Kyrsten Sinema Went to Washington and Became a Monster
Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema was once a Green Party member and a committed antiwar activist. Now she’s best known for a viral thumbs-down on a $15 minimum wage vote. It’s the timeless story of an earnest do-gooder turned Washington monster and what happens when we don’t hold politicians accountable.
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) gives an enthusiastic thumbs down after voting with Republicans against a $15 minimum wage.
One of the most enduring parables in American culture is about “going Washington” — it is a tale of the earnest do-gooder deciding to run for office on a pledge to be a voice for the voiceless, then getting to the Beltway and quickly becoming a swamp monster selling out the folks back home.
There are countless examples of this phenomenon, but we should understand that there has maybe never been such a pure personification of this cliché as Kyrsten Sinema — and she managed to capture the entire trope in one iconic moment that should never, ever be forgotten.
Sinema has gone viral for not merely joining seven other Democratic senators in blocking an already doomed motion to debate a $15 minimum wage, but for making an NBA-dunk-contest-like spectacle of casting that unnecessary vote to crush millions of workers.
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