WHAT courtesy???
“’I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend.’”
“WHAT courtesy???”
“How is this different than a no vote?”
Sen. Steve Daines is a Republican senator from Montana who is a “yes” on Kavanaugh. But his daughter’s wedding is tomorrow.
A lot of FReepers have been giving this guy hell for announcing he had to be at the wedding. Come on, does anyone here not comprehend that wedding can cost a fortune and you can not simply change the time, date, and location? People often fly in, book hotels, have tight schedules.
It is very reasonable for Daines to seek accommodation for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. He had no way of knowing a year or two earlier that his daughter’s wedding would happen to be on the day of a vote that will change the course of history. In fact, this will make his daughter and son-in-law’s anniversary that much more memorable. They’ll probably name their first son Brett.
Anyway, an agreement was reached in which his absence would not impact the outcome of the vote. It gives Murkowski a little cover for her breaking with the party. I’m not prepared to cut her any slack, but Daines is on the right side and can celebrate with the rest of us patriotic, pro-life Americans.
To clarify on the technical aspects of this agreement: Murkowski is a “no” vote. Daines is a “yes” vote. He will be absent, but Murkowski will change her vote to “present” which will have the same overall impact as if Daines were there to cast his “yes” vote.