This just came out via The New York Times:
Five veterans tapped to advise Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat, resigned from their posts on Thursday, publicly accusing her of “hanging your constituents out to dry” in the latest sign of growing hostility toward a centrist who has emerged as a key holdout on President Biden’s agenda.
In a scathing letter obtained by The New York Times, the veterans took Ms. Sinema to task for her refusal to abolish the filibuster and her opposition to parts of Mr. Biden’s multitrillion-dollar social safety net, education, climate and tax plan, stances that have stymied some of his top priorities.
“You have become one of the principal obstacles to progress, answering to big donors rather than your own people,” the veterans wrote in a letter that is to be featured in a new advertisement by Common Defense, a progressive veterans’ activist group that has targeted Ms. Sinema.
“We shouldn’t have to buy representation from you, and your failure to stand by your people and see their urgent needs is alarming,” they added.
The resignations add to a crescendo of anger and pressure that Ms. Sinema is facing from erstwhile allies who say they are perplexed by her recent tactics. She has resisted major elements of Democrats’ sprawling social safety net and climate bill, including raising individual income and corporate tax rates to pay for it. Because Democrats control the Senate with only 50 votes, even one defection could spell defeat for the measure, giving Ms. Sinema outsize influence to determine what can be included.
Ms. Sinema has also steadfastly opposed changing the Senate’s filibuster rule, which effectively requires 60 votes to move forward on any major bill, even as Republicans have used it as a procedural weapon to block voting rights legislation and a bill to avert a federal debt default.
These advisors have been with Sinema since 2019. By the way, I received this e-mail last night from MoveOn.org:
Dear MoveOn member,
Democrats are poised to pass the biggest expansion of support for our communities—from child care to climate—in more than a generation. But passing President Biden's hugely important Build Back Better Agenda isn't a sure thing. We need to make sure that Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema know how much their constituents support it to prevent them from obstructing this historic legislation any further.
Join us to make calls from your home to MoveOn members in West Virginia and Arizona this Thursday, October 21, 5-8 p.m. ET/2-5 p.m. PT to ensure that Senators Manchin and Sinema vote yes to pass a bold, progressive Build Back Better package. You'll just need a phone and a computer, and we'll coach you on all the rest.
We know it can be frustrating to see such an essential agenda rely on two senators ... who aren't even your own! And those senators don't want to hear from out-of-state folks. Fortunately, there's a way you can use your time and energy effectively: calling the tens of thousands of MoveOn members in these states directly, to ask them to put constituent pressure on Senators Manchin and Sinema.
Join the phone-bank tomorrow as we amp up the pressure in support of the Build Back Better Act.
Manchin and Sinema need to be hearing from their constituents during this critical time, and we’re going to be sure these corporate Democrats feel the pressure. The Build Back Better Act will make historic investments in addressing climate change, supporting the care economy, and creating a path to citizenship for millions—and it’s time to get it through the finish line!
Will you join us to drive calls to the constituents of Senators Manchin and Sinema? It's fun, easy, impactful, you'll be talking to fellow MoveOn members, and you can do it from your own home!
Let's get the message to Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Joe Manchin that the time for political games is over.
Thanks for all you do.
–Jaira, David, Mohammad, Sana, and the rest of the team
Click here to sign to phone bank.
I also received this e-mail last night from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee:
BREAKING NEWS: Moments ago, Republicans blocked the Senate from even debating the Freedom to Vote Act. This is the third time this year that Senate Republicans have blocked legislation to protect democracy and our right to vote.
By blocking the Freedom to Vote Act, Senate Republicans have failed voters across the country -- including disabled veterans, many of whom fought for democracy abroad but will struggle to vote in their own country without access to early and mail-in voting.
The PCCC has partnered with veterans group Common Defense to gather hundreds of signatures from U.S. veterans on a letter urging Senate Democrats to end the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
Can you stand with veterans on a letter telling Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema: American democracy is more important than the filibuster? Sign here. (You do not need to be a veteran to sign.)
Without early and mail-in voting protections, many veterans' physical injuries may be exacerbated by long waits, and crowded environments can trigger symptoms of pos-traumatic stress, including anxiety or panic attacks.
We'll work with Common Defense to deliver this letter to every senator on the Veterans Affairs Committee, including Manchin and Sinema. Please sign.
Here's the text of the letter:
Thank you for your work to ensure that voting rights are protected as sweeping voter suppression bills flood statehouses across the nation. We, the undersigned veterans, veteran-led organizations, and allies, are writing to show our strong support for your efforts to pass federal voting rights legislation with the Freedom to Vote Act and end the filibuster to ensure our right to vote is protected.
For combat veterans with PTSD and physical disabilities, early voting and mail-in voting options are a necessity. We are deeply troubled by efforts in state legislatures across the country to restrict those rights. Without these voting options, Election Day for many veterans can be an enormous challenge. Physical injuries may be exacerbated by long waits, and crowded environments can trigger post-traumatic stress, including anxiety or panic attacks.
Veterans who fought and worked to secure democratic elections in Afghanistan and Iraq know at their core how paramount it is that the right to vote in free and fair elections is protected here at home. Veterans living with physical and mental injuries after serving our country abroad should not have to choose between their vote and their mental health.
Furthermore, veterans swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, which includes the right to vote in free and fair elections. We did not swear an oath to protect the filibuster. This provision has been used repeatedly since the 1960s to block critical civil rights and voting rights legislation and prevent citizens from voting on the basis of race. As you know, this is a direct violation of the Fifteenth Amendment. We urge you to reform the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act.
Thank you again for your ongoing work to protect veterans’ rights, pass this historic voting rights legislation, and safeguard our democracy for generations to come.
|
PCCC members have been active in the fight to protect democracy since the beginning -- making calls, organizing in West Virginia, Arizona, and across the country, calling out corporations for donating to Republicans who voted to overturn democracy, and more.
In this moment, amplifying the voices of veterans in the public debate is one of the most effective ways to push senators to reform the filibuster, pass the Freedom to Vote Act, and protect our democracy.
Can you add your name to the veterans' letter urging senators to reform the filibuster and pass the Freedom to Vote Act?
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- The PCCC Team (@BoldProgressive)
Click here to add your name.