My open letter to Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
I snail mailed this today after hearing of her opposition to nuking the filibuster:
Senator Kyrsten Sinema
317 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4521
I am a constituent living in Mesa. I found your candidacy for Senate to be enormously encouraging. I fought for you, campaigned for you, phone banked, donated money to your campaign until it hurt me financially. I was ecstatic when you won. I want to thank you for your service to our state and our country.
However, today I must rise in opposition to your position on the filibuster. Surely you must be cognizant of recent history. Mitch McConnel used the filibuster to stymie President Obamas agenda every chance he got. If you are unaware, please review:
This chart does not even include the last 2 years of his presidency, which you are aware, McConnel stalled Merrick Garlands nomination to the Supreme Court for nearly a year. (Yet somehow was able to install Amy Coney Barrett in 8 days)
Senator, you must rethink your position on the filibuster. We have less than 2 years to enact President Bidens agenda that will, in part, correct the damage done to our country by the worst regime in American history. Time is of the essence.
You campaigned on working for Arizona families. Your position on allowing the minority in the senate (and the minority population of this country by senate member count) control the outcome of the legislative process is in direct opposition to your stated goals. Covid relief, education assistance, veterans’ affairs, Unemployment Insurance extension, you name it – will be CANCELLED by the Senate Minority leader McConnel through use of the filibuster. Indeed, he himself admitted there were 395 house bills sitting on his desk that did not, and WOULD NOT come to a vote. That is a staggering admission of obstruction bordering on negligence. It will only continue, perhaps get worse, as McConnel stalls all progress attempted by President Biden.
Senator, I urge you to change your view on eliminating the filibuster. It is not in the Constitution, and is not what the country, or your party want or need at this moment in time for our nation.
As James Madison wrote in Federalist #58:
“That some advantages might have resulted from such a precaution, cannot be denied. It might have been an additional shield to some particular interests, and another obstacle generally to hasty and partial measures. But these considerations are outweighed by the inconveniences in the opposite scale. In all cases where justice or the general good might require new laws to be passed, or active measures to be pursued, the fundamental principle of free government would be reversed. It would no longer the majority that would rule; the power would be transferred to the minority.”
Best Regards,
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