Alaska’s GOP senator is at it once again, indirectly deriding the president with her actions and words. Lisa Murkowski has never shied away from being the female version of John McCain, a Maverick in her own right. She is both adored by the mainstream media and the Democrat Party as well. If anyone doubts this, it’s easy to go back just a few months to the Kavanaugh hearings and remember that she was the sole Republican to join the Democrats in their repudiation of Trump’s nominee. Even though Republican Senator Steve Daines did not vote, it was because he was back in his home state of Montana for his daughter’s wedding. Murkowski voted to abstain, but this was seen by those on the Right as not so much a sign of indecisiveness, as it was vindictiveness.
To boot, she is a pro-choice candidate who has a huge and influential following in the Alaska capital city of Juneau and another, equally large set of supporters in Anchorage, the biggest Liberal hub in the biggest state.
For Murkowski, she has never really worried much about what her Republican base back home believes, because quite frankly, she has more than enough Democrat supporters in the state as well. Many believe that her 2010 victory over Sarah Palin-backed Conservative Tea Party candidate Joe Miller was due in large part to her cross-over support by many thousands of Democrats.
So, it comes as no surprise to many who know her to hear her latest comments about the upcoming 2020 election, as well as her opinions on the Democrat candidates.
The Hill:
“Think about some of the initiatives Biden has worked with, whether it’s Leader McConnell or just worked on a bipartisan basis. The fact that he has legislative, congressional experience and had to work in a legislative body and then worked with President Obama as one within the administration working with a legislative body does give him a level of experience that’s useful,” Murkowski said.
Murkowski made reference to three of Biden’s biggest accomplishments as vice president, when he worked with McConnell to extend expiring tax cuts after the 2010 midterm elections, raise the debt limit in the summer of 2011 and avoid the so-called fiscal cliff at the end of 2012.
Biden also played a key role in recruiting three moderate Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and then-Sens. Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Arlen Specter (Pa.), to support the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which stimulated the economy after the 2008 financial crisis.
Murkowski also singled out Klobuchar as a Democratic candidate who would likely work effectively with Republicans.
But Murkowski doesn’t hold much hope for working on a bipartisan basis with Warren or Sanders.
“All you need to do is look at their approach to legislating,” she said of her two colleagues.
Seems to be a veiled overture to the former vice president. Is there a whisper on the Hill that Joe Biden could ask Senator Amy Klobuchar to be his running mate? And if that’s the case, is Murkowski ready to start handing out 2020 Biden/Klobuchar pins to the Natives in the remote Alaskan villages?
If there is one thing that is sure, Senator Murkowski will be voting for anyone, but Donald Trump.
I’m just not sure he would mind.
Source: The Hill
Image: Arctic Circle
