Kyrsten Sinema says Senate should restore 60-vote threshold for nominees

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona once again stirred up mood within her own party this weekend as she expressed her support for reinstating the 60-vote threshold for all nominations and judicial nominees.

She did so during a speech in Kentucky, where she was hailed Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell, who helped stop Barack Obama’s nominees and helped confirm a string of lifelong Supreme Court nominations under president. Donald Trump.

Sinema made the comment as a significant number of Democrats hope to roll back the filibuster, or at least make abortion exceptions after the Supreme Court was brought down Roe v. Wade. That’s because some strategists are hoping for a wave of outcry over the 6-3 Conservative Supreme Court decision in November’s election, which faces headwinds.

“Not only am I committed to the 60-vote threshold, I have an incredibly unpopular stance,” Sinema said during a performance at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center, named for the senator, 80, who was elected in 1984.

“I actually think we should restore the 60 vote threshold for the areas where it has already been abolished. We have to fix it,’ she said. That was a reference to the areas where the filibuster isn’t in effect – judicial and executive appointments.

The line received weak applause, which led to a quip from Sinema.

“Not everyone likes that,” she said, “because it would make it harder for us to confirm judges and it would make it harder for us to confirm board appointments in any government. But I believe that if we fixed it, we would actually see more of that middle ground in all parts of our governance, and that’s what my ancestors meant, I believe.”

Sinema made the statement during a question-and-answer interview after telling a well-worn tale about the Senate acting as the “saucer” to cool the House’s “passions,” a body she described as occasional bowing to the passions of the moment.

“While it’s frustrating being a minority member in the United States Senate — and just as frustrating in the majority because you need 60 votes to get ahead — that frustration only represents the short-term fear of not getting what you want.” ,’ she said. “We shouldn’t get everything we want in the moment, because later, in cooler reflection, you realize it’s probably gone too far.”

She compared the sometimes frustrated majority to children. “Those of you who are parents in the room know that the best thing you can do for your child is not to give them everything they want, right?” she said.

She argued against legislation intended to “feed our short-term desires.”

Sinema also spoke about Congressional political control, which is up for grabs in November.

“As you all know, control alternates between the House and Senate every few years. It will probably change again in a few weeks,” she said.

That prompted a reprimand from potential primary challenger Rep. Reuben Gallego.

“I mean, you could help our candidates @SenatorSinema. But I feel like you’d rather see the Democrats lose control of the Senate and the House,” he tweeted.

“Enjoy your trolling, ex-Sen. Sinema,” wrote progressive Democratic adviser Adam Parkhomenko

Former Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer tweeted: “Sinema thinks McConnell is helping her make an ad for the general, while actually helping her opponent make one for the primary.”

Senate Democrats deployed the so-called “nuclear option” in 2013 to enact changes that ended the filibuster for lower-level federal judicial nominees amid a wave of GOP filibusters. The Republicans followed suit, extending the ban on Supreme Court candidates four years later, and have since installed three judges on the court by a simple majority.

When President Joe Biden was elected, there was talk among Democrats about ignoring the filibuster. But Democrats lacked support in their own caucus, with Sinema and Senator Joe Manchin repeatedly expressing skepticism.

In January, the two voted against ending the filibuster for voting rights legislation.

Sinema and Manchin were in favor of key social policy legislation known as Build Back Better that would have overcome a filibuster who would have passed under budgetary rules that allow certain legislation to be passed by a simple majority.

Both eventually supported the Inflation Reduction Act after using their massive influence in the 50-50 Senate to make concessions.

Under current rules, Biden has been able to confirm a string of federal judicial nominees through the Democratic Senate. This includes Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court by a narrow 53-47 vote, backed by Sinema. She would not have passed the threshold of 60 votes proposed by Sinema.

Sinema and McConnell gushed over each other during the event.

“Despite our apparent differences, Senator McConnell and I have forged a friendship, one that is rooted in our similarities, including our pragmatic approach to legislation, our respect for the Senate as an institution,” Sinema said.

McConnell introduced her to an event at the self-proclaimed center where she was given a bottle of bourbon, praising Sinema for resisting pressure to change the filibuster.

“It took a lot of guts for Kyrsten Sinema to stand up and say I won’t break the institution to achieve a short-term goal,” he said, and protect the institution “from some sort of crowd.” .’

“I can’t tell you how important it has been to the Senate as an institution,” McConnell said.

He called her “the most effective first-term senator I’ve seen in my time in the Senate,” referring to his 37-year Senate career.

“She’s what we lack in the Democratic Party today, a real moderate and a dealmaker,” McConnell said.

Her speech was entitled: ‘The Future of Political Discourse and the Importance of Bipartisanship.