I mentioned that "Slotkin has replaced Kyrsten Sinema as the most 'Establishment' Senator caucusing with Democrats. That deserves a post of its own" in Stewart, Meyers, Colbert, and Kimmel take closer looks at Trump's first 100 days for Wayback Wednesday. I might write that tomorrow. Stay tuned.Here's the clip that inspired me to write that, Sen. Elissa Slotkin - Alpha Energy, Tuning In & Responsible vs. Reckless Change | The Daily Show.
“We don’t have the right to tune out when previous generations fought and fought and fought.” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, the youngest Democratic female serving in the U.S. Senate, joins Michael Kosta to share her perspective on the current state of national security and the Democratic agenda moving forward. The senator explains why voters are looking for Democrats with alpha energy (“You don’t have to be a male to [have] alpha energy,” she says), how President Trump’s tariff policy is “slow-rolling us into a recession,” responsible vs. reckless change, and the importance of tuning in during challenging times.I think Senator Slotkin did well in one of the friendlier interviews I've seen on The Daily Show — fellow Michigander Jordan Klepper might have been as cordial, but Desi Lydic and especially Jon Stewart might have grilled her harder — but Kosta avoided asking about her suggesting that Democrats should avoid mentioning oligarchy, which got Bernie Sanders and AOC to tell her off. It also garnered a lot of hostile comments on the YouTube upload, only one of which I'll repeat, eyuin5716: "Slotkin needs to go home. I’m not interested in playing footsie with the modern day Kyrstin Sinema." EYuin, you have no idea, especially which Senator Sinema, the Democrat or the independent, you're comparing Slotkin to. If it's Sinema the Democrat, the better comparison in the current Senate would be John Fetterman, who Voteview describes as "the most conservative Democrat of the 119th Senate." He's moved up and to the right since 2024. If it's Sinema the independent, then you're on to something. Slotkin is not only the youngest female Democratic Senator, she's also the most "establishment" (conservative on Voteview's second dimension) Senator, Democrat, Republican, or independent. Look at the chart below.
This is nearly identical to her position on the second dimension when she was in the House, so her Senate voting record should come as no surprise.
It should also come as no surprise that Slotkin would come into conflict with AOC, who, along with the rest of "The Squad," are at the opposite extreme along the second dimension, making them the most anti-establishment members of the House. The establishment politician would support the current power structure, especially regarding national security and foreign policy, while the anti-establishment ones would oppose it. The current power structure would oppose mentioning oligarchy, while its opponents would make it a central issue.
I have two "for what it's worth" observations about this. First, at least between Slotkin and "The Squad," this is not a Left-Right (first dimension in Voteview) issue. Slotkin's ideological (first dimension) score both as a Senator and as a House member is -0.338, more conservative than 63% of Democrats in the 119th Senate and more conservative than 65% of Democrats in the 118th House. In contrast, AOC's ideological score is -0.319, more conservative than 66% of Democrats in the 119th House and 71% of Democrats in the 118th House. Yes, AOC is to the right of Slotkin, at least according to Voteview's algorithm. Surprise!
Second, this is a fight over tactics and tone, not goals. Slotkin, Sanders, and "The Squad" all oppose Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump and the threat to democracy and the rule of law he poses; they're just arguing over the most effective way to do so.
Stay tuned to see if I blog about Star Wars Day or the highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live. Maybe I can do both!
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