Lisa Murkowski Of Alaska

The Ten Leading Heroes Of The Year 2021 In American Politics!

When one looks back at the year 2021, the following ten individuals, a very selective list and certainly not inclusive, stand out as heroes, people who upheld American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law.

We will begin with Republicans who demonstrated their statesmanship and courage:

Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming
Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska

The following Democrats also stand out for their statesmanship and courage:

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California
Congressman Adam Schiff of California
Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland
Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Voting Rights Takes Precedent Over The “Build Back Better” Bill!

A major aim of the Biden Presidency has been to promote “social infrastructure” through the “Build Back Better” legislation.

However, it has been tied up in process due to the opposition of Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema Of Arizona, and it is now clear that it cannot be accomplished before the end of this year, sadly.

But the aim now is to promote the guarantee of Voting Rights, preventing Republicans from destroying the suffrage rights of millions of Americans, so the push is on to make certain that the basic and fundamental right to vote is insured.

It is a crucial battle for the survival of democracy, and it can be accomplished by “reconcilation”, as long as there are 50 votes, and it is hoped possibly one or two Republican Senators, such as Lisa Murkowski of Alaska or Susan Collins of Maine, will cross the aisle if it determines the basic prevention of the loss of voting rights!

Fingers are crossed that this can be accomplished!

Conservative Anti Trumpers Need To Enter The Republican Presidential Race In 2024!

For the survival and continuation of the Republican Party, it is essential that conservative anti Trumpers enter the Republican Presidential race in 2024.

And if Donald Trump or one of his lackeys ends up as the GOP Presidential nominee, an anti Trumper, who has competed, needs to form a third party or independent movement to insure that Trump or his supporter is denied the Presidency in 2024!

Some candidates who might run include:

Larry Hogan Maryland Governor
Liz Cheney Wyoming Congresswoman
Adam Kinzinger Illinois Congressman
Ben Sasse Nebraska Senator
Mitt Romney Utah Senator and Presidential nominee in 2012
Lisa Murkowski Alaska Senator
John Kasich former Governor Ohio
Evan McMillan Independent Candidate for President 2020

Six Republican Senators Supported Creation Of Bipartisan January 6 Commission

Six Republican Senators ended up supporting creation of the bipartisan January 6 Commission, to do a thorough investigation of the US Capitol Insurrection, with the proposal failing 54-35 in the Senate last Friday.

Five of the six Republican Senators also supported conviction of Donald Trump on impeachment charges, including

Mitt Romney of Utah
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Susan Collins of Maine
Ben Sasse of Nebraska
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana

Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania was absent for the vote, but said he would have joined the others in support, as he did on the conviction of Trump.

Also, Rob Portman of Ohio, who did not support conviction of Trump on impeachment charges, joined the five above Senators in voting for the commission, and should be commended.

Richard Burr of North Carolina, who supported conviction of Trump, failed to vote on the legislation, but indicated he would not have supported such a commission.

Absolutely Brilliant Presentation By House Prosecutors In Donald Trump Second Impeachment Trial

America can be proud of the nine member House Prosecution in the Second Donald Trump Impeachment Trial.

Watching their presentation evokes great emotions, at the tragedy of what happened on January 6, 2021.

January 6, the day of the Capitol Insurrection, will always be remembered in the same vein as September 11, 2001; December 7, 1941; and November 22, 1963, as days of mourning.

Jamie Raskin, the leader of the nine prosecutors, made every decent American proud, but the other eight prosecutors also demonstrated how decent and patriotic they are, and they will be well remembered in the long run of history.

The fact that one extra Republican, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, joined five other Republicans in legitimizing the trial, was a good development, but eleven more Republicans need to join the six (including Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania) to convict Donald Trump, and prevent him ever running again for public office.

If the Republicans were a decent group, which they are not, that would happen, but is highly unlikely to occur!

Only Three Republican House Members Are Consistent On Donald Trump And Marjorie Taylor Greene!

