The Political Past And Present Of Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema 

Arizona’s Democratic senator Kyrsten Sinema says her ‘brand’ is bipartisanship. Sinema isn’t an everyday senator. We talk with Arizonans about Sinema’s life story, what she stands for, and what she’s really trying to accomplish.  

Guests

Ron Hansen, national politics reporter for The Arizona Republic. Co-host of The Gaggle podcast. (@ronaldjhansen)

Adam Jentleson, executive director of the Battle Born Collective, a progressive strategy and communications firm. Author of “Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate.” (@AJentleson)

Kent Burbank, chair of the LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. He teaches social work at Pima Community College.

From The Reading List

Washington Post: “Biden’s inaccurate jab at Manchin’s and Sinema’s voting records” — “Biden did not mention any names, but he’s clearly talking about Sens. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), the two most moderate members of the Senate Democratic caucus.”

AOL: “Column: What’s the matter with Kyrsten Sinema?” — “The original filibuster is a very Roman move. In the ancient world, Roman senators like Cato the Younger were notorious blowhards who thrived on delivering long speeches to prove their stamina and talent at oratory.”

The 19th: “Kyrsten Sinema doesn’t feel the need to explain herself” — “When Sen. Kyrsten Sinema walked onto the Senate floor in March to vote against the inclusion of a minimum-wage hike in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, the ‘no’ vote itself didn’t come as much of a surprise.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2021 NPR]