According to news reports, Sen. Lisa Murkowski made no such impassioned speech, nor will she be in Washington DC to vote for or against funding for our armed services:
One of the interesting ramifications of Wackowski's statements may be that Alaska's most prestigious LBGTQ blog, Bent Alaska, which had appeared to be supporting Lisa Murkowski over Democratic Party nominee Scott McAdams, is now re-thinking that position. Here's Bent Alaska before yesterday's vote:On Tuesday U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski missed a Senate vote on discussing a bill that includes a provision allowing the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The fact that Senate Republicans were able to block debate on the bill without her is beside the point; the bigger issue is that Murkowski will be a rare sight in D.C. between now and Nov. 2.
"The only time we're expecting her to leave Alaska is to go to Ted Stevens' funeral," said Steve Wackowski, Murkowski's campaign spokesman.
Murkowski is running as a write-in candidate against Democrat Scott McAdams and Republican Joe Miller. She was the only member of the Senate not to show up to vote Tuesday.
Mike Brumas, Murkowski's Senate spokesman, confirmed that Murkowski would have voted "nay" on the cloture motion that would have ended a filibuster blocking discussion of the defense bill if she had been in D.C., along with the 40 Republicans present and two Democrats from Arkansas.
The word from DC is that Senator Murkowski is considering voting for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the military ban against openly serving gays and lesbians. LGR wrote that Murkowski is listening:Our DC staffer is on the Hill right now, and according to Senator Murkowski's staff, the Senator is more than willing to listen to the calls. Her official phone number is (202) 224-6665, though the Senate can be reached via (202) 224-3121. LGBT Alaskans should call her and ask for her to vote for the repeal and to start and end debate over this.
By 9 p.m. on Monday, Lisa's DC voicemail box was full for the day. If it's full on Tuesday, call her Anchorage office at 907-271-3735, Fairbanks at 907-456-0233 or toll free in Alaska at 1-877-829-6030. Her email contact form is HERE.
Subsequent to Murkowski skipping this important vote, Bent Alaska now writes:
In Alaska, we gave Senator Murkowski a chance to show her support for our troops and for fairness, to establish herself as the moderate candidate before the November election. Instead, she showed her loyalty to the GOP and gave in to the social conservatives who voted her out of office a few weeks ago.
She made her choice, now we will make our choice.
Out-of state blogs sought to encourage Murkowski to vote in favor of DADT, but their requests went unheeded. Murkowski is too busy making sure that Joe Miller will be your next U.S. Senator in Washington D.C. This will ensure that her legacy will be that of the only sitting U.S. Senator to be defeated TWICE by a teabagger.
The Anchorage Daily News appears to be silent on Murkowski's missed vote.
2 comments:
It is a shame when any person seeking a political office cannot live by the will of the people in her or his primary. It simply means that person thinks the position is her's or his by birth. Wonder where the will of the people went?
Should the dont ask dont tell law be repealed? I can only give my opinion from experience of being in the Army Transport Service in WW2, 5 years in the Army during Korea and 20 years at sea in the Merchant Marine. Living together 24/7 is not the easy unless there is respect and the belief that your buddy is there for you. On ships and in the Army I served with and were buddies with men who I knew were homosexual but they never dared to make a pass at me. Only on one occasion when at age 17 did I experience a man coping a feel of my posterior in a shower. I knocked him through an escape hatch in the door. Would I have been court martial for that today? I think before passing such a law that the military men and women should answer that!!!!
Post a Comment