An amazing reality, that only THREE House Republicans are consistent in their principles.

They voted for the impeachment of Donald Trump, and for the stripping of committee membership for QAnon follower and advocate of violence and lies, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

The three “heroes” were;

Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
Fred Upton of Michigan
John Katko of New York

All three will likely have major challenges for nomination to their seats in 2022, sadly, and it shows how corrupt and unprincipled the Republican Party has become.

It will be interesting to see how many Republican Senators vote to convict Donald Trump in his second upcoming impeachment trial, with only five voting to impeach him–Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

Republicans In Senate Try To Stop Second Trump Impeachment Trial: Total Disgrace!

The Republican Party used to be an honorable party, with some really good Senators and Congressmen, as well as Governors.

But now, the Republican Party is more than ever a Fascist oriented party, still backing Donald Trump despite his inciting the US Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021.

So today, the Republican Party in the Senate disgraced itself, with 90 percent of the 50 Senators, 45 out of 50, voting to try to stop the Second Trump Impeachment Trial, scheduled to start in two weeks.

Only Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, and Pat Toomey voted in favor of a trial, and even Mitch McConnell, who had condemned Trump for the Insurrection voted against having a trial.

The trial will go forward, but it seems clear that Donald Trump will escape conviction, and that will mean Donald Trump will NOT lose the right to seek public office again, creating a literal nightmare scenario that he could attempt to return to a political campaign again in 2024!

There should be a rule that those senators who voted against an impeachment trial should not be permitted to vote on Trump since they did not want a trial!

If only that was allowed, there would only be 55 votes and only 37 would be needed for conviction!

The Witness And Testimony Issue Can Be Resolved If The Republicans Wish It In The Donald Trump Impeachment Trial

John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser, and other witnesses, including Mick Mulvaney at the least, need to testify in the Donald Trump Impeachment Trial, and Chief Justice John Roberts needs to step in and rule on this matter, with the help of at least three Republican Senators.

It seems as if Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski are ready to vote for witnesses and testimony, and also, Lamar Alexander, Pat Toomey, Rob Portman and Jerry Moran seem leaning that way.

If all of these seven support each other, or at least four, then it will occur, but if not, Roberts needs to intervene if there is a 50-50 tie in the Senate.

It may not change the final vote on conviction, requiring two thirds to remove Donald Trump, but the trial, in order not to be a sham, MUST have witnesses and testimony, and Roberts has the responsibility to intervene if necessary!

Midterm Election History In First Presidential Midterms Since 1946, And Likelihood Of Results Of Midterm Elections In 2018

With the Midterm Elections of 2018 upon us in less than two weeks, it is time to analyze midterm election results in the first such elections after a new President has come to office, starting with Harry Truman in 1946 and all the way through to Barack Obama in 2010.

We are discussing 12 Presidents and how they were factors in the midterm elections which followed their entering the Presidency.

Six of the 12 Presidents entered that first midterm election with their popularity in public opinion polls under 50 percent—with the order of lack of popularity being lowest to highest the following—Truman, Reagan, Lyndon B. Johnson, Obama, Clinton, and Carter. Notice this list is all Democrats except for Reagan.

The other six Presidents were above 50 percent popularity at the time of the first midterm elections–from the highest to the lowest being George W. Bush, Kennedy, Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, Nixon, Ford. Notice this list is all Republicans except for Kennedy.

The record shows that only George W. Bush and Kennedy saw the best results, with Bush seeing a gain of 8 House seats and 1 Senate seat, in the year after September 11, and Kennedy losing 4 House seats but gaining 2 Senate seats in the weeks after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

And George H. W. Bush, Nixon, and Eisenhower midterms showed respectively 8 House seats and 1 Senate seat lost; 12 House Seats lost and 1 Senate seat gained; and 18 House seats and 1 Senate seat lost.

