Remember that time when almost all of us actually learned to spell Murkowski? Ah, good times. Well, they are returning. Only this time with a rival candidate who hasn’t lived in Alaska all that long and who had to have the government pay to move her here or she might not have come. So I think we can all admit that we have some issues to raise with Lisa’s new opponent for the Republican nomination to the US Senate.
Oh yeah, remember when we all learned to spell Lisa? Good times.
If I am understanding this situation correctly, the Republican Party is mad at Lisa for actually having a conscience and letting that conscience guide her in her decisions. She voted to impeach the former president. Apparently all the work Lisa has done for the state over the years does not count when held up against this vote. Her abilities and achievements, as well as her seniority, are something the Republicans are willing to give up to place a novice with no standing in the Senate in her job. So in case you are wondering, loyalty to the former president is more critical to Alaska’s Republican Party than any good Lisa has done, and continues to do, for this state.
I am not an ultimate Lisa believer. There are times when her votes make me want to run screaming from the room. There are times when I want to yell at her to grab a pair. But despite all that, Lisa has become – in case you didn’t notice – the next generation’s Uncle Ted. For those of you young ones who don’t remember the golden age of Ted Stevens, look it up. It was amazing. And one of the most amazing things – given the toxic climate in DC now – is that he constantly worked across the aisle to make sure that America and Alaska got what they needed. He spoke to Democrats. And he worked with them. And he didn’t need to ask anyone’s permission to do so. Actually, it might have been kinda fun to watch McConnel try to tell Uncle Ted what to do. The ensuing “dialog” would probably have to be cleaned up for children, but Uncle Ted would have walked away doing exactly what he planned to do in the first place.
Lisa Murkowski has also been known to work across the aisle. Uncle Ted would have been proud. Apparently, the current Republican Party in Alaska would have punished him for doing so by running candidates against him. We all know they wouldn’t have won. We all know the only time Uncle Ted lost it had everything to do with a bogus criminal trial and little to do with his service in DC. But it seems as though the Republican Party in Alaska has deserted Uncle Ted as well as Lisa.
That’s ok. Because in case you haven’t noticed, Lisa (like Uncle Ted) has become a one name institution in Alaska. You say Lisa and everyone knows who you mean. You say Dan and you get a puzzled look as people go through all the Dans they know. Lisa has become Ted. She has become a hardworking, Alaskan icon. She represents Alaska is DC with dignity and class, just like Uncle Ted did. I don’t always agree with her votes, but I always agree with the way she does her job. No venmo in the middle of the night for her.
The Republican Party seems to think that loyalty to a cult is more important than loyalty to your state, your country and your conscience – a loyalty Lisa has demonstrated during her time in office. Standing up for your principles takes guts and courage, something in short supply in DC in recent years. Lisa showed it when she voted for her conscience and her oath, not for the current political fancy.
I wish that Lisa would run as an independent. Because the woman I see tends to be independent most of the time. That takes the kind of courage that we should reward, not punish. But right now, the Republican Party seems more intent on destruction than construction.
So grab those old bracelets and brush up on spelling Murkowski. Or just Lisa. You can just write down Lisa if you find Murkowski intimidating. Just Lisa works and always has.