Althouse: "For years, Sinema was on the receiving end of a... single-target PAC.... [W]hatever you think of Sinema, the effort against her..."

March 21, 2024

"For years, Sinema was on the receiving end of a... single-target PAC.... [W]hatever you think of Sinema, the effort against her..."

".... is... likely to speed up some of the most brutal trends in politics... The Replace Sinema super PAC, by contrast, existed solely to run robust oppo research on, buy ads against, pitch unflattering media stories about and otherwise hound, harry and hector one solitary elected official.... Why raise money to merely spend a year messing with a political rival when you can do it for an entire six-year term? There are a lot of underemployed off-year Washington operatives who could embrace that kind of mission."

Writes Michael Schaffer, in "An Obscure Group Hounded Kyrsten Sinema for Years — and It Worked. Is This a Sign of Things to Come? The Replace Sinema super PAC had the sole goal of ousting the senator — but may inspire a new model of endless campaigning" (Politico).

41 comments:

tim maguire said...: Too bad. I generally liked Sinema and consider her one of the more honest and respectable Senators. She was with a party, but not tied to party ideology. I can see why the parties want to do away with that, but the voters will suffer.; 3/21/24, 8:58 AM
rwnutjob said...: What is a Senator's job worth? This is another indication that government is way too powerful.; 3/21/24, 9:00 AM
Temujin said...: It 'worked' only because she wasn't at home in a radical Democratic Party. She's not a conservative and could not fit into the GOP. So there was no home for her and no path to a Senate seat. She's a rational person. She's also a strong independent thinker. She was not scared off by the nastiness. Had she had a path to win the Senate as an independent, she would have been running now and would have batted away the nasty posts like so many bothersome gnats.

I don't think any of us have heard the last of her, but...she may be sane enough to walk away from politics completely. We'll see.; 3/21/24, 9:01 AM
DanTheMan said...: >>existed solely to run robust oppo research on, buy ads against, pitch unflattering media stories about and otherwise hound, harry and hector one solitary elected official

I guess the author is not familiar with Sarah Palin? Or is this another example of "it's OK when our side does it"?; 3/21/24, 9:01 AM
Temujin said...: PS- The beauty of this is that this group may have cleared a path for Kari Lake to become the Senator replacing Sinema. The irony would be large.; 3/21/24, 9:02 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: "...but may inspire a new model of endless campaigning"

Honestly, haven't we had this since hanging chads? There's nothing new about this. At all.; 3/21/24, 9:03 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: The left are full on Putin-Castro Family.; 3/21/24, 9:05 AM
gilbar said...: The Replace Sinema super PAC, by contrast, existed solely to run robust oppo research on, buy ads against, pitch unflattering media stories about and otherwise hound, harry and hector..

now do Media Matters!! don't care about Fox News? How many PAC's solely exist to harass Trump??; 3/21/24, 9:10 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Honestly, haven't we had this since hanging chads? There's nothing new about this. At all."

There's an ambiguity to "new model of endless campaigning." I agree that endless campaigning is not new, but I read it to mean that this particular approach to endless campaigning is new — that is, the PAC aimed at one person.; 3/21/24, 9:11 AM
Aggie said...: "Her exit came after years of negative media stories, local ethics complaints, surprisingly on-target journalistic investigations and other misfortunes"

Surprisingly on-target, huh? I was thinking to myself, 'well, whatever that secret campaign was, it didn't work,' because I still like the Senator a good bit. But then I read further, to discover (way down the page) that the campaign was orchestrated by a cadre of Progressive donors. Now I get it; I see why their 'fortified' PAC's campaign didn't affect my take on Sinema, but probably reinforced my admiration of her.

Any stories out there about poisonous Conservative campaigns to torpedo the reputation of RINO decepticons? I'm assuming there aren't any, since the headlines would lead with the words 'Republican Extremist PAC.....'.; 3/21/24, 9:19 AM
Christopher B said...: RideSpaceMountain is right. I would venture to guess there are numerous PACs aimed at Donald Trump since 2016.

What's unique about this is that it's a successful Leftist attempt to eliminate a moderate Democrat.; 3/21/24, 9:22 AM
Sebastian said...: "An Obscure Group Hounded Kyrsten Sinema for Years"

An obscure leftist group, correct?

In headlines on crime, assume black if race is not mentioned; on political unsavoriness, assume prog if allegiance is not mentioned.

Give them credit, the left fights, 24/7. They stay on the attack. Not just against Sinema, of course. Progressivism is the continual struggle to politicize everything.; 3/21/24, 9:22 AM
gilbar said...: The WORST Part about infidels, like Sinema (and Manchin (and Trump)), is that they encouraged people to vote for a person; not a party.. This is Against EVERY THING democracy is about*.
You are Required (BY LAW**) to vote for the party.. There is NO ROOM for individual thought.
This is as true for Senators (and Presidents) as it is for general election voters.

