Dem. Senator Kyrsten Sinema Brought Cake To The Senate Floor And Then Made A Big Production Out Of Casting A Vote Against Raising The Minimum Wage

Democrats fighting to raise the minimum wage in America as part of a sweeping COVID-19 relief bill had a tough day on Friday, as several members of their party voted against measures on the Senate floor to include a $15 wage in the massive relief bill.

But it was one vote from an Arizona senator that drew particular ire online as the day progressed. Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema is a Democrat who was rumored to be against the wage hike, and that turned out to be true on Friday as she was one of several Democrats who voted against the measure. Though Democrats have 50 seats in the Senate — and the tie-breaking vote of vice president Kamala Harris — they needed 60 votes to pass the measure. So it was particularly disheartening that even Democrats didn’t feel moved to help millions of Americans living in poverty due to wages that have not matched the cost of living and increasing wealth disparity.

All of that aside, it was the way Sinema voted no on the measure, which was done by roll call on Friday afternoon, that had many people utterly flabbergasted on social media. In a GIF that quickly went viral, Sinema basically struck a pose as she emphatically pointed her thumb down to vote no on a $15 minimum wage.

In case you need a video to make sure things weren’t altered, here it is from a more zoomed-out feed.

The reaction to the clip was immediate. People were furious about her demeanor, especially when the no-vote is a direct call to keep people from making a living wage.

https://twitter.com/BillCorbett/status/1367921353039417346

Sinema also quite literally brought cake to the Senate floor, bringing some serious Marie-Antoinette vibes to a day when she later quite gleefully voted to keep millions of Americans in poverty.

https://twitter.com/Patrick_Wyman/status/1367918534123134978

The senator actually retweeted that clarification on Friday, though who the cake was intended for doesn’t really seem to matter much to the larger metaphor. In any event, here’s a reminder of how much money each of the Democratic senators who voted against a more reasonable minimum wage are worth.