The Alaska Mess

According to this article in The Hill, Murkowski is supremely confident that once the ballots are all counted, she’ll emerge as the winner. Miller, on the other hand, needs a gigantic showing in the absentee balloting to come out ahead – which is still possible, but growing ever less likely. What is the best way to handle this?

For Miller, it is a matter of figuring out when to call it quits, if the initial count goes against him. If Miller gets reduced to arguing that “Murkonski” is unclear in voter intent, then he’ll only look like a petulant child who didn’t get his wish for Christmas. Any ballot that is obviously screwed up, out it goes – but any thing reasonably written on the ballot which indicates a candidate should not be disallowed.

Whatever one wishes to think about Murkowski (“contempt” is what mostly comes to my mind), she did a great job of hustling up votes – and those voters who cast ballots for her must have their will respected. Sure, it is likely that a lot of Murkowski’s votes were from Democrats who just wanted to poke a stick in the GOP’s eye, but votes are votes regardless of what motivates them. If Murkowski pulls off this unlikely victory, then that is good – for her.

For us Republicans it is another matter. What Murkowski did was turn a sure GOP victory in to a possible GOP defeat. This goes beyond the pale, as far as I’m concerned – and as she was rejected by the GOP base and given victory (if that happens) by virtue of Democrat votes, she’s not someone we can rely upon. In other words, if she wins, we don’t want her.

Kick her out of the caucus. If the Democrats want her, that is fine – they can have her (but, watch your backs, Democrats). The difference between 46 and 47 GOP Senators is trivial – especially as, back in our caucus, we can pretty much rely upon Murkowski cutting us off at the knees when the chips are down. Better to have her out and so not relied upon to begin with. Additionally, why clutter up committee seats with a disloyal RINO when we can have a conservative in there? Murkowski brings no benefit to the GOP caucus while bringing all sorts of risk – she turned on us, and we’d be worse than fools to say “come back in, all is forgiven” if she pulls it off in Alaska.

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