It doesn’t help liberals’ case that Sinema is coming off a vindication of her vision of moderate governing. She played a leading role brokering a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal that attracted 19 GOP votes and inspired sentiment that the Senate was finally working again.
And immediately after that deal passed the Senate, Sinema made it clear she wasn’t done shaping the debate, issuing a statement expressing concern over the size and scope of the $3.5 trillion economic package championed by President Joe Biden. That missive caused an immediate headache for party leaders and heartburn for liberals who think the price tag should be far higher.
As the senator digs in, differing opinions are beginning to sprout about whether or not a pressure campaign, no matter how sustained and well-funded, could ever make a difference.
Parris Wallace, the Arizona organizing director for the Working Families Party, said progressives have an imperative to “remind the senator of why she’s there and who she needs to be delivering for.”
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