#sen. lisa murkowski

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

He’s too old. He rambles and makes no sense. There are legitimate concerns about his mental and physical fitness to be president.

But Donald Trump, 78, didn’t raise much concern among Republicans this week when, during a campaign rally, he incoherently wandered through his remarks, went off on a bizarre tangent about a “beautiful waitress” and attacked a former political adversary as a “fat pig.”

“Did you ever hear of Hannibal Lecter?” Trump said at one point, comparing the fictitious cannibal to people who are allegedly coming to the United States from psychiatric wards.

The alarming display by the GOP presidential hopeful certainly raises questions about his ability to potentially lead the country should he win the election in November. He’s already raising serious concerns over his stated plans as president for another four years.

But it is President Joe Biden who continues to face intense scrutiny about his fitness for office, with at least a dozen congressional Democrats openly calling for him to step aside for a younger presidential nominee. Dozens of other Democratic lawmakers are privately expressing concerns about Biden following his disastrous performance in last month’s presidential debate.

Republicans on Capitol Hill aren’t asking the same questions about their nominee. On the contrary, they say that Trump is perfectly fit and mentally stable to serve in the White House.

“It’s just about ability,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), 53, said Thursday. “I mean, I know people that are younger than me that I wouldn’t want to be president. And I know people almost twice my age that could run circles around most people around here. So it’s not an age thing as much as it is mental acuity and the energy and the focus.”

Rubio, who has been mentioned as Trump’s possible vice presidential pick, said the 78-year-old seems totally up for the job of president again because “the guy is awake at 12 midnight and he’s awake at six and five in the morning.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who is a doctor, said he thinks there is a biological difference between the two men.

“There’s a physiological age and there’s a chronological age, and there’s not always a comparison, right?” Cassidy told HuffPost. “It’s unfair [for] people of any age to assume that everybody at the same age is exactly the same. If you ask any woman if a man of 25 is as mature as a woman of 25, what do you think the woman’s going to say?”

“The point is that there are differences even for people at the same age,” he concluded.

Trump was known for keeping a light schedule by the tail end of his presidency. He often didn’t show up to work until near midday, with plenty of off-hours in his schedule, which White House staff billed as his “Executive Time.” More recently, during his criminal hush money trial in May, Trump often had trouble keeping his eyes open, appearing to doze off in court on multiple days.

Several former Trump aides have questioned his mental acuity and declared him unfit for office, including former chief of staff John Kelly, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and some members of Trump’s Cabinet. They collectively said he lacks the temperament, values and character to be president, and cited actions he took while in office, the least of which was seeking to overturn an election he lost, which culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

“Mr. Trump has shown a character unworthy of the responsibilities of the presidency. He has demonstrated an utter lack of respect for the Constitution, the rule of law and the American people,” wrote the editorial board of The New York Times, which also called on Biden to step aside, on Thursday, declaring Trump unfit for the presidency.

“Instead of a cogent vision for the country’s future, Mr. Trump is animated by a thirst for political power: to use the levers of government to advance his interests, satisfy his impulses and exact retribution against those who he thinks have wronged him,” they wrote.

To Republicans on Capitol Hill, however, Trump is a lock for the presidency, especially now that Biden is facing an open rebellion within his party (voters perceived Biden’s age as a far greater liability even before the debate).

For all his ills, a Trump win in November could deliver the GOP total control of Congress and the White House, unlocking a path for their conservative agenda, including another round of tax cuts and possibly even more seats on the Supreme Court.

And Republicans say Trump simply looked better on the debate stage standing next to Biden in Atlanta last month.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), 72, said Thursday. “He seems as sharp as he ever was. Let’s face it, not all 78-year-olds or all 81-year-olds are the same. I think President Biden is obviously experiencing some challenges that I don’t see in President Trump.”

Not all GOP lawmakers were quick to draw sharp differences between Biden and Trump, though.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a Trump critic, noted that they are the two oldest major party candidates to seek the U.S. presidency.

“They’re both two older white men,” Murkowski said.

Some Democrats have emphasized it’s worth highlighting the major differences between the two that have little to do with age.

