Take a minute to [un]wind with our Sunday newsletter. Grab a cup of coffee and catch up on what you may have missed from [un]Divided this week.
I'm traveling today ... so we'll call this, "Newsletter Light"!
Kyrsten Sinema goes independent
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced this week that she is leaving the Democrat Party, saying she no longer wishes to be “tethered” by partisanship. She will now be an Independent.
Sinema had long been vilified by the far-left wing of the party, along with fellow moderate Senator Joe Manchin. Together, they have been holdouts on some of Biden’s key spending proposals – such as the Build Back Better Act – angering some progressives.
In an interview on CNN, Senator Sinema explained er decision – and much of what she said aligns perfectly with what we preach on [un]Divided.
"I know this is really hard for lots of folks, especially in DC, but what's important to me is to not be tethered by the partisanship that dominates politics today I think Americans are tired of it. I think Arizonans are tired of it. The national political parties have pulled our politics farther to the edges than I have ever seen. I want to remove some of that kind of that poison from our politics. I want to get back to actually just working on the issues, working together to try and solve these challenges."
Bravo, Senator.
Sinema becomes the second high-profile Democrat to leave the party this year, following former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.
Oh ... and in case you thought Senator Bernie Sanders would welcome Sinema into the Independent ranks with open arms, think again.
"I think the Democrats there are not all that enthusiastic about somebody who helped sabotage some of the most important legislation that protects the interests of working families and voting rights and so forth," Sanders told CNN. "So, I think it really has to do with her political aspirations for the future in Arizona."
So salty.
So long, Lisa
Seven of nine Seattle City Council members will be up for reelection in 2023. It will be a critical campaign season for a city that has continued to struggle with crime, disorder, homelessness, and police staffing.
To say that I look forward to detailing the failures of some of the current incumbents would be putting it mildly. I will take immense pleasure in reminding voters of the moral and professional incompetence that some of these “leaders” have displayed over the past two years.
But, thankfully, one of the worst offenders has opted to take herself out of the equation.
Councilwoman Lisa Herbold announced this weekend that she will not run for reelection.
PRAISE BE!
I couldn’t have asked for a better early Christmas gift.
Herbold has been, in my opinion, one of the driving forces of Seattle’s downfall.
While Herbold is far from the most anti-police councilmember (that distinction goes to Socialist Kshama Sawant) she is by far the least predictable. At least we know what Sawant is going to do. Herbold’s positions are crafted by whoever shows up and yells the loudest.
In 2019, she campaigned on a promise to hire more police officers. Six months later, she pledged to defund the agency by 50%.
During the CHOP ordeal in 2020, Herbold was silent until the protest turned deadly – speaking out too late and failing at every turn to condemn violence and vandalism.
Later that year, she was behind one of the dumbest and most dangerous proposals ever to see the light of day at City Hall – a plan to decriminalize virtually all misdemeanor crimes by allowing suspects to use a "poverty defense."
And to make all of that even worse – she's the chair of the Public Safety Committee, which should terrify anyone who actually values public safety.
In 2021, Herbold penned an op-ed in The Seattle Times, daring to blame the media for, in her opinion, covering the crime crisis unfairly. The Times allowed me to publish an op-ed in response, you can read that here.
In a blog post, Herbold explained her decision not to seek reelection:
“The 2022 elections last month were good for progressives. I feel like it’s time to do my part to create an open seat election in District 1. I believe that an open seat can better drive turnout and deliver District 1 to another progressive.”
I find it hard to believe that voters could choose someone worse than Herbold to serve on the council, but it never ceases to amaze me the types of fringe ideologues that wind up doing well.
Stay tuned...
Housekeeping
Thanks for your patience as today’s newsletter was later (and shorter) than usual. Yours truly escaped for a little fun this weekend. I’m traveling back to Seattle from Las Vegas where I had a BLAST at the Luke Bryan concert with my friend Nicole. We sat front row, courtesy of Dori Monson! Thanks for the tickets, Dori!!
Have a greet week and thank you for your commitment to give common sense a comeback!
