All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Tami]

So, assuming she's not simply batshit crazy, what's her plan?

One theory

The answer is likely related to her 2024 prospects.

To put it mildly, Sinema has not endeared herself to Democrats in her home state. Earlier this year, Data For Progress polled Arizona Democrats and found the incumbent senator trailing Gallego in a hypothetical primary match-up, 74% to 16%. That’s not a typo: She actually trailed the popular congressman by 58 points.

With this in mind, Sinema very likely realized that she had a decision to make: She could (a) retire; (b) take steps to repair the relationship with the Democratic voters who elected her in the first place; or (c) take her chances as an independent.

As a tactical matter, settling on the third option makes sense. Sinema was very likely to lose a Democratic primary, her voting record made a run as a Republican implausible, and she didn’t want to walk away from Capitol Hill altogether. Becoming an independent is a sensible strategy.

Indeed, it’s not unrealistic to think it might very well save her career. Democrats will likely think twice about running a candidate against her in 2024, fearing that splitting the center-left mainstream could leave the seat in Republican hands. Sinema’s announcement probably won’t dramatically alter the makeup of the Senate, but if it neutralizes an electoral threat, it’ll give the senator what she’s looking for: a re-election edge she wouldn’t otherwise have.

But as the political world digests the news, it’s also worth pausing to appreciate Sinema’s bizarre ideological trajectory. In the Bush/Cheney era, she was a liberal activist and failed Green Party candidate who railed against then-Sen. Joe Lieberman as a “pathetic” sellout.

Twenty years later, Sinema has done exactly what Lieberman did: become an independent while caucusing with Senate Democrats

[Tendrin]

So, assuming she's not simply batshit crazy, what's her plan?

"Nice seat you've got here, be a shame if the Democrats ran someone and we lost it in a three way race."

Sinema's god-awful at basic politics but she is perfectly willing to tank the country to bolster her political fortunes.

[worstblogever]

So, assuming she's not simply batshit crazy, what's her plan?

Seems like it's "try and be the center of attention as loud and as long as realistically possible".

Because she has no interest in helping Arizonans anymore. She spent an entire Senate recess not meeting with constituents, but learning how to make wine in Sonoma.

Y'know, like self-declared blue-collar "maverick" politicians do.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Seems like it's "try and be the center of attention as loud and as long as realistically possible".

Because she has no interest in helping Arizonans anymore. She spent an entire Senate recess not meeting with constituents, but learning how to make wine in Sonoma.

Y'know, like self-declared blue-collar "maverick" politicians do.

Someone on Twitter said Krazy Krysten was “cosplaying as a senator”, and that description fits like a glove. From where I sit, it’s all about attention for Sinema, about being in the limelight masquerading as a “maverick” instead of helping her constituents, making her the worst sort of fraud who cheated the people she had been elected to help.

[Username taken]

Someone on Twitter said Krazy Krysten was “cosplaying as a senator”, and that description fits like a glove. From where I sit, it’s all about attention for Sinema, about being in the limelight masquerading as a “maverick” instead of helping her constituents, making her the worst sort of fraud who cheated the people she had been elected to help.

That's the thing, there's an assload of "look at me" clowns running around nowadays.

From Musk to Kanye to Synema, it's all about the "me" of it all. Once they fall out of the spotlight and prominence (like Krysten would have with the democratic majority in the senate), they do everything they can to get it back.

That's besides Synema basically being a plant for big business and upper-class concerns. She literally has no real position on anything besides doing everything she can to protect her lobbyists.

[Farealmer]

I figured it was nothing. But the way she is going on about emails and Tweets that prove the FBI stole the election I thought there was more to it then the nude picture thing. She is making it sound like he is releasing hundreds of tweets and emails and stuff.

This might be what she means. https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status...DTjc_nnLksAAAA

[Malvolio]

That's the thing, there's an assload of "look at me" clowns running around nowadays.

From Musk to Kanye to Synema, it's all about the "me" of it all. Once they fall out of the spotlight and prominence (like Krysten would have with the democratic majority in the senate), they do everything they can to get it back.

That's besides Synema basically being a plant for big business and upper-class concerns. She literally has no real position on anything besides doing everything she can to protect her lobbyists.

Oh exactly. It's all about attention. I mean, would Kanye be acting like this if he were still with Kim Kardashian? I don't know, but ever since she dumped him, he's been extremely thirsty. And Elon thought simply buying Twitter would get him back to the top of the Google searches when his space trip didn't. And of course it is curious that Synema makes her announcement less than a week after Warnock's Senate victory.

[worstblogever]

So, assuming she's not simply batshit crazy, what's her plan?

I really wonder if it amounts to "LOOK AT ME!!!!"

Oh exactly. It's all about attention. I mean, would Kanye be acting like this if he were still with Kim Kardashian? I don't know, but ever since she dumped him, he's been extremely thirsty. And Elon thought simply buying Twitter would get him back to the top of the Google searches when his space trip didn't. And of course it is curious that Synema makes her announcement less than a week after Warnock's Senate victory.

And... this. Warnock getting the Democrats to 51 Senators and she makes an announcement that doesn't change much of anything, but only means she's trying to cowardly avoid a primary challenge that she would lose by 50 points, because she's betrayed largely all of her campaign promises, and her antics are simply meant to be empty gestures to draw attention to herself.