Only Ford, three months after taking over the Presidency, and with still a high public opinion rating of 54 percent, but the Nixon Watergate Scandal still reverberating with Ford’s pardon of Nixon, do we see a major loss of 48 House seats and 4 Senate seats lost.

Meanwhile, those six Presidents with a lower than 50 percent public opinion poll rating at the first midterm of their Presidency saw a much greater loss, with Carter having the smallest loss, 15 House seats and 3 Senate seats lost with a 49 percent rating.

Reagan, with a 42 percent rating, lowest except for Truman, saw a loss of 26 House seats but one Senate seat gained.

The other four Presidents—Johnson, Clinton, Truman, Obama—suffered far worse losses—with Johnson losing 48 House seats and losing 4 Senate seats, the same as Ford, who had ten points higher public opinion rating of 54 percent to LBJ’s 44 percent.

Clinton, Truman, and Obama, all Democrats,lost massively in seats in both houses of Congress—Clinton losing 54 House seats and losing 8 Senate seats; Truman losing 55 House seats and losing 12 Senate seats; and Obama losing 63 House seats and losing 6 Senate seats.

What all this leads to is the strong belief that Donald Trump, with 47 percent approval rating most recently, will see a major loss of House seats for sure, and the guess at this time, after much reflection, is that it will be between 40-45 seats. In the Senate, with the great Republican advantage in only having 9 seats open for election, and the Senate having a 51-49 Republican margin, the odds of the Democrats holding on to their seats and gaining two or more of the nine contested Republican seats would seem to lead likely to a 50-50 tie, meaning a one seat Democratic gain, but still a Republican controlled Senate at 50-50, whereby Vice President Mike Pence will still organize the Senate for the next two years. This so unless there is a move by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted against Brett Kavanaugh, and has been attacked by her state’s Republican party leadership, to switch to Independent or Democratic support, and giving the Senate to the Democrats.

The Governorships generally follow Congressional results, and are extremely important for reapportionment of state legislative districts and US House districts after the Census 2020 population figures are tabulated, so having more Governors of one party over the other are crucial. At this point, it would seem likely that the Democrats will gain from 16 present Governorships by 10-11, and have 26-27 Chief Executives of states.

So overall, a Democratic gain to a majority of House seats to about 235-240 and 26-27 Governorships, but likely a tied 50-50 Senate, putting the results worse for Trump than for Reagan in the House and Senate, but not as bad as for Ford among Republican Presidents.

Unwise For Republicans To Denounce Lisa Murkowski, And Democrats To Denounce Joe Manchin: They Could Switch Parties After Midterm Elections

Now that the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has been accomplished, by the smallest margin since 1881, there is discussion in both political parties about retribution to be paid for the one Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and the one Democratic Senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who broke ranks in their parties and voted against the party line.

This is very unwise, and could reverberate after the midterm elections are completed.

What if the US Senate ends up with a 50-50 split, which would give Vice President Mike Pence the ability to organize the Senate for the Republicans?

If Lisa Murkowski is angry in November, she could decide to switch parties, becoming a Democrat, as long as the party promised, with her 16 years of Senate experience, to give her a committee chairmanship. That would make the Senate 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans, backfiring on the Republicans.

Or what if the Senate became 51-49 Democratic, and Joe Manchin decided to switch to the Republican Party, making a 50-50 tie, giving Mike Pence the ability to organize the Senate for the Republicans?

What it comes down to is that no political party should punish its members because they are not always in lockstep with their party.

There is no reason why all Democrats have to be to the left of center, and all Republicans have to be to the right of center.

In the past, there were a lot of people who “crossed the aisle” on a regular basis, and accomplished great goals, as for instance Lyndon B. Johnson gaining support of many Republicans for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 due to his ability to work with Republican Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen.

Another instance was a deal on Social Security reform in 1983 between Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill.

The only way to move ahead is to overcome the confrontational, no holds barred rhetoric, that now has made Congress such an inept institution, and promote willingness of both parties to negotiate and compromise for the good of the nation and its future.