January 26, 2021

Murkowski is the key to getting the Biden agenda passed

I don't think she goes Independent but her voting record shows promise. Further, her Sen. career overlaps both Harris and Biden, so she has worked with them before. AK also seems to be leaning left on environmental issues as the warming affects them quicker and stronger than the lower 48.


"Murkowski is considered a moderate Republican.[35][36] Since she was reelected in 2010, some have deemed her voting record "more moderate" than that of her previous years in the Senate.[37] In 2013, the National Journal gave Murkowski a composite score of 56% conservative and 45% liberal[38] and ranked her the 56th most liberal and 44th most conservative member of the Senate.[39]

According to GovTrack, Murkowski is the second most liberal Republican senator and, as of 2017, is placed by GovTrack's analysis to the left of all Republicans except Susan Collins, and to the left of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.[40] The New York Times arranged Republican senators by ideology and also ranked Murkowski the second most liberal Republican.[41][42] According to FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional votes, she voted with Trump's position approximately 74% of the time as of April 2020.[43] According to CQ Roll Call, Murkowski voted with President Barack Obama's position 72.3% of the time in 2013, one of only two Republicans voting for his positions over 70% of the time.[44]

In 2018, she voted "present" on the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States as a favor to Senator Steve Daines.[45] In 2020, she voted against procedural motions to accelerate Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to that court, though she later voted to confirm Barrett.[46]

In a March 2019 op-ed for The Washington Post, Murkowski and Joe Manchin wrote that climate change debate in Congress was depicted as "an issue with just two sides—those who support drastic, unattainable measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and those who want to do nothing" and affirmed their support for "adopting reasonable policies that maintain that edge, build on and accelerate current efforts, and ensure a robust innovation ecosystem."[47]

In December 2020, during his lame-duck period, Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.[48] The veto left new Coast Guard cutters that were scheduled to be homeported in Alaska without port facilities to maintain them.[48] Murkowski issued a press release that said, in part, "It’s incredible that the President chose to veto the annual National Defense Authorization Act, particularly because his reason for doing so is an issue not related to national defense."[48]

After Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, Murkowski said Trump should resign for inciting the insurrection. With this call for his resignation, she became the first Republican in the Senate to say that Trump should leave office before the inauguration of Joe Biden. When asked whether she would remain a Republican, she replied, "if the Republican Party has become nothing more than the party of Trump, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me",[49] but added, “I have absolutely no desire to move over to the Democratic side of the aisle. I can't be somebody that I'm not."[50]"

January 26, 2021

Should be getting headlines

https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/in-thousands-of-complaints-about-wisconsin-election-few-that-could-be-substantiated/article_e7f37ef6-4072-536c-aea6-4427de4fcc99.html#tracking-source=article-related-bottom


"In December, with then-President Donald Trump continuing to falsely claim that massive fraud and other voting irregularities had denied him a second term, top Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature said they were reviewing “thousands of complaints” about the Nov. 3 election.

There were indeed thousands of complaints in the emails sent between Nov. 3 and Dec. 8 to lawmakers investigating the election.

The majority of them, however, were mass-generated form letters making nonspecific claims about alleged irregularities, a right-wing fraud-finding effort and a clip from Fox’s Sean Hannity show. Others implored Republican lawmakers to overturn an election they were convinced was rigged, even though local, state and national officials have confirmed its integrity.

The Wisconsin State Journal was able to identify just 28 allegations of election fraud or other irregularities that were specific enough to attempt to verify, but could only partially substantiate one, involving 42 votes. Interviews with dozens of prosecutors, election officials and people who lodged complaints made clear that most, if not all, of the allegations could be chalked up to hearsay or minor administrative errors.

Republican Rep. Ron Tusler said the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, which he chaired last session, has so far been able to substantiate only one case of potential voter fraud in the Nov. 3 election: A Cedarburg woman was charged in November after she allegedly submitted an absentee ballot for her dead partner.



Yet Tusler continued to insist, without evidence, that the November election was more fraudulent than any previous election while acknowledging that, “I don’t believe it will add up to enough votes to doubt President Joe Biden’s success.”

Biden won the state by 20,682 votes."

January 25, 2021

Another hole in the Constitution

I know all the arguments against amending it but Trump's disregard for normal , decent behavior point to multiple loopholes that need fixing. Recall 2000 EC victory for Dubya. No one wanted to "fix" the EC, "What are the odds that statistical anomaly will recur?" was the argument. Shattered in just 16 years by Trump's EC win.

https://kvia.com/your-voice-your-vote/politics/2021/01/25/supreme-court-dismisses-emolument-cases-against-trump/

January 25, 2021

Does Portman's "retirement" signal a guilty vote for impeachment?

It avoids getting primaryed or otherwise attacked by Trump cult. What other incumbent GOP Sen. might take this route. Not having to run against incumbent Sen. is great news for Dem. hopefuls.

January 23, 2021

Expand the Impeachment charges

to include Trump's misdeeds in trying to change the election results in Georgia. There's the Raffensperger phone call and now the Rosen / Clark attempt to undermine the results .
Seems like enough there to support another entire Article of Impeachment?

January 18, 2021

Never, in the history of the U.S.

have so many citizens been able to correctly define :

se·di·tion
/səˈdiSH(ə n/
noun
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

The exact statute:

18 U.S. Code § 2384 - Seditious conspiracy
U.S. Code
Notes

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 1, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)

January 13, 2021

McConnell obstruction of Biden begins

"McConnell’s office called Schumer’s people today + told them McConnell would not consent to reconvening immediately under the 2004 emergency authorities, a person familiar says. So the Senate won’t reconvene Friday, or almost certainly before Jan. 19. Trial in Biden term"

I'm starting to think rather than convict Trump and remove his right to again seek office, maybe we just let him create as much chaos as possible in the GOP campaigns for 2024?

Opinions?

January 12, 2021

GOP pain threshold determined

To get them to do the right thing (just some of them), you need to physically chase them through the halls of Congress and force them to huddle under desks for hours in fear for their lives.

Who knew??

January 11, 2021

Lost in all the noise

THERE WAS NO FRAUD!!!!!

This ridiculous coup and tragic loss of life was over an outrageous , easily debunked LIE!!
Any participants charged with crimes should be made to justify their absurd reasoning for marching
and let a jury decide if these morons should be walking around amongst us.

January 10, 2021

Impeachment politics related to 2024

If I'm , for example , Ben Sasse or Mittens, running in '24, is it better for me that Trump is impeached, convicted and barred from running? How do I vote on impeachment? Will an un-impeached, now well funded Trump, bury me in the primaries or has his stock w/GOP voters begun to sink?
How does Ted Cruz play it? Others?
How many senators with aspirations will vote to impeach to rid themselves of a main rival?

Frankly, from a pragmatic , partisan standpoint, I'm not sure which outcome to support? Very confusing but my gut wants Trump convicted and I've spent months advocating for impeaching him before the "coup attempt" if for no other reason than to have an ongoing , operational inquiry.