I’m not sure what to think of Sinema.

There’s this old adage that says something along the lines of “if one is not a Democrat when they’re twenty they have no heart, and if they’re not a Republican when they’re forty they have no head”.

Obviously, as a libertarian I reject the binary as a simplistic false dichotomy, but, you know… it speaks to something true all the same about effective altruism and all that (not that the modern Rs are either effective or altruistic).

But it’s got me thinking… I’m not sure what to think of Sinema. She obviously started off as an unrealistic idealistic anti-capitalist do-gooder in the Green Party, moved to the D side, and over time became increasingly moderate. But her blue dog pragmatic cred… I don’t know if it was a gradual change of heart, or an example of the corruption of Washington and the pressure of special interests. Like… where she breaks with Ds, is that genuine growth… or corruption by institutional rot inherent to the system?

I would like to think that she’s remained “left” on social issues and drifted a bit “right” on economic ones as a genuine fellow traveler. I just don’t know enough about her to judge Sinema sincerity and if regulatory capture is a thing, then regulator capture is as well.

For the record, I think Jared Polis is sincere - I just don't know much about her.