Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

When I see stories like this makes me wonder how much stuff is going on in the back channels and behind the scenes. Seems completely like a power move the question is was it Sinema's idea alone or did the suggestion come from elsewhere? Regardless anything that slows down marginal partisan legislation is a good thing in my book.


www.dispatch.com...

PHOENIX – Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said Friday she is leaving the Democratic Party and will formally become an independent in a move that more fully places her at the center of a narrowly divided chamber.

She announced her decision in an opinion piece published Friday in The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

"I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington," she wrote.

Sinema maintained she doesn’t plan to change her voting habits: often aligning with Democrats but backing Republicans on certain issues. And she won’t dispense with the legislative filibuster that has led many Democrats to call for her to face a primary challenge in 2024.

Sinema’s move will jar Democrats who had hoped Sen. Raphael Warnock’s runoff victory in Georgia on Tuesday would provide the party a measure of breathing room on difficult votes that often hinged on Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Sinema’s switch comes after months of deliberation and reflects her view that the two-party dynamic in Washington is an obstacle to policy progress, especially in a state with a vast swath of independent voters. The political loyalties of that bloc could face an unprecedented test in 2024.

a reply to: putnam6

Why does the right celebrate when a leftie switches to a rightie or indie but has a cow when one moves from California/new York to where they live?
I don't see the difference.

a reply to: putnam6

Sinema maintained she doesn’t plan to change her voting habits: often aligning with Democrats but backing Republicans on certain issues.

Then what's the point ? She's still voting the same way, just under another label.

You can call it a camel, but if it walks like a donkey and sounds like a donkey......

a reply to: putnam6

Sinema’s switch comes after months of deliberation and reflects her view that the two-party dynamic in Washington is an obstacle to policy progress, especially in a state with a vast swath of independent voters.

People everywhere are getting fed up with both parties. With 'a vast swath of independent voters' perhaps it's her best chance of reelection in the future?

a reply to: putnam6

LOL -- I had to laugh at this --

The political loyalties of that bloc could face an unprecedented test in 2024.

Independents have no loyalties -- and are not beholden -- to anyone or any party! That's the whole point of being independent!!!

But the article is correct that we've got a big independent population-- more Independents than Democrats, almost as many as Republicans.

I wonder if Kyrsten knows something we don't and is jumping a sinking ship... or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part...

originally posted by: oddscreenname
a reply to: putnam6

Why does the right celebrate when a leftie switches to a rightie or indie but has a cow when one moves from California/new York to where they live?
I don't see the difference.

I'm not sure if these are even remotely related topics. Senator switching parties to somebody moving into a state?

Ive always been of the mind that our government is less harmful when one party doesn't have too much power, pull and influence. Republicans or Democrats doesn't matter and in case you haven't noticed we have particularly low-quality representatives on all sides of the aisle.

Again anything that stagnates and blocks most of their proposed legislation is very likely best for the country

originally posted by: nugget1
a reply to: putnam6

Sinema’s switch comes after months of deliberation and reflects her view that the two-party dynamic in Washington is an obstacle to policy progress, especially in a state with a vast swath of independent voters.

People everywhere are getting fed up with both parties. With 'a vast swath of independent voters' perhaps it's her best chance of reelection in the future?

I'm probably closer to Libertarian than anything else, but yes exactly I'm conservative on some issues and left on some issues.

Smart move on her behalf. Now the Dems cant challenge her in a primary and they won't risk running a Dem against her because a divided vote would guarantee a Republican will grab the seat. This is just a self preservation move, not any kind of shift in political philosophy.

a reply to: DAVID64

She knows she's going to get primaried in 2024 if she remains a Dem. She's hoping that in a three-way dance she'll split the vote enough to get reelected.

After Warnock took the GA senate seat Chuck Schumer probably threatened to cut Sinema off from DNC campaign finance as blackmail for her to agree to remove the filibuster and other county distorting legislation.

Sinema, like most women, didn't like being treated like a whore and decided to back her own personal integrity instead of the Democrat party.

