I pose this question with genuine curiosity - does party affiliation really matter in this situation?
Rep. Mainor has voted in ways not aligned with the Democratic party. Plus saying that she betrayed her constituents for changing her personal beliefs is a bit much.
I think my main issue is not that a person in a position of power changed their mind - but that we’re stuck in this political duo poly with very little room for “gray area”… It’s weird seeing this much media coverage on it.
Idk… I’m (1) confused why all the hub bub and (2) think it’s not really news. There’s so many other issues I’d rather hear reporting on…
It matters because the party has some methods of coercing a rep. to vote with the party (lack of access to the caucus, fundraising, joint marketing, etc). The switch removes that pressure, so I’d bet we’ll see her vote with conservatives even more now since there’s nothing for her to lose.
And, most voters don’t know what a rep does, only who they caucus with, so this will really matter at the next elections (whereas staying with the Dems might have still allowed her to win if she got through any primary challengers).
I pose this question with genuine curiosity - does party affiliation really matter in this situation?
Rep. Mainor has voted in ways not aligned with the Democratic party. Plus saying that she betrayed her constituents for changing her personal beliefs is a bit much.
I think my main issue is not that a person in a position of power changed their mind - but that we’re stuck in this political duo poly with very little room for “gray area”… It’s weird seeing this much media coverage on it.
Idk… I’m (1) confused why all the hub bub and (2) think it’s not really news. There’s so many other issues I’d rather hear reporting on…
It matters because the party has some methods of coercing a rep. to vote with the party (lack of access to the caucus, fundraising, joint marketing, etc). The switch removes that pressure, so I’d bet we’ll see her vote with conservatives even more now since there’s nothing for her to lose.
And, most voters don’t know what a rep does, only who they caucus with, so this will really matter at the next elections (whereas staying with the Dems might have still allowed her to win if she got through any primary challengers).
Ok, thanks for that extra context 🙏🏾
But I also say all this because maybe I’m missing a key piece of the story and why this is so monumental.
Definitely open to hearing other’s opinions.