“One has a record you can be proud of, the other has a record you don’t want to talk to your mom about,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a staunch Biden supporter, said Thursday on “The View.” “One, you’d be proud to shake his hand. The other, you’d wonder where that hand’s been.”

[simply-ivanka]

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN)

VOTE THESE PIECES OF SHIT OUT OF CONGRESS.

[cmesinic]

Let's get this ball rolling!!!

[mariacallous]

Senate Republicans voted Thursday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization nationwide.

The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 48-47. It needed 60 votes to advance. Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as unnecessary overreach and a political show vote.

“Why should we vote for a bill that fixes a non-existent problem? There’s not a problem. There’s no restrictions on IVF, nor should there be,” Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters.

The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to draw a contrast with Republicans over reproductive health care in the run up to the November elections. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republicans who voted against the bill, saying that they are being “pushed by the MAGA hard right.”

“These are the very same people who pushed to get rid of Roe in the Dobbs decision,” Schumer told CNN’s Erin Burnett on “OutFront” Thursday evening, referring to the blockbuster 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned a constitutional right to abortion. “We know what they’re up to. They want to get rid of IVF, they’re afraid to say it.”

Biden attacked Senate Republicans after the vote.

“Once again, Senate Republicans refused to protect access to fertility treatments for women who are desperately trying to get pregnant,” Biden said in a written statement. “And just last week, Senate Republicans blocked nationwide protections for birth control. The disregard for a woman’s right to make these decisions for herself and her family is outrageous and unacceptable.”

Republicans have criticized the Democrat-led legislation as unnecessary overreach and a political show vote.

The legislation the Senate will take up – the Right to IVF Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to receive IVF treatment as well as for doctors to provide treatment, which would override any attempt at the state level to restrict access.

The bill seeks to make IVF treatment more affordable by mandating coverage for fertility treatments under employer-sponsored insurance and certain public insurance plans. It would also expand coverage of fertility treatments, including IVF, under US military service members and veterans’ health care.

The IVF legislative package was introduced by Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington state, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

The vote comes after Alabama’s Supreme Court said, in a first-of-its-kind ruling earlier this year, that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death – a decision that reproductive rights advocates warned could have a chilling effect on infertility treatments.

While the state’s legislature took action aimed at protecting IVF in the wake of the ruling, Democrats argue that this is only one example of how access to reproductive health care is under threat across the nation.

Southern Baptist delegates, for instance, expressed alarm Wednesday over the way in vitro fertilization is routinely being practiced, approving a resolution lamenting that the creation of surplus frozen embryos often results in “destruction of embryonic human life.”

The IVF vote is the latest move by Democrats to bring up a bill expected to be blocked by Republicans. Last week, Senate Republicans voted to block a Democrat-led bill that would guarantee access to contraception.

Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that was unnecessary and overly broad, though GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill.

Republicans have introduced their own bills on IVF and contraception. GOP Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas have introduced a bill called the IVF Protection Act and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has put forward a separate bill to promote access to contraception.

Cruz and Britt attempted to pass their IVF legislation on the Senate floor Wednesday through a unanimous consent request, but Democrats blocked the effort.

Murray, who objected to the request, criticized the GOP bill, arguing that states could “enact burdensome and unnecessary requirements and create the kind of legal uncertainty and risk that would force clinics to once again close their doors.”

Under the IVF bill from Britt and Cruz, states would not be eligible for Medicaid funding if they prohibit access to IVF, but the legislation “permits states to implement health and safety standards regarding the practice of IVF,” according to a press release.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Igor Bobic at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON ― Last month, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump surprised almost everybody in the nation’s capital by floating a plan to require insurance companies to pay for the costs of in vitro fertilization for women who need it. On Tuesday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would do just that. It’s the second time in recent months that the GOP has filibustered the Right to IVF Act, Democratic legislation that, in addition to ensuring insurance coverage for such treatments, would also enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to receive IVF treatment as well as for doctors to provide it.

