GOP watch: Murkowski gets punished

"Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) is expected to take over as senior Republican on the Senate Energy panel after Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) lost the position Tuesday," The Hill reports. "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was behind the switch."

Renee Ellmers in NC-2 challenging Bob Etheridge has her first ad out, claiming Muslims want to build a "victory Mosque" at Ground Zero. An announcer says: "After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem and Cordoba and Constantinople, they built victory mosques," the ad's narrator says. "And now, they want to build a mosque by ground zero. Where does Bob Etheridge stand? He won't say."

"In theory, Members of Congress who post videos to their official websites are bound by the same rules that govern taxpayer-funded mail pieces: no overtly political or partisan messages, no mention of elections, no solicitation of support for legislation or a candidate," Roll Call writes. "But Rep. Darrell Issa appears to have figured out the print rules do not really apply to video."

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dangerfield

You know it's weird, but I was thinking again about the stages of loss or grief and how they relate to the current political scene. The media consensus is that Democrats are going to lose a lot of elections in Nov to republicans, and will probably lose their majority in the house. The senate is likely still theirs but the looming loss of control and harsh repudiation by the general electorate who so enthusiastically welcomed this new administration less than two years ago has led some to the brink and others over the edge and into a sense of personal loss.
While republicans can feel happy about the nov elections, they are facing an insurgency within their own party that has shaken the party establishment.

They have already lost a number of seats and fear the potential loss of the majority in their own party, though they are probably safe for this election cycle. Still the looming loss of control and the repudiation of many of their own in primary elections to insurgents, some of questionable electability just when it seemed like the party was on the verge of a possible clean sweep of both houses, has some on the brink and others over the edge with a sense of personal loss...

Democrats and republicans are both going through the 5 stages for similar reasons at the same time!
The republican old-guard is almost certainly being consumed in the flames of the "movement" as the "old" democratic party was consumed when opposition to the Vietnam war (mainly from democrats, despite a democratic president) created a "movement" that shook the Democratic establishment, split the party and resulted in the election of Richard Nixon over Hubert Humphery.

Democrats are in denial, disbelief, angry and depressed...
Republicans are in the anger and denial stages too. Look at Lisa Murkowski in Alaska. She went from denial to anger in a couple of days after losing the primary to an "insurgent". Both parties are seeming to face a major upheaval in the coming months. How they deal with the aftermath of the November elections, and their individual and different types of "loss" will have a major impact on the November election in 2012.

2 votes

#1 - Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:23 AM EDT

Handgunner

Good for McConnell - there is discipline involved in the management of party caucuses, and Murkowski's sore losership has been duly rewarded.

#1.1 - Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:38 AM EDT

Indie Woman in Denver

I don't much like Murkowski's posotions, but I have to say GOOD ON HER for standing up to the TP candidate in her state. Shame on Mitch McConnell for giving in to the baser instincts of his party just to stay on the good side of the TP'ers, as if that would be possible. They don't like him anymore than they like Harry Reid, because he's been in Washington too long.