The day President Barack Obama released his new proposal for a health bill, Duke hosted a Democratic state legislator to speak on health care reform, among other pressing issues.
Kyrsten Sinema, assistant leader to the Democratic caucus in the Arizona House of Representatives, led a discussion with Duke Democrats Monday night. The event was co-sponsored by Blue Devils United, Duke’s National Organization for Women, The Duke Women’s Center and The Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life.
Although Sinema addressed issues relating to the gay community Monday morning at the Center for LGBT life, her discussion with Duke Democrats focused on the political issues facing the entire nation.
“Gay people are just as concerned about the economy and health care as straight people,” Sinema said in an interview.
Sinema, who is openly bisexual, recently served as the chair of Arizona Together—the first and only campaign to defeat a same-sex marriage ban on the ballot. Now in her fifth year as state legislator, she is also the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations and House Judiciary Committees.
Sinema was invited to the University by sophomore Risa Isard, a member of Blue Devils United and Duke’s NOW. Back in their home state of Arizona, Sinema served as Isard’s mentor in Girls For A Change, an organization that teaches young women how to engage in their communities.
In her remarks to Duke Democrats, Sinema criticized the current health care system and emphasized the need for insurance reform.
“The House went through progressive legislation that would have created a public option and insurance exchanges for the state,” Sinema said at the event. “But some of our Republican colleagues decided that was socialism.”
The discussion ran for more than an hour, as students were eager to hear her views regarding various versions of the health care bill. Although Sinema said she disagreed with the earlier Senate version of the health plan—namely because it would raise health care costs to about $7 billion in Arizona —she would have voted for it because “it would have gotten the package over the hill.”
Sinema would like to see tangible progress in other political areas as well.
Regarding immigration, she made clear the need for addressing problems with documentation. Sinema currently sits on a task force for immigration, which is working to institute a program to effectively account for individuals entering the United States. She noted that half of all undocumented persons living in the U.S. enter through and live in Arizona.
“We have to have an orderly process to have people who want to live the American dream do so, and keep folks who want to do harm out of our country,” Sinema said.
During the question and answer session, junior Ben Bergmann, president of Duke Democrats, asked Sinema her thoughts on critics who think Obama is too bipartisan. Bergmann is also a Duke Student Government Athletics and Campus Services senator.
Sinema stressed the importance of establishing common ground between the parties. As she feels the Republican party has been taken over largely by right-wing extremists—calling them “chaotists”—Sinema thinks the government needs to find ways to return the Republican party to normalcy.
Sinema added that if she were president, she would rather be criticized for being too bipartisan than being exclusionary.
Overall, students said they enjoyed the discussion, particularly commenting on the quality of Sinema’s rhetoric.
“I think she’s hilarious, and I love her fire and her passion,” Isard said.
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