The Tragedy of Senator Krysten Sinema by Robert Covington Jr.
Senator Krysten Sinema represents the tragic political tale of a person that had humble beginnings as the primary motivation for entering politics and morphing into an unrecognizable political opportunist and calculating narcissist that has abandoned the constituents she is supposed to represent.
However, her descent into becoming a corporate crony and Senator that is allowing democracy to die in plain sight is a little more unique and mind blowing because of the human and professional experiences that on the surface, would make her one of the most reliably progressive and empathetic Senators in American history. Not many Senators lived in a gas station, have an extensive background in social work and actually received a PhD in justice studies. Yep, that’s Sinema. As many excellent articles have documented, early in her political career, Sinema’s consciousness and politics seemed to embrace the bedrock six principles of social work: Service, Social justice, Dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. In the past she’s spoken up for lowering prescription drugs, corporations paying their fair share of taxes, strong advocate for immigration, voting rights and climate change.
It seems that parts of her early life experience sensitized her, humbled her and served as the gravitational pull into social work, the Green Party and ultimately a Democrat. But there are other lessons from her traumatic past of struggle that appear to have shaped and molded her psychologically: Sinema has a fragile self-image, serious doubts of self-worth and low self-esteem that makes her an easy target in the game of politics. Her devolution as an elected official shows that access to insensitive and indifferent white men of power and privilege, the same type of men that contributed to her family’s hardships, are the people that she’s decided to align herself with on things that will define her legacy.
Present day Sinema seeks the advice, approval and guidance from white men that are lobbyists and sociopaths such as Senators Mitch McConnell, John Thune and Jon Cornyn. The world of high stakes lobbying is not just about access and policy shaping based on the legal bribery of PAC donations. There is a lot of psychological manipulation that has added weight and influence depending on the politician. And in the case of Sinema, a person that is insecure and increasingly narcissistic, lobbyists know that she is easy to manipulate. The sweet talk, telling her how important she is and what to value resonates because this crowd of power and influence gives her a sense of belonging.
The tragedy of Senator Sinema and her politics of constituent abandonment continues with the theme of longing and shame. First it starts with bio father, who was an attorney that ended up in a divorce from her mother and the stepfather was the one that struggled economically during parts of her life. The longing to be connected to an absent father manifested in her own pursuit of getting a law degree. The longing to be associated with success and men that remind her of bio daddy (McConnell and white male high powered lobbyists) and to distance herself and sometimes disrespect men like Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Biden that likely remind her of her stepfather in some way cannot be overstated. Sinema’s infamous moments of seeking the attention of Mitch McConnell when she excitedly voted down a $15 minimum wage and being a no show on the January 6th insurrection vote was that inner child of wanting the psychological and political approval of a man that she internally admires for all of the wrong reasons. Her no vote on the $15 minimum wage also was the shame of projection that she still harbors for men like her stepdad and his early struggles (you failed us and I want no part of that kind of man as an adult).
Krysten Sinema views her constituents in a similar light. She ignores them with as much calculation as disdain. Sinema doesn’t do town halls or actively engage her constituents because in her mind, they are not worthy of her time and serve as a constant reminder of people that remind her of an embarrassing past. Regardless of the inevitable compromise of the Build Back Agenda plan that will be weakened because of her and Manchin, Sinema is an ally of McConnell and the Republican Party on the things that will do the most damage to her constituents.
Sinema is a very smart woman and she clearly knows that her position on keeping the filibuster in place is giving the green light to McConnell and the Republican Party to go ahead with destroying democracy and to carry out apartheid style voter suppression bills that disproportionately harm black and latino Americans, makes immigration reform dead on arrival and will have consequential negative impact on abortion, labor and human rights. Maintaining the filibuster keeps her from having to vote no on DC statehood or Puerto Rican statehood too. Yet, Sinema gave a personal nod to white racists, Republicans and insurrectionists with her reprehensible and cowardly act of missing the January 6th riot commission vote.
Reports indicate she rarely spends time with her own Democratic colleagues, which is consistent with how she treats her constituents. Repeat: I am not one of you. That, along with the F’u ring, the crass and dismissive approach with the media, supporters, and the irrational filibuster arguments that make her sound like some of the most disingenuous Republicans in the Senate. And who can forget the report that talked about Sinema having one of her staff opening up a straw for her. A F’ing straw Sinema? She’s really feeling herself, folks.
Knowing this about Sinema, it should come as no surprise that her narcissism fuels the lack of guilt and shamelessness that allows her to have the audacity to be an adjunct professor on social work and justice at Arizona State University. It’s a joke if it wasn’t so tragic given the real life consequences for democracy and millions of people that’s not based on her classroom rhetoric, but her actions as a Senator.
The Senator from Arizona is not a maverick and she’s certainly not a true Democrat. Krysten Sinema is in the process of committing political suicide because she thinks she can outsmart, outwit and outmaneuver Democrats, the media and opponents. The catastrophic effects of her filibuster stance will be evident to all in 2022 and 2024. All the pharmaceutical money in the world won’t get her out of a Democratic primary in 2024. That’s our final power and say on her tenure. She will never be forgiven.
In the meantime, we march towards a slow and painful death of democracy because of people like Sinema. The scarred child surfaces as a gullible, low self-esteem woman that embraces patriarchy and approval from some of the worst white men in politics and power. She’s the Amy Coney Barrett of the Senate. And just like her counterpart on the Supreme Court, Krysten Sinema has found her purpose and the rest of us will suffer for it.
Follow me on twitter: @robcovingtonjr