EVERY THING democracy is about* All within the party, nothing outside the party, nothing against the party

By Law** not yet, you say? wait for it.. It's Coming!; 3/21/24, 9:23 AM
Quaestor said...: "I agree that endless campaigning is not new, but I read it to mean that this particular approach to endless campaigning is new..."

It is at least more honest in that the product of a political action committee is political. Such an entity cannot hide in plain sight as a news network operating under the pretense of fair and balanced reportage nor as a public prosecutor's office dedicated to equal justice under the law.; 3/21/24, 9:24 AM
Kate said...: "The beauty of this is that this group may have cleared a path for Kari Lake to become the Senator replacing Sinema."

Yes. I would've debated Sinema vs Lake with myself. I can't see myself voting Gallego. I certainly don't want to reward the poison politics of this group. The information about them is clarifying.

After watching RFKJ try to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot here, I can see why Sinema stepped away. It's hellish, and the Dems are pulling out obscure laws to prevent it.; 3/21/24, 9:26 AM
Dave Begley said...: I'll love her forever simply because of her fashion choices.; 3/21/24, 9:40 AM
Ampersand said...: Schaffer intentionally veils the ideology of the Sinema PAC operatives in murky obscurity. They are left wing Democrats. The PAC's President, Tony Gavito, has (according to Wikipedia) "...represented unions, immigrant and migrant workers, and individuals regarding a variety of labor law, wage payment and employment discrimination matters." My quick look at Gavito links suggests to me that she is one of those people trying to flip Arizona and Texas to the bliss that will be the Democratic Permanent Uniparty.

Schaffer needs to underplay the role of the Left in order to avoid being accused of insufficient fealty to the Narrative.; 3/21/24, 9:41 AM
Ampersand said...: Typo notice --It's Tory Gavito, not Tony Gavito.; 3/21/24, 9:42 AM
wendybar said...: And if that doesn't work...use lawfare like they are doing to Trump.....people who aren't fully brainwashed won't DARE to run against the MOB.; 3/21/24, 9:49 AM
Dogma and Pony Show said...: I don't think the targeting of an individual politician is the trend we should be worried about. The bigger issue is that politics has turned into a big-money industry like professional sports. We're all suckers for viewing politics through the lens of ideology when practically all of the evidence points to money as the driving factor. Take a step back and it's pretty clear that partisan battles are being used simply to raise money, increasingly from wealthy oligarchs who are trying to get in on the fun. The more partisan squabbles that can be fomented, and the more fierce they become, the more money pours in from all sides. That money goes to consultants, fundraisers, lobbyists, pundits -- everyone connected to the industry. Elected officials are all feeding at the trough. Look at the recent stories about politicians using tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign funds for year-round travel, dining, "security," "consultants," all of it a means of enjoying a more lavish lifestyle than their government paychecks alone could provide. When that's not enough, they can "retire" from office and reel in cash in even bigger ways.

I'm afraid we're like wrestling fans who think it's real.; 3/21/24, 9:57 AM
MadTownGuy said...: rwnutjob said...

"What is a Senator's job worth? This is another indication that progressives are way too powerful."

As I've said before, the (D) Party needs to change its name. It is anything but democratic.; 3/21/24, 10:00 AM
I Shouldn’t Have Left the White House said...: I found Sinema to be an opportunist who would court whichever lobbyists or party would contribute to her campaign. While marketing herself as a compromiser, she always seemed more interested in gaining publicity and money for herself than in solving real problems. She will take her "war chest" and spend it on herself. Most likely next stop: lobbyist.

Anyone who considers voting for Kari Lake has no goals for the US at all; she is a hollow, self-serving vessel of MAGA delusions and a Trump sycophant. Useless. Gallego has integrity, smarts, Congressional experience, and democratic goals. A no-brainer for voters who care about AZ and the US.; 3/21/24, 10:00 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Ann Althouse said...

["Honestly, haven't we had this since hanging chads? There's nothing new about this. At all."]

"There's an ambiguity to "new model of endless campaigning." I agree that endless campaigning is not new, but I read it to mean that this particular approach to endless campaigning is new — that is, the PAC aimed at one person."

Nevertheless, we have seen multiple PACs aimed at one person, ever since 2016 at the very least.; 3/21/24, 10:02 AM
Deep State Reformer said...: The state's would be better off going back to having their legislature's pick senators and bypassing the popular vote bc "democracy" is not all it's cracked up to be when it comes to making good long-term decisions. Popular votes for everything is just another incentive for demagoguery.; 3/21/24, 10:08 AM
Yancey Ward said...: Sinema's mistake, if she really wanted to remain in the Senate, was leaving to run an independent campaign. She should have fought for the nomination in the Democrat primary- there were excellent chances she would have won such a contest. I think she let her pride get in the way just a little a bit.

She would be the perfect running mate for Kennedy's third party run, or at the top of the ticket for No Labels.; 3/21/24, 10:16 AM
Yancey Ward said...: And the LLR mask Rich wears slips off just a bit more.

