The other day, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) gave a blistering interview where she excoriated today's Republican Party, saying that if it remained the Party of Trump, rather than moves on, she would likely leave it.
If Sen. Murkowski's concern has for staying in the Republican Party is, indeed, whether it will be the "party of Trump" -- and if she is actually serious about that concern -- my hope is she recognizes that the reality is for the past four years, while she has been a loyal member, it HAS BEEN the "party of Trump." And the only way it stops being that is if the party, as a whole, doesn't just "move on," but repudiates its past. In lieu of that, it means the GOP accepts being the "party of Trump" and will either continue being that actively or is merely holding it in reserve for when they decide to bring it to the forefront again when the next fascist takes over GOP leadership. When a friend read her interview, he excited wondered if Lisa Murkowski did leave the Republican Party whether she might caucus with Senate Democrats, which would provide another inch of space in their paper thin majority. I wrote to him that while possible, he shouldn't hold his breath. I think her anger at the attempted insurrection promoted by Trump and many Republicans was serious. But the thing is, she's left the party before. Shen ran as an independent, won, but then returned to being a Republican. And her voting record has been strongly Republican. Her independent votes, while far more than most of her fellow Republican senators (which is a low bar of near-zero to cross) has been infinitesimal. I hope she does leave the GOP. It would be a good message. But while she certainly could possibly also caucus with Democrats, I find that profoundly unlikely. If for some reason she does, though, I still expect her votes to be mostly conservative which would support Republican positions, because she is a conservative. I do think it's likely that on occasion she'll cast an independent vote, but just on occasion. After all, she didn't say she was changing her political beliefs, only that she didn't like Republicans slavishly following the lead of Trump. So, I don't lose much sleep pondering if she actually will become truly independent. If she does, great. If it holds for more than a year or two, even better. But I suspect at some point she'll want to return to the Republican Party when she senses that maybe it's no longer the "Party of Trump" and will want to leave that door open...again. Counting on Lisa Murkowski to "do the right thing" and vote with Democrats is generally a losing proposition that leads to disappointment. It's better to be pleased on those rare occasions when she does and accept it as one of life's little treats. But for the most part, she enabled Trump for four years and is complicit. That she's finally had enough (apparently, sort of) is A Good Thing. A wee bit late, to be sure, but as the expression goes -- better late with singed feet than forever burning in Hell.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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