Sinema Backs Expanding Senate Filibuster, Receives Praise From McConnell
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) reaffirmed her support for the Senate filibuster on Monday at a joint event with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center.
McConnell praised Sinema, who blocked some of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda but also helped pass much of it. The major Republican leader introduced Sinema as “the most effective first-term senator I’ve seen” and “a genuine moderate and a deal-maker.”
Sinema called for reinstating the filibuster for judicial and executive branch nominees. The Senate got rid of the filibuster for most judicial and executive branch nominees in 2013 under then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.); McConnell himself oversaw eliminating the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees in 2017. Sinema’s remarks came despite fellow Senate Democrats’ efforts to persuade her to help limit or eliminate the filibuster to stop Senate Republicans from blocking abortion rights protections and other major legislation.
Coverage was widespread and prominently featured in D.C.-focused outlets like The Hill (Center bias) and Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias), although major political outlets like Fox News (Right bias) and CNN (Left bias) appeared not to cover the story by Monday afternoon. Some coverage from the left focused on Democratic criticism of Sinema, and some coverage from the right highlighted criticism of that criticism.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Sinema, McConnell engage in mutual admiration — and some Democrats seethe
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Monday engaged in a mutual admiration exchange with the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), expressed support for restoring elements of the filibuster and suggested that Republicans might win control of the House or Senate in the midterm elections.
Several Democrats were unhappy, criticizing not only her remarks but her timing.
Sinema made the comments during a speech at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville, speaking and answering questions at the invitation of McConnell. There, McConnell effusively praised Sinema in his introduction, saying...
From the Center
Sinema in speech at McConnell Center says 60-vote Senate threshold should be restored
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on Monday said the Senate should reinstate the 60-vote threshold for all judicial and executive branch nominees.
Sinema made the comments during a Q&A session following a speech at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) introduced the Arizona moderate at the event.
“Not only am I committed to the 60-vote threshold, I have an incredibly unpopular view. I actually think we should restore the 60-vote threshold for the areas in which it has been eliminated already. We should restore it,” Sinema...
From the Right
Sinema says she supports reinstating full filibuster
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) defended her support for the filibuster on Monday despite near-unified opposition from the rest of her party, taking the absolutist view that it should even be restored for judicial nominations.
Speaking at the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, Sinema spoke out against Democratic efforts to scrap the rule, which requires 60 votes to move forward on most legislation.
"It'd be bad for us as Americans to think that we should always feed our short-term desires, rather than thinking about the long term,"...
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