OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Arizona Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is not backing down on her support of the Senate filibuster and it’s not sitting well with Democrats. The well-known Democrat said she supports keeping the filibuster because it “protects the democracy of our nation.”
“As folks in Arizona know, I’ve long been a supporter of the filibuster because it is a tool that protects the democracy of our nation, rather than allowing our country to ricochet wildly every two to four years back and forth between policies,” Sinema said.
“The idea of the filibuster was created by those who came before us in the United States Senate to create comity and to encourage senators to find bipartisanship and work together. And while there are some who don’t believe that bipartisanship is possible, I think that I’m a daily example that bipartisanship is possible, not just this trip today and tomorrow that John and I are doing, but the work that John and I, and I and many other of my colleagues in both parties do on a regular basis,” she continued.
She added: “So to those who say we must make a choice between the filibuster and x, I say this is a false choice. The reality is, is that when you have a system that’s not working effectively, and I would think that most would agree that the Senate is not a particularly well-oiled machine, right, the way to fix that is to change your behavior, not to eliminate the rules or change the rules, but to change your behavior. So I’m going to continue to go to work every day, aggressively seeking bipartisanship in a cheerful and happy warrior way as I always do, and showing that when we work together we can get things done.”
“The filibuster was not created as a tool to accomplish one thing or another. It was created as a tool to bring together members of different parties to find compromise and a coalition,” Sinema said.
“And you think about our Founding Fathers when they created the Senate with two senators from every state regardless of population size, with elections staggered every six years so that only a third of the body is up for election each cycle, it was designed to be a place where you cool the passions of the House. We work together to find a compromise, and importantly, where you protect the rights of the minority from the majority regardless of which party is in the majority at the time,” she added.
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The Senate filibuster is a rule that requires 60 members to end debate on most topics and move to a vote.
Sinema’s defiance has angered Democrats.
Last week, Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego went after Sinema and West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin for teaming up with Republicans on key bills, which stopped and slowed down President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda from crossing the finish line.
Gallego has been especially critical of Sinema’s refusal to end the Senate’s legislative filibuster.
Gallego tweeted earlier this year that Sinema and Manchin “care more about arcane Senate rules than protecting your vote.” And in June, he said that Sinema was empowering Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) by “not neutering the filibuster.”
MSN published a report detailing how Sinema may face a tough re-election in 2024 because of her support for the filibuster, which may result in some Democrats not supporting her on the campaign trail.
“Like Manchin, Sinema has angered many within her party and could face a serious primary challenge. Republicans will also likely view the state as a top pickup opportunity. Sinema has defended keeping the filibuster in place and has leveraged her party’s slim 50-50 Senate majority to notch concessions, including a deal she negotiated with Schumer earlier this summer that eliminated a carried interest loophole from Democrats’ climate and health care spending package,” MSN reported.
“That’s left some senators like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) expressing openness to endorsing primary challengers to Sinema and Manchin. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has said he’s been approached about challenging the Arizona centrist and has been openly critical of Sinema but has not committed to mounting a bid. Republicans, smarting from losses in the state in 2020 and 2022, are also eyeing the seat closely,” the outlet added.
