She looks thrilledAs of November 17, the Morning Consult Trump Tracker showed that Trump had lost 14 points of favorability with Alaska voters since he was inaugurated. In November, his approval in the state was 53%, compared to 43% disapproval. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary 163,387 (51.28%) to 116,454 (36.55%). Hillary was extremely unpopular in the state and Bernie had beaten her 79.61% to 20.23%, winning every county and every city in the state. (Trump lost to Cruz that same day, although narrowly.) Alaskans like independent-minded politicians.This week, Fox News Trumpists Jason Riley and Charlie Hurt went after Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, insisting she’s “too independent,” not realizing they were actually promoting her. Riley accused her of using “Democratic talking points.” That’s because she didn’t exactly embrace Moscow Mitch’s decision to insist the Senate GOP abandon the Constitutional strictures requiring senators to pledge impartiality and serve as an arm of Trump’s defense.
"When I heard that, I was disturbed,” Murkowski told KTUU in an interview that aired Tuesday evening. “To me, it means that we have to take that step back from being hand in glove with the defense. And so, I heard what Leader McConnell had said, I happened to think that that has further confused the process."Riley, a Wall Street Journal editorial board member, said on "Special Report" that Murkowski indeed has been known for her "independent streak" as a more-moderate GOP senator."Murkowski is not up for reelection. She is quirky, she does have an independent streak. We saw that in the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, we saw that in the ObamaCare repeal vote," he said. Murkowski bucked her party to oppose Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court last year.Riley continued, "I do wish she would stop using Democratic talking points to make the argument that she is making. The fact of the matter here is that the House's job is done and this idea that they should have any say in how the Senate conducts this trial just is not supported by what is written in black-and-white in the Constitution."Riley pointed to the fact that no House Republicans voted with Democrats to impeach Trump, not even retiring lawmakers such as Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who he said had "nothing to lose" if they broke with their party."The idea that Mitch McConnell isn't going to be bipartisan enough or objective enough, that is not his job. I expect him to be as bipartisan as Nancy Pelosi was and as Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler were," he added, referring to the speaker and the two committee chairmen who presided over impeachment hearings in a manner widely criticized on the right.In other remarks, Murkowski said she was "totally good" with being viewed as someone who wasn't a Republican "rubber stamp.""For me to prejudge and say there's nothing there or on the other hand, he should be impeached yesterday, that's wrong, in my view, that's wrong," she said. "If it means that I am viewed as one who looks openly and critically at every issue in front of me, rather than acting as a rubber stamp for my party or my president, I'm totally good with that."
In her 2010 reelection campaign the Republican Party refused to support Murkowski and she ran as a write-in candidate. She beat the far right-lunatic the GOP backed, Joe Miller (35.5%), and an underfunded Democrat named Scott McAdams (23.5%) with 39.5% of the vote. McConnell backed Miller. She owes him and the GOP Establishment nothing at all and has no fear of their wrath. The NRSC and the Senate Conservatives Fund, both controlled by McConnell, spent, respectively, $888,822 and $243,443 bolstering Miller against her.Not a good look in Alaska
