Sen. Sinema angers progressives, socialists with ring that reads 'f**k off'

Last month Sen. Krysten Sinema voted no on an effort to add a minimum wage provision to a bill which could be passed with just a simple majority. Democrats were made about the loss but they really got angry at the way she gave a little thumbs down move on the Senate floor.

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Seriously, this really made a lot of people furious. This video mocking her has been viewed nearly 175,000 times. The lack of love between Sen. Sinema and progressives escalated a bit yesterday when she posted an image on Instagram in which she’s drinking Sangrian through a straw while wearing a ring that reads “F**k off.” I don’t actually see the post on Instagram so she may have deleted it but a reporter for Politico copied it over to Twitter yesterday:

I don’t think Sinema specifically indicated this was a message to progressives angry about her minimum wage vote, but it seems they all agreed that’s what this was about. There are a lot of angry socialists denouncing her today. Here are half a dozen examples:

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Not sure why but the communists seem particularly agitated.

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There are literally thousands more reactions like this. People on the left are assuming this is directed at them and then trashing her and vowing she’ll face a primary. Is that realistic? Polls show that Sen. Sinema has lost some support from Democrats since she’s refused to vote the party line. But even now about 50% of Democratic voters support her. So there’s a big inherent risk of trying to primary her in Arizona with someone on the far left:

Sinema became the first Arizona Democrat in three decades to ascend to the U.S. Senate in 2018, squeaking into office with just over 51% of the vote – aided by Martha McSally, a tin-earred Trump ally who managed to turn off moderate Republican women and independent voters.

Since then, Sinema has done just what she said she would do, to the consternation of Democrats who seem to think she owes them something. She has charted a middle course, in search of solutions that have bipartisan support…

I’ve long believed that Sinema is in the catbird seat. Democrats have never loved her but they can’t afford to dump her. If they field a more liberal candidate in 2024, they likely will lose the seat to Republicans.

She really is the Democratic Party’s John McCain in many ways. Just as Republicans were often furious at McCain for his “maverick” votes with the other party, progressives feel the same way about Sinema. But finding a candidate who can win in Arizona and consistently vote with the left could be a stretch. One thing we’ve learned from watching the squad in action is that they often overestimate how popular their politics are outside their own bubble.

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