Rich, you would get at least a modicum of respect here if you just admitted that you are a left-wing Democrat and always have been.; 3/21/24, 10:45 AM
Hassayamper said...: this group may have cleared a path for Kari Lake to become the Senator replacing Sinema

I hope you're right, but I have grave doubts about this. For all her supposed independence, she is still firmly to the left of center, and most observers I've heard from here in Arizona think she threatened to pull more votes from Gallego than Lake.; 3/21/24, 11:05 AM
Anonymous said...: I'll love her forever simply because of her fashion choices.

You and me both, pal.; 3/21/24, 11:06 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: “Too bad. I generally liked Sinema and consider her one of the more honest and respectable Senators. She was with a party, but not tied to party ideology. I can see why the parties want to do away with that, but the voters will suffer”

I liked her too. I might have even voted for her, but I am registered to vote in MT, and not AZ. Easy enough to change - we own more real estate in MT. Just no sales tax in MT, and my MT CCL worked as my NICS check when buying guns there. May end up though registered in (shudder) NV, for having no state income tax. Sinema v Lake would have been fun. Saw an ad for the Dem there yesterday (was in AZ overnight) and he is horrid. Can Katy Hobbs and her election fraud machine cheat him into office this year? We shall see.; 3/21/24, 11:13 AM
Maynard said...: She should have fought for the nomination in the Democrat primary- there were excellent chances she would have won such a contest.

No. The deck has become stacked here in Arizona. It's all Dems (including the execrable Katie Hobbs) in major state offices. They manipulate the election process mercilessly.

Sinema kew that Ruben Gallego (far leftist) would win the primary. He will also win the election against Kari Lake. AZ is a purple state in which the McCain RINO establishment has allowed and encouraged the Democrats to take over.; 3/21/24, 11:20 AM
Hassayamper said...: Nevertheless, we have seen multiple PACs aimed at one person, ever since 2016 at the very least.

There was a very aggressive lawfare campaign raising money for the specific purpose of attacking Sarah Palin when she returned to Alaska after the 2008 election. The public face of it was local, with the usual purple-haired, problem-glasses, cats-and-box-wine female crowd that are driven to shrieking fits of rage by successful, attractive women who don't support abortion on demand. Behind the scenes it was a cat's paw for the party's Beltway bigfoots, intent on taking out a potentially formidable opponent.

She was an ordinary middle class person with no hope of fighting such an onslaught, especially since Alaska law forbade her from having a legal defense fund. Democrat loudmouths are quick to profess that they are the champions of the little guy, but they sure worked hard to collect big money from out of state so they could squeeze a "little guy" out of public service.; 3/21/24, 11:27 AM
Original Mike said...: "Gallego has integrity, smarts, Congressional experience, and democratic goals. A no-brainer for voters who care about AZ and the US."

Rich burnishing is LLR bonafides.; 3/21/24, 12:09 PM
Duke Dan said...: So the people running this PAC are now going to say “job done” and go home? Hahahahahaha

There is too much money in this gravy train to quit, just need to find the next 6 year target.

This is the same reason homelessness won’t be solved. There is too much money available as long as it remains a problem.; 3/21/24, 12:58 PM
hombre said...: Sinema wasn't "uniquely bad". She was just too intelligent to be a lockstep Democrat. Some things like open borders, minimum wages and abolishing the filibuster are simply bad policy. She noticed.; 3/21/24, 1:30 PM
Josephbleau said...: I wonder why the brilliant journalists of the fourth estate did not discover that this group existed before she decided not to seek re election. Well, because the press was being paid lots of money to print the oppo research. The press is not honest. It is a crew of liars.; 3/21/24, 1:40 PM
hombre said...: "Gallego has integrity, smarts, Congressional experience, and democratic goals. A no-brainer for voters who care about AZ and the US."

Arizona is infested with illegal aliens and particularly odious Democrats, e.g., Katie Hobbs, Raul Grijalva, Laura Conover. I'm not a fan of Kari Lake, but the last thing we need is another Democrat Senator whose nose ring is on Biden's or Schumer's tether. That's Gallego.; 3/21/24, 1:49 PM
iowan2 said...: They were able to take her out because her "flash" and life style were funded by her campaign.

If she would have lived inside her means, there would be nothing to push. IF she were a Democrat it never would have happened.
As is the Dem style book. Diversity of thought in the Democrat Party is snuffed out at all costs.
She may have been saved if she were Black.; 3/21/24, 2:35 PM
Tina Trent said...: Ending Superpac anonymity would empower all voters. It would mostly benefit conservative ones.; 3/21/24, 4:48 PM
Tina Trent said...: Ending Superpac anonymity would empower all voters. It would mostly benefit conservative ones.; 3/21/24, 4:49 PM
donald said...: Rich gets ass fucked in glory holes for sexual fulfillment.; 3/21/24, 7:53 PM
mikee said...: My recognition of endless campaigning began with Bill Clinton and has not had anything but expansion in scope since then.; 3/22/24, 2:09 PM