The vote fell largely along party lines, 51 to 44, short of the 60 votes the bill would’ve needed to advance. “Republicans want people to think they support IVF because they know how unpopular that position is. They want to keep their true agenda hidden from the public,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned during a press conference on the steps of the Capitol. He was flanked by his Democratic colleagues, who held up large photos of families who have used IVF. Democrats initially forced a vote on the bill in June after a ruling earlier this year by the Alabama Supreme Court that declared that frozen embryos can be considered children. IVF providers in the state responded by ceasing to offer services for fear of being held legally liable if embryos were destroyed. The GOP state legislature later passed a bill extending liability protections for IVF providers.

Republicans have insisted since then that they support IVF ― even if some in their evangelical base are opposed to the treatment ― as they seek to appeal to women voters ahead of November’s elections. “We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment,” Trump said in August when asked about IVF. “We’re going to be mandating that the insurance company pay.” Republicans have long opposed insurance mandates (spending years railing against the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, for example), and few in Congress expressed an interest in the former president’s suggestion. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally, said flat out he wouldn’t support it, while others voiced concerns about the cost of such a proposal.

Republicans, many of whom claim to support IVF protections, voted to block the Right To IVF bill from advancing on the Senate floor.

The only two GOPers who did vote in favor were Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.

This vote is why Republicans cannot be trusted to deal with IVF in a serious manner.

See Also:

The Guardian: Senate Republicans block bill to ensure IVF access for second time

Daily Kos: After all that talk, Senate Republicans block bill to protect IVF

[progressivepower]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski Says She ‘Could Not Vote’ For GOP Front-Runner Donald Trump http://dlvr.it/T3bPYQ

[reading-writing-revolution]

Lost Murkowski is so cute. Donald Trump has owned the GOP for almost 10 years now. She's just a coward.

[fierceawakening]

Leave em!

[foreverlogical]

● AK Ballot: Alaska voters made history in 2020 when they made their state the first in the nation to adopt a top-four primary with a ranked-choice general election, but conservatives tell the Alaska Beacon's James Brooks that they're close to qualifying a measure to repeal the system that would go before voters next year.

The campaign has until the start of the January legislative session to turn in about 27,000 valid signatures, a figure that represents 10% of the total number of votes that were cast in the most recent general election, and it must also hit certain targets in three-quarters of Alaska's 40 state House districts. One leader says that organizers have already gathered 30,000 petitions so far but will analyze them later to see if more are needed.

Under the current top-four system, all the candidates run on one primary ballot, and the four contenders with the most votes—regardless of party—advance to an instant-runoff general election. This method was first used last year in the special election to succeed the late GOP Rep. Don Young as Alaska's lone House member, a contest that ultimately saw Democrat Mary Peltola defeat former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin 51-49.

Conservatives both in Alaska and across the country were furious because Palin and another Republican, Nick Begich, outpaced Peltola by a combined 59-40 in the first round of tabulations. They blamed their surprise loss on instant-runoff voting rather than Palin's many failings or the Democrat's strengths.

"60% of Alaska voters voted for a Republican," griped Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, "but thanks to a convoluted process and ballot exhaustion—which disenfranchises voters—a Democrat 'won.'" But even without ranked-choice voting, Peltola still would have come in first, as she beat Palin 40-31. And since Begich took third with 28%, he may well still have lost a traditional primary to Palin had one been used.

Furthermore, a poll conducted right after the special by supporters of ranked-choice voting showed that Alaskans saw their new voting system as anything but "convoluted." Instead, 85% of respondents found it to be "simple," while 62% said they supported the new method.

Hard-right groups, though, soon had even more reasons to hate the new status quo. Thanks to the top-four system, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a rare Republican who's crossed party lines on high-profile votes, would no longer face what would almost certainly have been a tough GOP primary against Donald Trump's preferred candidate, former state cabinet official Kelly Tshibaka. (Murkowski famously lost her 2010 primary to a far-right foe but won the general through a write-in effort.)

Instead, Murkowski and Tshibaka easily advanced to the general election with Democrat Pat Chesbro and a little-known third Republican. Murkowski led Tshibaka 43.4-42.6 in the first round of general election tabulations, but the 10% of voters who supported Chesbro overwhelmingly broke for the incumbent and helped lift her to a 54-46 victory. Peltola also won her rematch with Palin 55-45 after initially leading her 49-26; unsurprisingly, both Palin and Tshibaka ardently back the effort to end the top-four system.

