Murkowski says she opposes Kavanaugh's nomination, but will vote 'present'

The Hill ^ | 10/05/18 | JORDAIN CARNEY

[yesthatjallen]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said Friday evening that she opposed Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, becoming the only Republican senator to come out against President Trump's nominee.

"I will be a no tomorrow," Murkowski said in a speech on the Senate floor after describing how she had come to lean against voting to confirm Trump's second nominee to the high court in a final vote on Saturday.

But Murkowski said that in the final tally she would ask that her vote be recorded as "present," saying she was doing it as a courtesy to Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who is slated to attend his daughter's wedding back home on Saturday.

"I do this because a friend, a colleague of ours is in Montana this evening and ... he's going to be walking his daughter down the aisle and he won't be present to vote," Murkowski said. "I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend. It will not change the outcome of the vote."

Murkowski, who voted against ending debate on Kavanaugh earlier in the day Friday, said during her speech on the Senate floor that she "was leaning toward supporting Judge Kavanaugh in his nomination."

"But we know that in our role of advice and consent, it is not just the record itself. There is more that is attached to it," she added, mentioning "matters of temperament" and "demeanor."

Murkowski announced her decision hours after it became clear that Kavanaugh had enough votes to be confirmed.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced during her own speech on the Senate floor earlier Friday that she would back his nomination ahead of a final vote set for Saturday afternoon.

Collins's support gave Republicans the necessary 50 votes to allow Vice President Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary. Collins was soon joined by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who said he would vote for Kavanaugh, giving him the support of 51 senators.

Murkowski said Friday night that she agreed with many of Collins's comments defending Kavanaugh, saying she didn't think he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade or represented a threat to protections for people with preexisting conditions.

But she indicated that her confidence in his nomination was not high enough to bring herself to voting for him, given controversy swirling around allegations of sexual assault leveled against the nominee.

The Alaska senator acknowledged that it appeared that Kavanaugh would be seated on the Supreme Court "without my vote."

Murkowski pointed to Kavanaugh's combative testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, saying "that appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable."

She called the bitter nomination process for Kavanaugh "horrible" and "gut-wrenching," saying it had left "good people ... needlessly hurt."

[nopardons]

GREAT POST!

[haircutter]

DJT...OWNS HIS OWN PLANE...

one of his son’s can escort the Senator to the Capital..he can get to the Montana airport by police escort...he can get the same service from Washington airport to capital...

VOTE...make the return trip...meanwhile the wedding party can watch it all on a big screen TV... and then Party all night long...bet they all like Beer too...(wink~wink)

[BradyLS]

Daines owes it to his constituents to be present for the vote. They didn’t elect him to go to his daughter’s wedding when important votes that effect their welfare are being taken.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I presume others have already written this but my eyes are tired so I’m going to just say what I think.

Murowski is a skunk, a scheming little bitch who should be put on notice that her political career is over, and here’s how to do it.

1. Form a “RECALL” committee/petition and see if they can reach the required number to force some kind of vote on her as a senator. I don’t have the requisite rules here but there should be a way that her voters can try to recall her.

If there is no way, just keep collecting signatures to let her know that a lot of sane Alaskans despite the scheming POS.

2. Reopen all investigations and start new ones, if necessary, into her political finances during the past 12 years, esp. regarding her Senate races. Let’s see if there were some “illegal helping hands” that Alaskans and Americans in general should know about.

3. Keep dogging her re her votes and positions. Flood the news media (printed, online and on the air) with good letters of complaint about her behavior, voting, comments. Be polite but be RELENTLESS.

4. If Sarah Palin is still living in Alaska by 2022, start promoting her campaign for Murkowski’s seat, if only to make Murk have to look over her shoulder every time she speaks, writes, votes, breathes.

Slogan: “Murkowski is through in 2022”

“Palin is Back and Is She Pissed”

“Backstabbers don’t deserve to serve in Congress”

“Murkowski’s so old she was friends with Benedict Arnold”.

Time to go on the offensive against people like her. No rest, no peace, no support!

[nopardons]

LOL...I'm doing both. :-)

And whilst you are happy at tonight's outcome of the game, I'm not. Oh well...things can always change. :-)

[mrsmith]

I’ll just assume you were too excited to get my point.

Which is that pairing Murk’s vote takes care of the quorum issue; and Daine’s absence makes that possible for her.
So: ‘Kabuki!’ IMO.

[Repeal The 17th]

“... Form a “RECALL” committee/petition ...”
-
There is no provision for that.

[Cedar]

Agree. He needs to vote BEFORE leaving D.C., not any of this maybe “flying back if needed” suggestions.

Don’t leave D.C. Vote first, then go to the wedding.

This is not difficult. Whether the votes are there or not, it is the right thing to do as an elected Senator. If guiding principles are constantly chipped away, this country will not last for long.

Go vote first, Senator. Think of the young lives lost in the American Revolution. There has been a great price paid for you and your daughter.

[nopardons]

W-R-O-N-G !

