept their word and did not lie.

Sinema is none of these things. She has f... over the Democrats and these days the other side never listens to former members from the opposing party. Bottom line she has no friends, can't cash in any chits for past works and nobody is going to listen to her. The standard ploy when you want to disrespect a lobbyist is to keep them waiting and then send in an obvious intern to listen to their spiel. That is Sinema's future if she tries that route. Fox News seems like a better fit.

[Botany]

22. I could see her in some sort of "lobby shop" operation w/out doing any of the real lobbying herself.

But I do see her cashing in on some kind of high paying no work job. Maybe a board of directors bit where
they meet 4 times a year and then get paid lots of $$$.

[Septua]

4. When Sinema was first becoming active in state politics as a lefty political activist...

..she ran as a Green Party member and as an independent before finally joining the Democratic fold."

I didn't know that...

[Celerity]

8. She left the Green Party in 2004, when she became a Dem. She was elected to the US House in 2012, &

moved to the centre, towards the right, in 2013-14, after she was being attacked in her first re-election race. She was very much a lefty in the Arizona House (2004-2010) and AZ Senate (2012) before that.

In 2006, Sinema told a radio host that she was "the most liberal member of the Arizona State Legislature".


She is an ever-rightward-shifting chameleon and opportunist, with no real base political philosophy IMHO.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrsten_Sinema

Early political involvement

Sinema began her political career in the Arizona Green Party before joining the Arizona Democratic Party in 2004. In 2000, Sinema worked on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign. In 2001 and 2002, she ran for local elected offices as an independent and lost. In 2002, The Arizona Republic published a letter from Sinema criticizing capitalism. "Until the average American realizes that capitalism damages her livelihood while augmenting the livelihoods of the wealthy, the Almighty Dollar will continue to rule", she wrote. She opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization during this time. She protested Senator Joe Lieberman's unsuccessful 2004 presidential bid, telling the Hartford Courant, "He’s a shame to Democrats ... I don’t even know why he’s running. He seems to want to get Republicans voting for him. What kind of strategy is that?" (OH THE IRONY!)

While in the Green Party, Sinema was its local spokesperson, working to repeal the death penalty and organizing antiwar protests. She had organized 15 antiwar rallies by the time the Iraq War began. She also opposed the war in Afghanistan. During a February 15, 2003, protest in Patriots Square Park in Phoenix, a group led by Sinema distributed flyers portraying a U.S. servicemember as a skeleton "inflicting 'U.S. terror' in Iraq and the Middle East". In a 2003 opinion piece, Sinema declared that Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush were "the real Saddam and Osama lovers". When asked on a local radio show whether she would oppose someone joining the Taliban and fighting on its behalf, Sinema responded, "Fine ... I don't care if you want to do that, go ahead." During 2005 and 2006, Sinema co-hosted a radio show with 9/11 truther Jeff Farias.

snip


2014 (the rightward big move)

Sinema ran for re-election in 2014, and was unopposed in the Democratic primary, which took place on August 26, 2014. She faced Republican Wendy Rogers in the general election.

According to Roll Call, Sinema billed herself as bipartisan. This move was seen as a response to her district's voting pattern. It was drawn as a "fair-fight" district, and President Barack Obama won the district by four points in 2012. In September 2014 she was endorsed for re-election by the United States Chamber of Commerce, becoming one of five Democrats to be endorsed by the Chamber in the 2014 congressional election cycle. She was re-elected with approximately 55 percent of the vote, beating Rogers by 13 points.

snip


In the 115th Congress, whilst still in the US House, she voted with Trump 62.6% of the time.

She and the centre-right DINO, forced birther/Republican campaigning/fundraising-for Henry Cuellar (huge Biden critic on immigration and a lead conservadem trying to scupper Biden's $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill in the House now) had by far the highest +/- ratings in all Dems in Congress (meaning they voted with Trump and the Rethugs far more than their districts predicted).

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/house/

[SergeStorms]

5. The money corrupts them all...

to some extent. Some, just a little. On the other end of the spectrum you have the Sinemas and the Manchins. They'll forsake any principles they once had for the long green.

And Sinema has the unmitigated gall to say she's "over qualified" to be president.

[Celerity]

6. 'the pretense that you're too good, too pure, too principled for this job'

[FalloutShelter]

9. Step 5

Join the cast of the View.
After all entertainment is where the real money is.

[Generic Brad]

10. She wants to be the Tulsi Gabbard of the Senate

Good luck with that, Senator.

[3catwoman3]

11. The US needs a "vote of no confidence"...

…mechanism like they have in England for people who totally misrepresent themselves to the voters.

[AZProgressive]

12. The problem with #1

Is she was hand-picked by Schumer to run for Senate so she couldn’t position herself as anti-establishment. She is a blue dog and would probably be a neo-Con before Trump but I don’t see her as a right wing populist.

[Budi]

20. Yes because at the time of the 2020 election McConnell had to be stopped.

At that time in History, Sinema was the only one in a position to win that critical Red districrt.

How she turned after that suprising win, isn't actually suprising at all.
Her loyalty to any Party ideals has never exactly been consistant.

She is proof that conviently sticking that D after your name for the profile & benefits of money support & access to a vast voter database, means little loyalty to those that do it.
They come to the D Party with their own agenda.