[mightyflamethrower]

The Red Tie Brigade, as I heard one conservative writer call them, show up each day at the courthouse in Manhattan and speak up to show support for former President Trump. Trump is under a gag order that prevents him from talking about the trial, especially the judge, the judge's Democrat fundraising daughter, and the jury members. 

So, the Republican politicians come from Washington and speak out to the press about the hush money trial going on. Trump can't so they do. It is a clever way to handle an unconstitutional gag order. 

Each day it is a group of men wearing dark suits and red ties, obviously coordinated, and a few women. The groups are mostly men, though. Donald Trump is a master marketer and this play by the Trump campaign is very effective. It shows support for Trump and it shows party unity. 

For example, here is a photo of some of the Trump supporters on Thursday.

A few politicians, such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Senator Rick Scott, showed up as the trial went into its first days. Senator Tim Scott came to support Trump. Trump's son Eric is a regular presence. Various Trump staffers show up, too. The interesting part has been the parade of current Republican senators and members of the House who show up. 

Senators J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville began this week's parade of Trump supporters. On Monday both of them spoke to the reporters outside the courthouse. New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird were with them. 

“Does any reasonable, sensible person believe anything that Michael Cohen says?” Vance told reporters outside of the criminal courthouse moments before Tuberville panned Cohen’s testimony as “an acting scene” and said he was a “serial liar.”

One day a group of those who are rumored to be on Trump's short list of potential running mates showed up. Among them were Vivek Ramaswamy, Governor Doug Burgam, and Rep. Byron Donalds. 

“The sooner that this scam trial can be concluded, the sooner that the president can get back to getting out campaigning and talking to the American people about the issues that matter to them,” Burgum told reporters as he bashed Cohen as a “serial perjurer.” Burgum later told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he was there “completely as a volunteer,” and “because I care about the future of this country and where it’s going.” Ramaswamy said, “I learned a lot from being in there in person. It is one of the most depressing places I have been in my life, but it is fitting because the only thing more depressing than the environment of that courtroom is what’s actually happening in there.”

The most notable supporter to make the trip from Washington was Speaker Mike Johnson. It's not a surprise that he supports Trump but the speaker coming to Manhattan and speaking to reporters was a big endorsement.

Johnson told reporters, “I called President Trump and told him I wanted to be here myself to call out what is a travesty of justice, and I think everybody around the country can see that. President Trump is a friend and I wanted to be here to support him.”

Trump values loyalty and this is a way for some to curry favor. He acknowledged those who are showing up for him.

“I do have a lot of surrogates, and they are speaking very beautifully, and they come from all over Washington, and they’re highly respected,” Trump told media. “And they think this is the biggest scam they’ve ever seen.”

Mitt Romney pooh-poohed the show of support, because, we're talking about Trump. And fellow Never Trump Republican Lisa Murkowski said it is ridiculous. 

Sen. Mitt Romney told reporters he thought it was difficult to watch what’s happening with the surrogates. “I think it’s a little demeaning to show up in front of a courthouse, and particularly one where we’re talking about an allegation of paying a porn star,” said Romney. “There’s a level of dignity and decorum that you expect to people who are running for the highest station in the land,” said Romney. “And going out and prostrating themselves in front of the public to try and apparently curry favor with the person who’s our nominee — it’s a little embarrassing.” “Do we have something to do around here other than watch a stupid porn trial?” said Murkowski.

Who thinks if the tables were turned and those two were involved in a sham trial, they'd want colleagues to show up for them? Trump Derangement always comes into play. 

The trial continues on Monday. There were no court proceedings on Friday that required Trump to be in the courtroom. He was able to go to his son Barron's high school graduation. Then he was the featured speaker at a fundraiser in Minnesota for the Republican Party. 

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Joe Manchin has a new rule when it comes to President Joe Biden’s judicial picks: If they don’t have Republican backing, he won’t vote for them.