Sol his daughter is getting married, the date and time can't be changed, but his fault or not, that insanity has ruled the day in the Senate, it is still his DUTY and RESPONSIBILITY to be in D.C. to vote! He has been playing games: will he/won't he, maybe yes, maybe no, perhaps, "SUNDAY IS ALSO IFFY" ( he has said and what the bleeding HELL makes the day AFTER the wedding SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO important and urgent? ) for days.

He is NOT a necessary participant at this wedding; his being there won't make it illegitimate/null & void!

Emergencies pop up all the time, for different kinds of jobs and those people show up...no matter what, or are docked pay and or fired!

WHAT MAKES DAINES SOOOOOOOOOOO "SPECIAL", TO SIMPLY PLAY THE GAMES HE HAS AND OBVIOUSLY STILL IS PLAYING?

He isn't dying, there's NO emergency that he MUST deal with, yet oh gee, it's his daughter's wedding and that should take preference over his duties and this nation's best interests? Not as far as I'm concerned, it isn't!

And who gives a flying whatever, as to what Lisa M does or doesn't claim or do now? That's NO EXCUSE for him shirking his duty!

[Spunky]

I am pretty sure it even went out to every Democrat voter via e-mail or facebook because on Sept.30 someone close to me through marriage (a Democrat) posted this on facebook. She starts out by saying she doesn't usually talk politics (which she doesn't) but then after some words she then said this. "His theatrics have no room on the bench. Being emotionally driven is not a characteristic I would look for.

[nutmeg]

Wow! I heard Rush talking about that photo on his show today, but didn’t see it until now. FeinSwine really DOES look like Frankenstein in that pic!

[unlearner]

“You weren’t part of the small hectoring, un/illeducated group last night and IF my post led you to imagine that I was accusing you of doing the same, I’m sorry that I wasn’t more specific/clear about that.”

No worries. I saw how things were getting heated on the subject last night and decided I would be smart not to chime in. I certainly have had more than my share of heated arguments on this forum and am trying to temper that because it is unproductive and we are on the same team (with very rare exceptions).

“I was raised to honor and take seriously duty, responsibility, and accepting nothing less from others.That actually used to be NORMAL and those who ignored or shirked their duties and/or responsibilities were looked down on, condemned, and found wanting!”

That’s a very good point. I think if Daines chose to be at the vote regardless, it would send a very strong message on how important it is. However, I think the watershed is whether his vote is going to be needed in order to get the confirmation done.

There are a number of options to be sure his vote counts. You’ve mentioned some. If there is any chance his vote will be required (which I think it will not) I believe Senate rules would allow him to fly back from the wedding and announce what he intended to vote even if he missed the roll call.

Life in politics and the military have in common the challenges of balance between job duties and family duties. I admire people such as yourself who are willing and able to make great personal sacrifices out of principle. But I also believe we have to leave some room for a man’s personal choice in a situation like this.

I would have liked to see him announce that his daughter is being married Saturday, he needs help fulfilling his familial and senatorial duties simultaneously, but also make it clear that if his vote is needed he is willing to miss his own daughter’s wedding. That would have been a commendable way to announce it.

“Because you keep throwing GOD into a secular conversation and GOD’s word, in the BIBLE, upholds my point of view, vis-a-vis duty and responsibility.”

I assume that most people on this forum defer to the authority of the Bible. I realize that not everyone does, AND, more importantly, not everyone agrees on how to apply the Bible. So I’m not meaning to beat you over the head with it. My point about Christ attending a wedding though is simply to advocate that a wedding is very meaningful so that it is preferable to not have to choose between two competing duties. Ideally we can fulfill both kinds.

The Democrats basically started a war on this nomination (if not before it). So your analogy is valid. Our senators have a sacred duty to defend our liberties. Just try to keep in mind that the ability to celebrate a wedding is one of the reasons for fighting this war. So, to me for Daines AND other senators and the president to seek to make sure the wedding is not disrupted is something to put in the plus column.

You’ve got some valid points, and I in no way intend to demean you or your position on what Daines’ duty is. Hopefully we can respectfully disagree because we are on the same side of this battle.

[Vlad The Inhaler]

What’s that all about???

"Sen. Feinstein Corners Sen. Murkowski Ahead Of Hearing"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/sen-feinstein-corners-sen-murkowski-ahead-of-kavanaugh-hearing/vi-BBNCd4y

9/27/2018

"A photo from the CBS News Capitol Hill team shows Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein cornering Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski,
a swing vote who could upend Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination.

Murkowski is one of at least four undecided Republican senators, along with Susan Collins, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker.
If two of them vote "no," Kavanaugh's path to a confirmation is nearly impossible.

[nopardons]

You have NO point and obviously don’t care that your tax money is going to man who REFUSES to do what his JOB requires him to do! That’s where you fail!

[Signalman]

Can we trust her?

[a little elbow grease]

"Fein-Kenstein"

_____________

LOL ..... Picasso's DiFi.

********

[Scott from the Left Coast]

“Well, that ended her career!”

Thank God...if any career needed ending it’s this one.

[Secret Agent Man]

Present does nothing. De facto No.

May as well have some guts for her convictions, which everyone knows, and just go on record for a No.

[Secret Agent Man]

zero difference, its a safe space vote.

[Secret Agent Man]

#repealthe19th