This is what happens when impeachment is "off the table."

[eridani]

81. The difference was the nature of the Socialist Alternative party

Check out the Washington forum for a lot more detail. SA is a Trotskyist party, but they are highly unusual in placing their major priority on talking to actual non-policy wonk voters rather than arguing with other Trotskyist parties about who really has the double plus good best explanation of Trotsky's thought. Sawant had 400 volunteers, an unprecedented number even for an open seat, which this wasn't.

The actual legislation was a compromise which many of her backers are less than happy with. (It has longer phase-ins than necessary, allows training wages, etc.) In fact, at a conference to mobilize national support for $15/hr, Sawant was attacked from the left for being willing to compromise at all.

The Democrats who voted for her are pleased--we wanted a Sewer Socialist, and that's what we got.