The retiring West Virginia Democrat has quietly voted against several judicial picks this week, making for some close — though still ultimately successful — votes on the Senate floor. Manchin said there's a method to his opposition.

“Just one Republican. That’s all I’m asking for. Give me something bipartisan. This is my own little filibuster. If they can’t get one Republican, I vote for none. I’ve told [Democrats] that. I said, ‘I’m sick and tired of it, I can’t take it anymore,’” Manchin said in an interview Wednesday.

Manchin’s stance makes party-line nominees even trickier as the election nears, requiring total unanimity among the rest of the 51-member caucus unless a nominee has bipartisan support. At the moment, that might be enough to stop the nomination of Adeel Mangi to an appeals court; Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) came out in opposition to his nomination on Tuesday evening and he has no Republican support at the moment.

Bipartisan support for Biden's judicial picks can vary widely: Some get dozens of GOP votes, particularly if they are in red states where home-state senators approved the pick beforehand, while others get a total Republican blockade. And several GOP senators, like Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, are often inclined to cross party lines.

But Manchin said he needs to see more of an effort to get GOP votes.

“If they don’t have a Republican, I’m opposing. That’s my way of saying: 'I’m leaving this place, I’ve tried everything I can. Don’t tell me you can’t get one.' If you’ve got a decent person you can at least get one. Just go ask Lisa, go ask Susan, even Lindsey,” Manchin said. “Lisa and Susan both are not controlled by just voting party line, I know that. But you’ve got to ask them.”

Manchin also said he’s doing a little work on the side to preserve the legislative filibuster, even as its two strongest Democrat-aligned advocates — him and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) head for the exits. He said he’s telling donors to ask candidates “if they will commit to supporting and keeping the filibuster. If they don’t, you ought to think twice about it.”

[cmesinic]

A moment of clarity.

[dertaglichedan]

A number of Senate Republicans have continued to hold out on endorsing former President Donald Trump for 2024, after several inquiries from the Daily Caller.

Despite Trump’s positive polling and historic fundraising numbers since a New York City jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts against him, there are still several Republicans who will not say whether or not they will be supporting Trump in November.

The Caller reached out to every Senate Republican who has yet to endorse Trump, to ask why and if they would be soon.

Here Are The Senate Republicans Who Have Not Endorsed Trump:

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy

Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul

Maine Sen. Susan Collins

Indiana Sen. Todd Young

Romney, Young, Collins and Murkowski have all said they would not be voting for Trump in 2024

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Kaili Joy Gray at Daily Kos:

Sure, the Republican Party wants to convince voters they really aren’t that radical when it comes to reproductive rights. But voting against a bill to protect access to birth control isn’t the way to do it. On Wednesday, almost every Senate Republican voted to block the Right to Contraception Act—legislation that should be uncontroversial and unobjectionable. Only two Republicans, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voted to let the bill move forward. “The right to contraception is a fundamental right, central to a person’s privacy, health, wellbeing, dignity, liberty, equality, and ability to participate in the social and economic life of the Nation,” the bill states. So yes, you can see why Republicans—who don’t value any of those things—took issue with it. Of course, that’s not the justification they’re giving. “This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said. “It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.” Sure, it’s not illegal or unavailable now. But that’s hardly the point. The point is that there are plenty of Republicans who’ve said it should be illegal or at least unavailable or at least highly restricted.

Every Senate Republican except for Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) voted to attack birth control and contraception by not letting the Right To Contraception Act move from the cloture stage. The vote was 51-39, 9 short of breaking the filibuster.

[progressivepower]

Sen. Lisa Murkowski Is Considering Leaving The Republican Party http://dlvr.it/T4YMx2

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

Project2025 #CorpMedia #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #MeToo #Humanity #FeelTheBern

JinJiyanAzadi #BijiRojava Murkowski: GOP nominee without Trump’s ‘baggage’ would have clear path to victory

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4697428-murkowski-trump-verdict-gop-nominee-baggage/

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) expressed frustration Friday over what she called the “distractions” of former President Trump’s legal dramas and declared “a Republican nominee without this baggage would have a clear path to victory.”…