Left-wing Twitter users had a collective meltdown over the news that moderate Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) would not support amending or abolishing the Senate filibuster, effectively killing the pair of Democrat-backed election overhaul bills currently stalled in the Senate.
In a floor speech in the Senate chamber Thursday morning, Sinema announced that while she supported the voting bills themselves, she would not break the filibuster in order to ram them through the Senate on a party-line basis. “There’s no need for me to restate my longstanding support for the 60-vote threshold to pass legislation. There’s no need for me to restate its role in protecting our country from wild reversals of federal policy,” Sinema said.
“This week’s harried discussions about Senate rules are but a poor substitute for what I believe could have and should have been a thoughtful public debate at any time over the past year.”
“But what is the legislative filibuster, other than a tool that requires new federal policy to be broadly supported by senators, representing the broader cross-section of Americans… Demands to eliminate this threshold from whichever party holds the fleeting majority amount to a group of people separated on two sides of a canyon, shouting that solution to their colleagues.”
“These bills help treat the symptoms of the disease, but they do not fully address the disease itself. And while I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division affecting our country,” Sinema added.
Sinema Delivers Senate Floor Remarks on Voting Rights, America’s Divisions, and the U.S. Senate https://t.co/72zAFWDPjO
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) January 13, 2022
Sinema’s comments led her name to trend on Twitter, as left-wing users reacted bitterly to the speech and immediately began hounding Sinema for effectively scuttling the voting bills.
“Sinema delivers the Senate’s stupidest speech by a Democrat in an edge of tears voice to give childish words a melodramatic effect,” MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell tweeted.
Sinema delivers the Senate’s stupidest speech by a Democrat in an edge of tears voice to give childish words a melodramatic effect.
— Lawrence O’Donnell (@Lawrence) January 13, 2022
“@SenatorSinema just put a knife in the heart of Democracy. My heart breaks how easily she was bought to support the Republican coup,” MSNBC contributor Malcolm Nance tweeted.
@SenatorSinema just put a knife in the heart of Democracy. My heart breaks how easily she was bought to support the Republican coup.
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 13, 2022
“How do the staff of @SenatorSinema not resign at the shame of being handmaidens to the death of Democracy? Are they actually Democrats or are [they] Trump lobbyists?” he added.
How do the staff of @SenatorSinema not resign at the shame of being handmaidens to the death of Democracy? Are they actually Democrats or are e Trump lobbyists? https://t.co/kE8tIzZsRL
— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) January 13, 2022
“It is unbelievable that one person can destroy this country. Vote her out,” wrote co-host of “The View” Joy Behar.
It is unbelievable that one person can destroy this country. Vote her out. https://t.co/sAqksu27Qs
— Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) January 13, 2022
“I say this as her former friend and the person who first gave her national television exposure on @msnbc: @SenatorSinema needs to resign or be removed from office immediately. Rather than decreasing “division” in this country her action guarantees it,” tweeted disgraced former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.
I say this as her former friend and the person who first gave her national television exposure on @msnbc: @SenatorSinema needs to resign or be removed from office immediately. Rather than decreasing “division” in this country her action guarantees it pic.twitter.com/fFVXlbg5LA
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) January 13, 2022
“Kyrsten Sinema won’t eliminate the filibuster, effectively killing our voting rights legislation,” Democratic Ohio Congressman and Senate Candidate Tim Ryan wrote. “50-50 isn’t cutting it. We have to expand our majority if we want to abolish the filibuster and make real progress. If we win Ohio, we’re virtually guaranteed to do just that.”
Kyrsten Sinema won’t eliminate the filibuster, effectively killing our voting rights legislation.
50-50 isn’t cutting it. We have to expand our majority if we want to abolish the filibuster and make real progress. If we win Ohio, we’re virtually guaranteed to do just that.
— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) January 13, 2022
A number of other responses can be found below:
I’m not kidding about @kyrstensinema – it’s all about race. If you’re wondering what the “Sinema secret” is, that’s it. Black people. There’s no real mystery here. Plain old bigot. Occam’s razor. The mask is off.
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) January 13, 2022
.@SenatorSinema: “y’all little voting rights is cool, but the racist relic of the past is my jam! Go filibuster, go little rockstar.” (Basically)
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) January 13, 2022
Kyrsten Sinema is a monster.
A grotesque, opportunistic, lying monster.
Now lying again as she takes to the floor to say she will not allow a carve out to filibuster to save democracy.
Remember it was killed by this monster.
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) January 13, 2022
It means fucking zero if Kyrsten Sinema loves the Voting Bill and won’t do what’s necessary to pass it. She is fucking garbage.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) January 13, 2022
Question @kyrstensinema: If the only way to pass the 1964 civil rights act or 1965 voting rights act had been by a 51 vote majority, and you were in the Senate then, would you have voted for a carve out to the filibuster to pass them or would you have let them die w/out 60 votes?
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 13, 2022
Does @SenatorSinema think Republicans—who are championing the voter suppression bills in states like Arizona and Texas—will hold hands with Democrats to protect voting rights? Incredibly naïve.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 13, 2022
.@SenatorSinema I went to AZ to help register young voters to vote for you and I regret it. You’re awful. Thank you.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) January 13, 2022
BREAKING: Kyrsten Sinema turns her back on the American people, says she “will not support” fixing the filibuster to enable voting rights legislation because it will “worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country.” RT IF YOU THINK SHE’S A COWARD!
— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) January 13, 2022
This is a disgrace. An absolute disgrace. Embarrassing. A travesty. @SenatorSinema https://t.co/peAqp2BRB1
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) January 13, 2022