AZ-SEN 2018: Sinema Paradiso

[Blair]

Honestly, the “Sinema/Gillibrand/Harris/any female politician is too progressive/not progressive enough/too sharp elbowed” thing is tired. Sinema is a very intelligent woman, and I think this comes from her state’s tendency towards maverick minded politicians. This isn’t the house, she can vote for Schumer on the private ballot (or not), but use this as a point of contrast with whoever wins the republican primary.

Hilarious. I was one of Hillary's biggest supporters on this forum and would strongly consider voting for Gillibrand or Harris in the 2020 primary, so it has zero to do with gender. Sinema is just crap. Her swift transition from Prada Socialist to Blue Dog was nauseating, and it's getting even worse now that the final stage of her metamorphosis seems to be turning into something that makes Joe Manchin and Doug Jones look like raging communists and loyal party food soldiers by comparison. It's also just horrid political strategy. If demonizing Schumer, who most voters don't know/care about (ESPECIALLY those that aren't already locked in partisans in either direction) isn't going to work in West Virginia, North Dakota, Indiana, Montana, etc. then it's not going to work in Arizona either. It's just kowtowing to a GOP narrative and senselessly playing defense on an "issue" that was never working against you to begin with.

I couldn't care less about Schumer personally or whether her threat will actually have a practical effect or not, but if you're going to dump your leader in a competitive race because of a year of ineffective demonization, then you might as well just be prepared to get a new one every two years, which is utterly retarded. Meanwhile, she (and most other Democrats for that matter) have no problem throwing their leaders under the bus while allowing the much more toxic Ryan and McConnell to skate by untouched, and allow their puppets like McSally to not have to answer for their association with them. The double standard is ridiculous.

This same critcism applies to Gillibrand, too (although to a lesser extent, obviously). From Blue Dog to Abolish ICE.

True, but like you said it's to a lesser extent, and additonally I'd rather have someone moving towards my direction than away from it.

And it’s not as if it was overnight- she’s been a pretty solid progressive for her whole 8 years in the Senate.

But yes; I larelgy agree with others here, it was a stupid comment no doubt suggested by some god awful campaign consultant p.

[Blair]

Chuck Schumer is not a team player

I don't get why you posted this?

Schumer as the article pointed out gave $8 million to various other campaigns, and was one of the better DSCC campaign chairs. I don't think him choosing to spend money he raised for himself, in his own race is a bad thing.

Besides, this article just reaffirms Schumer's judgement- he didn't waste money on Murphy's deadwood campaign.

[Blair]

Chuck Schumer is not a team player

I don't get why you posted this?

Schumer as the article pointed out gave $8 million to various other campaigns, and was one of the better DSCC campaign chairs. I don't think him choosing to spend money he raised for himself, in his own race is a bad thing.

Besides, this article just reaffirms Schumer's judgement- he didn't waste money on Murphy's deadwood campaign.

He didn't save Feingold's either.

He gave Feingold 100K (which was the same that he gave Duckworth, which is fair considering that they were both seen as safe pickups) Schumer's job wasn't to run the campaign finance for the DSCC for the Democrats in 2016 was it?

Besides, surely the lesson of 2016 is that it doesn't matter how much money you plow into Senate races. I don't get the criticism that Chuck is somehow not a team player, when he was by far the most chartiable democrat in terms of donations in 2016.

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[Blair]

Chuck Schumer is not a team player

I don't get why you posted this?

Schumer as the article pointed out gave $8 million to various other campaigns, and was one of the better DSCC campaign chairs. I don't think him choosing to spend money he raised for himself, in his own race is a bad thing.

Besides, this article just reaffirms Schumer's judgement- he didn't waste money on Murphy's deadwood campaign.

You really don't?

Well I get why Solid posted it, I just disagree with the idea that Chuck wasn't a team player because he only gave up 80% of his committee money in 2016.

[Blair]

Honestly: if you had to pick among the GOP caucus either now or in 2006- would anyone on Atlas pick Mitch as leader?

The things that we look for in senate leaders are generally not the most important traits. It needs to be someone popular in the caucus, uncontrovesial, good at raising money and who can be ideologically flexible (even if they hold strong views themselves)

[Blair]

One ad doesn’t change the race. This line of attack was always going to come; it’s only a matter of time before the MS-13 stuff.

Whilst the democrats have certainly milked it for what it’s worth this cycle, I do wonder to what extent Military service alone counts as anything other than a good backstory

[Blair]

Why does Arizona always get great senators:

Goldwater, McCain, Kyl, Flake and now Sinema or McSally

If Donald Trump had lost in 2016, McSally would be running as someone who 'rejected the bigotry of Donald Trump' or whatever post-truth bollocks the GOP would have turned to in order to pretend that 2016 didn't happen. She's the absolute worse type of politician- one who simply bends, and runs to the latest ideological tilt of their party.

It's really not fair to put Goldwater, or McCain. (Or heck even Flake) in the same category as McSally.

I'd agree about Kyl though- they're both cretins who are born for the Senate GOP.

[Blair]

Socialism they say

As people like Kander/O'Rourke and heck even Doug Jones have shown you can still run as a progressive liberal in a red state and run a good campaign.

[Blair]

We're really arguing with someone who is writing a poor quality, terribly formatted Marco Rubio wank...

[Blair]

Look what happened to Flake's approval ratings when found his independent streak.