[AZProgressive]

23. She was elected to the Senate in 2018

Before that she represented my district which is probably a swing district but it has been reliably blue for years currently represented by Greg Stanton.

To me she has been the same since elected to a federal office. She is receiving more attention but was aware of her record in Congress. She actually had a slightly less conservative voting record than McSally.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/report-cards/2018/house/ideology

She is more red than she needs to be.

[Budi]

27. Why Schumer backed her. A D in a Red district.

[AZProgressive]

28. The district she used to represent is blue

Includes Arizona State and where I live West Mesa and is currently being represented by Greg Stanton.

Schumer tells Sinema he's backing her in Ariz. Senate race

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) phoned Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) during the August recess and told her he would back her over other primary candidates should she decide to run against vulnerable Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), multiple sources told The Hill.

Schumer also placed a phone call with Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, another Democrat who had been eyeing a Senate bid, and told him he was going with Sinema, the sources said.

The phone calls are the clearest sign yet that Sinema, 41, a centrist Democrat serving her third term in the House, is gearing up for a Senate run in the Grand Canyon State.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/350164-schumer-tells-sinema-hes-backing-her-in-ariz-senate-race?amp&__twitter_impression=true

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. Go read Josh Marshall's examination of Sinema at TPM

He’s been convinced, by numerous sources close to Sinema, that she has deluded herself into believing that her “maverickyness” will vault her to higher office, and that she has no intention to “take the money” and leave politics.

Marshall wrote 3 articles back in September that outline this theory.

I think Sinema thinks she can be the first woman elected POTUS.

[madeup64]

26. It seems she feels that by time she's up for re-election in 2024

That the majority of Democratic voters in Arizona will have forgotten about her thwarting of the Biden agenda. Depending on how 2022 goes Dems will either have razer-thin majorities in the House and Senate, or the Republicans will have razor thin margins in the House and Senate or the Dems have the Senate and Republicans have the House. Again both being razor thin margins.

She could be calculating that Dem voters will be more concerned with Biden winning a second term and dealing with whatever the House/Senate situation is. We all know if the Republicans take back the House it's going to be b******* investigations after b******* investigation and it's going to piss Dem base voters off. It's not a far-fetched idea to think that Dem voters will be more willing to forgive these transgressions because we're going to care more about making sure we keep her seat and win back the House.

In this scenario it's a win-win for her because she cultivates the big money donors that makes it a lot easier too run for higher office by doing their bidding since she seems to care most about making sure farmer can still charge too much money from medicine to Medicare and no tax increases for the rich.

If we don't have the House and Senate after 2022 she knows there's not going to be any other bills that she has to worry about voting against that's going to piss off Dem voters to appease her big money donors. This is why she is so insistent on just passing the Senate's $1T infrastructure bill. It gives her something to say 'I did this.' Then she can go back to touting Dem priorities, lamenting how we need to pass such and such legislation but Republicans are stopping it. Then she while be launching barbs at Republicans which will increase her polling numbers with Dems. She doesn't anger or rock the boat with her big money donors because there's not going to be any bills that are going to ruffle their feathers too much if Democrats don't have full control.

I'm sure many on here remember how awful 2010 was. And we were all pretty pissed off at a lot of Democrats for not pushing through EFCA, for not going bigger on the stimulus, and for basically wasting their Filibuster proof majority in the Senate and not even getting the public option in the ACA bill after 2008. Once 2012/2014 rolled around we were more concerned about re-electing Obama and trying to get the House back and keeping our Senate majority then holding those Dems accountable that stifled Dem priorities in 2009-2010 with the exception of Joe Lieberman and Democrat turncoat Arlen Spector.

I hate to say it but it could certainly end up working in her favor. Voters have short attention spans and memories. I mean how much do you hear us bitching about the fact that she voted to confirm Barr and some other s***** ass Trump appointees?

I really wish a prominent Democrat in Arizona would step up right now and say they are going to primary her and start immediately fundraising. Because if that happens we all know the base would be filling his or her coffers with a lot of money which would then make her have to sweat whether she could survive a primary in 2024 and the only way to do so is to actually fight for Dem priorities now.

I hope that I am wrong but if this is unfolded like I laid out above that means she is able to keep her Senate seat in 2024 which would then make her ready to go for a possible 2028 run cuz it would be a wide open primary.

[RainCaster]

14. She wants a brain 🧠

Too bad, we're fresh out.

[Mr.Bill]

16. She's off to see the Wizard,

the Wonderful Wizard of Cash.

[dobleremolque]

15. My bet would be that she is

going to cash in from her single Senate term, buy a vineyard in Napa or Sonoma and retire to a life of luxury, grift-funded while she held office. Why else would she be enrolling in all those wine-making seminars during Congressional breaks?

It's not like she'll be sought after post-Senate for her influence and connections, so a cushy lobbyist job isn't in the cards. I suspect after she's enriched herself as much as she can while in office, she'll fade away and only be heard from again as she tries to hawk whatever vintage her winery produces.

[TeamProg]

18. Accurate summary! n/t

[Vinca]

24. Step 4 is what I said to my husband this morning. She has one motive and one motive only:

a fat cat job as a lobbyist for big pharma.

[ZonkerHarris]

25. If she really was (R-AZ) we would not control the Senate. So unless you WANT Mitch in control

you better goddamn hope she remains a Democrat.
even if she is not the kind most of us want.