AOC and her allies are playing dirty games and everyone can see it.
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) sharply criticized Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), for hypocrisy regarding the filibuster on Saturday. Ocasio-Cortez, who once fiercely called for eliminating the filibuster, was among those trying to use it to block a Republican-backed funding bill. Sinema didn’t hold back, calling out the double standard and pointing to how Democrats, who previously campaigned against the filibuster, now sought to use it when it suited their political interests.
Sinema reminded Ocasio-Cortez of the time when she attacked Sinema for not aligning with the progressive push to abolish the filibuster. The filibuster, which requires most legislation to gain 60 votes in the Senate, has long been a tool used by the minority party to block what they see as overreaching proposals from the majority. But, as Sinema noted, Democrats soured on the filibuster when President Biden sought to pass his sweeping agenda, and Biden even described the filibuster as a relic of the segregationist era to justify scrapping it.
Despite the push to abolish the filibuster, Sinema and fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) resisted these efforts, much to the displeasure of their party’s progressive wing. However, with the GOP now pushing a funding bill to keep the government running, Democrats like Ocasio-Cortez suddenly shifted their stance, pushing to use the very filibuster they once condemned. Sinema found this change of heart striking and called out several prominent Democrats for their flip-flopping on the issue.
She also took aim at Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich for their earlier criticisms of the filibuster, mocking them for now supporting its use when it suited their political objectives. Sinema even highlighted Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who had campaigned to abolish the filibuster, only to attack Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for not using it during the funding debate.
As Sinema pointed out, it’s clear that many Democrats are willing to abandon their previous principles when it benefits them politically. In contrast, she continued to stand firm for the integrity of the Senate’s rules, arguing that the filibuster should remain as a check against excessive government power.
