PLAYING WITH FIRE
‘Marie Antoinette’ Trends After Video of Sen. Sinema Giving Thumbs Down to $15 Minimum Wage Vote Goes Viral
Sinema arrived at the Senate with an actual cake Friday
U.S. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, in one of his final acts before passing away famously cast the deciding vote against killing ObamaCare by walking on to the Senate floor and casting his vote with a dramatic “thumbs down.”
On Friday U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, appeared to be trying for the same effect, but was not heralded as a hero. Far from it.
Playing at John McCain is going to come back to bite her. https://t.co/cR5gsOHoqx
— Helen Kennedy (@HelenKennedy) March 5, 2021
Senator Sinema opposes the $15 minimum wage, and made that very clear when she voted against an amendment to advance it Friday afternoon on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The $15 minimum wage has become a rallying cry of Democrats, and liberal and progressive grassroots voters have drawn a line in the sand, demanding Democratic lawmakers make it a reality – or else.
Video and GIFs of Sen. Sinema dramatically and proudly voting against increasing the minimum wage to $15 went viral, and as it did “Marie Antoinette” trended on social media. Comparisons to the French aristocrat whose reputation for indifference to the poor by supposedly saying, “let them eat cake” is forever emblazoned in history and culture, hundreds of years after her death.
Marie Antoinette has better shoes. #justsayin pic.twitter.com/UukfULhOxA
— Gregg Levine (@GreggJLevine) March 5, 2021
The comparison was only made worse when reporting that Sinema had actually arrived at the Senate with an actual cake:
Sinema just walked into the Senate carrying a large chocolate cake
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 5, 2021
The cake reportedly was for those who had worked late into the night, after Republican Sen. Ron Johnson forced clerks to read hundreds of pages of the COVID relief bill in an attempt to stall it.
But the damage was done.
Sinema against living wage, in favor of letting them eat cake.
— Samuel VanSant Stoddard 🇺🇸 (@profchaosUSA) March 5, 2021
And reducing unemployment by $100 per week – taking away $400 per month from desperate families, but sure, she says – let them eat cake.
— TravelingMelissa (@melissacain1) March 5, 2021
Arizona’s late Senator John McCain gave a thumb’s down on repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017.
Today Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema gave a thumb’s down on a federal minimum wage of $15 an hr.
Hey AZ, I know I don’t have much room to talk but why is your Senator like this? https://t.co/DD3I0NsMJV
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) March 5, 2021
Sinena channeling John McCain’s dramatic vote against killing the ACA only this time it’s for killing poor people. https://t.co/Pd2UlfqTZD
— Katelyn Burns (@transscribe) March 5, 2021
Can’t believe Sinema brought a chocolate cake to the Senate for her enthusiastic “poor people should stay as poor as possible” vote. Is there an ounce of self-awareness?
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) March 5, 2021
Sinema just taunted close to a million of her constituents with this no vote after walking into the chamber with a big piece of cake.
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) March 5, 2021
So, Sinema brought a literal, actual cake to the Senate floor??? pic.twitter.com/exL7YTjg9B
— Erika (@padakitty) March 5, 2021
That damage was made even worse after an old tweet of Sinema was found in which she argues in favor of raising the minimum wage:
A full-time minimum-wage earner makes less than $16k a year. This one’s a no-brainer. Tell Congress to #RaiseTheWage! http://t.co/gmHYXGZzaT
— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) March 12, 2014
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