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, as well as 2021, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day posted profiles of John Kavanagh, an Arizona State Senator a man who proudly roasted his good pal, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, by forgetting at a roast you harass the guest of honor, and instead, chose to make a series of racially insensitive jokes at the expense of Hispanics. Kavanagh is also a big beneficiary of the prison industrial complex, having once been labelled by John Oliver on Last Week Tonight as a man who Satan waits in hell for, sharpening his pitchfork, because he defended Arizona's prison hospitals showing pure sugar into a woman's c-section surgical wound as a story that "should be taken with a grain of salt, or in this case, a grain of sugar". Kavanagh is also wildly anti-immigrant, supporting SB1070, and wanting birthright citizenship granted by the 14th Amendment to be ignored. He's widening his portfolio of bigotry over time, though, trying to create a bill to criminalize transgendered individuals from using the "wrong" bathroom. Inexplicably, he's an Arizona politician who resents the use of solar power, as well. Kavanaugh supported another one of those insane bills to allow any coin with gold or silver content to it to be used as legal tender in Arizona, and as a former police officer (because of course), Kavanagh was pulling for a bill in February 2015 which would have prevented the release of an officer's name from the media if they were involved in an incident where they had to use deadly force. That's right... in one of the worst eras in recent memory for police violence against the public, Kavanagh and his fellow Republicans decided to provide cover for the police to continue their behavior, or even allow it to get worse without the public being made aware. While a few years ago, Kavanagh also sponsored legislation that would allow a pharmacist to deny to prescribe birth control or other abortion drugs to patients no “moral grounds”, that law had some very sad consequences in June of 2018 when a Walgreens worker refused to fill a prescription for a woman seeking a drug to treat herself with following a miscarriage, and a CVS pharmacist refused to fill a hormone prescription for a transgendered customer.

Kavanagh has continued to make Arizona a more dangerous place to live, sponsoring legislation to attempt to eliminate background checks on gun sales at gun shows completely (so criminals or potential terrorists can buy them without worry), and also an insane anti-abortion bill to try and force doctors to attempt to “revive viable fetuses” after an abortion. This man makes the term “extremist” seem inadequate to describe his lunacy. He also likes to champion legislation to attempt to allow people to sue cities who don’t enforce immigration laws harshly enough for his liking, in particular cities like Tucson.

Perhaps the worst moment from John Kavanagh from the past year was a quote he gave prior to the start of Arizona’s “Fraudit” review of their 2020 election results, where they were upset an actual Democrat won the state’s electoral votes and U.S. Senate races, so they hired the totally legit company Cyber Ninjas to do the audit, in spite of them having no experience in looking at elections. Kavanagh’s quote regarding the proceedings:

“We’re moving forward to do bills to correct problems that came up during the election that need to be solved, regardless of whether there was actual fraud or nonexistent fraud.”

Yes, he said it out loud. What “problem” would there be if there was no fraud, other than someone winning who dared to not be a Republican on the ballot? That’s the game, right there.

Kavanagh continued bullying gay children in 2022, filing legislation that would require parental consent for students to join LGBTQ clubs in school, and he tried defunding Arizona’s PBS station in October 2022 because they couldn’t force Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs to debate MAGA-loon Kari Lake.

Kavanagh just won re-election in 2022 with 61% of the vote, and theoretically will be term-limited in 2026. Which can’t come soon enough.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Right wing/Qpublican/Faux News manufactured outrage over Brittney Griner having been released instead Marine Paul Whelan is woefully misplaced at best, total bullshit at worst since he's far from being a hero. From Snopes:

Was Paul Whelan Punitively Discharged from the Marines?

A military judge sitting as a special court martial convicted the appellant [Paul N. Whelan], consistent with his pleas, of attempted larceny, three specifications of dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, wrongfully using another's social security number, and ten specifications of making and uttering checks without having sufficient funds in his account for payment … He was sentenced to 60 days restriction, reduction to pay grade E-4, and a bad-conduct discharge.

That said, I hope Whelan is eventually freed like Griner.

[worstblogever]

That said, I hope Whelan is eventually freed like Griner.

I have noticed that Whelan's family are speaking out against Trump and the GOP blatantly using Paul as a prop, and telling them to STFU.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I have noticed that Whelan's family are speaking out against Trump and the GOP blatantly using Paul as a prop, and telling them to STFU.

Yeah, I read about that too. As well they should torch Trump and the GQP for their antics.

[worstblogever]

Yeah, I read about that too. As well they should torch Trump and the GQP for their antics.

Noticing a pattern that the only time the GOP care about the troops is when they can grab them to wield as a weapon against the Democrats. But when the PACT Act is up, they're sitting on their thumbs, and don't seem to remember their service so well. Or when Trump attacks Gold Star families. Or...

[Kirby101]

This might be what she means. https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status...DTjc_nnLksAAAA

Tom Fitton, now there is an unbiased, impeccable source.

[CaptainEurope]

My aunt is going on like crazy about Tweets and Emails that Musk has released that proves the FBI and all these judges and the Democrats rigged the election. And people are all thanking Musk and this is the end of Biden.

I have heard nothing about it. Does anyone know what The hell she is talking about?

Your aunt really wanted a dick pic of Hunter Biden released to the public.

Maybe you need to create a tinder profile for her?