Over the weekend, the executive board of Arizona’s Democratic Party censured Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., because of her opposition to a change to the Senate’s filibuster rule in order to pass voting rights legislation.
“While we take no pleasure in this announcement, the ADP Executive Board has decided to formally censure Sen. Sinema as a result of her failure to do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our democracy,” Raquel Terán, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, wrote in a statement.
While the censure is a purely symbolic gesture, it’s a sign that Democrats are not shying away from their criticism of Sinema and Manchin after the voting rights bill’s failure, as well as their noncommittal stances on President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill, which contains a number of party priorities — and hinges on their votes. Two major political organizations, Emily’s List and NARAL Pro-Choice, withdrew their support for Sinema last week in light of her filibuster stance.
One prominent member of the Senate Democratic caucus said the censure vote was “absolutely” an appropriate decision: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“Absolutely it was,” Sanders, the staunch progressive and chair of the Senate Budget Committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday when asked if such a vote was appropriate.
“On that particular vote that she and [West Virginia Sen. Joe] Manchin cast, we were trying to address the reality that you got 19 Republicans states all over this country who are undermining the foundations of American democracy,” Sanders said. “It is so important that we protect American democracy, that we stand up to the big lie of Trump and his allies that he really won the election.”
“And they undermined that effort,” Sanders said of his two moderate colleagues. "I think what the Arizona Democrats did was exactly right.”
Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego told CNN that he has been approached by a number of people to challenge Sinema in a primary election in 2024 — including by some of her Senate colleagues.
“To be honest, I have gotten a lot of encouragement from elected officials, from senators, from unions, from your traditional Democratic groups, big donors,” Gallego told CNN. “Everything you can imagine under the sun.”
Gallego declined to say which senators approached him, simply saying it was “more than one,” but “it wasn't Bernie, I'll tell you that.”
Sanders, for his part, told CNN that he would support progressive challengers to both Manchin and Sinema, but noted “that’s a long way coming,” since both are not up for election until 2024.
“But if there were strong candidates in those states who were prepared to stand up for working families, who understand that the Democratic Party has got to be the party of working people, taking on big money interests,” Sanders said. “If those candidates were there in Arizona, in West Virginia, yes, I would be happy to support them.”
Sanders also said that Senate Republicans are “laughing all the way to Election Day” because of Democrats’ inaction on the Build Back Better bill.
"What has bothered me very much is the Republicans are laughing all the way to Election Day," the Vermont independent said. "They have not had to cast one bloody vote — which shows us where they're at. And we have got to change that.”
Sanders said that Republicans should have to go on the record for difficult votes on some of the bill’s provisions, including expanding Medicare, addressing climate change, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and child care provisions.
“People want to expand Medicare, people want to deal with the crisis of climate,” Sanders told CNN. “So what we are talking about is what the American people want, and I think, when you bring bills on the floor, we have allowed the Republicans to get away with murder.”
“They haven't had to vote on anything,” he continued. “Now, if they want to vote against lowering the cost of prescription drugs, expanding Medicare, dealing with child care, dealing with housing, let them vote, and let Manchin and Sinema decide which side they are on. And when all of that shakes out, we will see where we are.
“I have the feeling that we will be able to get 50 votes or more on some of these issues,” Sanders added. “We could put that piece together and then pass something that's very significant.”
Sanders also painted a grim assessment of the Democrats’ political efforts in the last several months, and said a change in strategy is needed.
“I think there is widespread understanding that what we have done for the last six months has failed from a policy point of view. It has failed politically,” Sanders said. “We need to change course. We need to have the courage to take on the Republicans, and let Manchin and Sinema decide which side they are on.”
That said, Sanders believes Democrats have delivered for the American people — noting passing the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan without a single vote of Republican support and the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill — in spite of “incredible obstructionism of 50 Republicans who have turned their backs on working families in this country” and “two Democrats who have sabotaged the president's agenda.”
“We did pass the American Rescue Plan, which was one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in the modern history of this country, got money into the hands of working families, cut childhood poverty by 40%, gave money to hospitals and medical centers all over this country, and helped us stabilize the economy,” Sanders said. “We also passed an infrastructure bill, the most significant … “infrastructure bill since Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s.”
“So, we are making some progress,” he continued. “But, clearly, we have been stalled by the sabotage, if you like, of two Democrats who have refused to support what the president and 48 of us want to do.”