Kyrsten Sinema is on the ropes
Yesterday President Biden called out Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for providing cover to Senate Republicans when it comes to voting rights legislation. Manchin’s new anti-Republican rhetoric of late suggests that he knows it’s time to finally begin the process of caving. But even after Biden’s condemnation yesterday, Sinema is still singing the praises of the filibuster today. It won’t last.
Sinema can keep protesting all she wants. But now that Biden has publicly called her out, she’ll end up caving, at least on HR1. She has to. She can’t survive Biden’s wrath. Biden is the kind of guy who likes to paint everyone on all sides as being the “good guys” except for the specific handful of people whom he feels are responsible for holding up progress – which is what he just did with Manchin and Sinema. It’s an effective tool for isolating those behaving in bad faith, and placing pressure on them from all sides.
Biden is also meeting with West Virginia’s Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito about infrastructure today, and it feels like Biden is sending a message to Manchin: get your act together or I’ll start giving the Republican from your state what she wants instead of giving it to you.
This is the part where President Biden begins twisting arms and getting what he wants. Thanks to his decades in the Senate, he knows how to get Senators to bend to his will more than just about any other politician in our lifetime.
It feels like Manchin is starting to incrementally cave. Sinema is still loudly insisting she’s going to remain on her current course. But don’t fall for her rhetoric. People always publicly stick to their guns the most loudly just before they cave. Keep up the pressure on Sinema and Manchin, and we’ll win this battle.