She probably was secretly wishing for a little red wave in the Senate so that this dynamic would not have presented itself and she could comfortably remain in the Democrat party with out having to back its more destructive tendencies.

Now she is signaling that she is all in on splitting the Democrat party vote if the DNC try to primary her in 2024. MAD.

originally posted by: WeDemBoyz
Smart move on her behalf. Now the Dems cant challenge her in a primary and they won't risk running a Dem against her because a divided vote would guarantee a Republican will grab the seat. This is just a self preservation move, not any kind of shift in political philosophy.

As I said anything that slows down overtly partisan legislation till 2024 is fine with me, November 2024 is a long way off.

a reply to: putnam6

Looks like she's tired of the corruption while others, like Liz Cheney, are looking to gain immunity and get rich from corruption.

originally posted by: WeDemBoyz
Smart move on her behalf. Now the Dems cant challenge her in a primary and they won't risk running a Dem against her because a divided vote would guarantee a Republican will grab the seat. This is just a self preservation move, not any kind of shift in political philosophy.

Excellent analysis.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: putnam6

Sinema maintained she doesn’t plan to change her voting habits: often aligning with Democrats but backing Republicans on certain issues.

Then what's the point ? She's still voting the same way, just under another label.

You can call it a camel, but if it walks like a donkey and sounds like a donkey......

Probably her way of not being suicided later down the road. She's gotta ease into it like a woman leaving her aggressive boyfriend.

For those keeping score at home: The breakdown of the Senate is actually 49 R, 48 D and 3 Independents. Just like the current Senate was 50 R 48 D and 2 Independents.

By any measure of mathematics, it would be a Republican Senate in both cases. Except the Independents vote (usually) in line with the D so they (illegally-in my opinion) count them too.

originally posted by: Ahabstar
For those keeping score at home: The breakdown of the Senate is actually 49 R, 48 D and 3 Independents. Just like the current Senate was 50 R 48 D and 2 Independents.

By any measure of mathematics, it would be a Republican Senate in both cases. Except the Independents vote (usually) in line with the D so they (illegally-in my opinion) count them too.

Its not a matter of simple counting to see who leads the senate; they take a vote to see who leads the senate and Chuck Schumer is going to get 51 votes no matter what party the voters think they belong too.

She may walk like a donkey, but she comes 1/2 a step closer to removing a Democratic power block in the Senate.

originally posted by: putnam6

originally posted by: nugget1
a reply to: putnam6

Sinema’s switch comes after months of deliberation and reflects her view that the two-party dynamic in Washington is an obstacle to policy progress, especially in a state with a vast swath of independent voters.

People everywhere are getting fed up with both parties. With 'a vast swath of independent voters' perhaps it's her best chance of reelection in the future?

I'm probably closer to Libertarian than anything else, but yes exactly I'm conservative on some issues and left on some issues.

Ummm...Dayam...that precisely how I see my own political stripes...left and right and mostly Libertarian...

We must be Brutha's...from another Brutha Mutha...

Or merely mutated organisms in that great petri dish floating in the sky...




YouSir

originally posted by: Nickn3
She may walk like a donkey, but she comes 1/2 a step closer to removing a Democratic power block in the Senate.

Pretty much otherwise why were these last two Senate races GA and PA being portrayed as so important, why did both parties spend millions trying to get thier candidates elected if it's no big deal?

Besides if Arizona Isn't independent enough she will likely be voted out in less than 2 years.

The Democrat party as a whole is currently in the spotlight over its agenda to stiffle free speech and actually lied about while feigning ignorance of the whole situation.

Sinemas move is several folds in the making while distancing herself from a clearly corrupt group who ended up becoming the very thing we all feared and were supposed to be protected from by their very hands.

Good for Sinema and Democracy as a whole. Hopefully more people continue to wake up to the farce that is the democrat party and its 100s of supporters it has radicalized.

Remember, these dunces were all duped into believing RussiaGate and now you can add the twitter files to it.