Murkowski to vote 'present' on Kavanaugh so Daines won't have to leave daughter's wedding

[Donkees]

Updated 10:30 PM ET, Fri October 5, 2018

Excerpt:

Washington (CNN)Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday that she remains a "no" on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh but will vote "present" for Saturday's final vote, which won't affect Kavanaugh's confirmation but will allow Sen. Steve Daines to stay at his daughter's wedding in his home state instead of flying to Washington to cast his supporting vote.

Daines, a Montana Republican who has supported Kavanaugh's nomination, has been scheduled to attend his daughter's wedding on Saturday for months and made it clear he wouldn't be skipping the ceremony.

"I will be a 'no' tomorrow," Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said on the Senate floor. "I will, in the final tally, be asked to be recorded as present and I do this because a friend, a colleague of ours, is in Montana this evening, and tomorrow at just about the same hour we're going to be voting, he's going to be walking his daughter down the aisle and he won't be present to vote."
"I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend," she added. "It will not change the outcome of the vote."

If no senators change their votes from Friday's cloture roll call, the final tally will sit at 50-48 at Saturday's final confirmation vote, enough for Republicans to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court with no senator holding the sole deciding vote.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/05/politics/lisa-murkowski-senate-vote-present-kavanaugh/index.html

[global1]

1. Weasel Way Out....

She could now have it both ways. Can say she was on record to vote 'no' but voted 'present' as a courtesy for a friend. And she can also say she didn't vote 'no' on Kavanaugh.

It just depends what group she's talking to.

Also can make campaign ads both ways. It's just a disingenuous weasel way out.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

30. disingenuous ...perfect adjective--decribes repubs to a tee!

dis·in·gen·u·ous
ˌdisənˈjenyo͞oəs/Submit
adjective
not candid or sincere.
synonyms: insincere, dishonest, untruthful, false, deceitful, duplicitous, lying, mendacious; hypocritical. Ex.
"that innocent, teary-eyed look is just part of a disingenuous act"


Note: example given (take from online dictionary ) seems as though it was written for the likes of kavanaugh and gop with their usual chicanery on display.

[PoliticAverse]

2. Kavanaugh gets approved, she gets credit for a 'No', Daines doesn't have to fly back. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

3. Force the sob to fly back. Geesh

[dalton99a]

4. How thoughtful of her

[Autumn]

5. How sweet of her. So considerate.

So fucking considerate.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Let's see her sell that reasoning to her Alaska Native constituents.

You expect your Senator to stand up for your interests, and Alaska Natives (who are the reason she's in office) flew all the way to D.C. to let her know what they expected of her, and that was a "No vote." Choosing not to vote at all because of some bullshit reason about not wanting to bother another senator's vacation plans (because that's what it really is) is the least courageous action she could have taken. I hope Alaskan Natives turn on her and kick her frozen ass out.

[MichMan]

19. Why would Alaskan Natives be voting for a Republican in the first place?

Much less providing the votes that allowed her to defeat a Democratic opponent.

[mainstreetonce]

7. I can see someone doing that but it shouldn't be her

Her NO is important.
Let someone else vote present.

[tritsofme]

25. In order for such a scheme to work, Daine's "yes" must be paired another senator's "no"

Since Murkowski is the only GOP “no” vote, she is the only one who could pair, unless a Democratic senator was willing to play along.

[BeckyDem]

8. This is evidence how they fuck up everything they touch.

[dflprincess]

9. She's a spineless fraud

Daines can make his own decisions about what matters to him.

[Girard442]

10. A pity Kav can't make the wedding.

I hear he's really the life of the party after he's loosened up with a coupla-three drinks.

[MineralMan]

13. Uh...that might cause a problem for you.

Maybe it's worth it. I don't know.

[WhiteTara]

14. I'm quoting Samantha Bee.

[MineralMan]

15. I know. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't

[moriah]

17. Quoting hasn't been the best defense in the last 72 hours....

... even when quoting something far less obscure than Yoko Ono.

Thanks for deciding on discretion.

[duforsure]

12. She needs to go

He openly lied over and over again, and he WAS linked to hurting women but they refused to allow the FBI to show anything other than what they wanted so he would pass. She's a fraud and will be done soon enough for this.

[Snake Plissken]

16. It's okay for your daughter to be raped, but I wouldn't want you to miss her wedding

[Garrett78]

18. I wonder if it's a Russian Orthodox wedding.

[k8conant]

29. Nah, but hah! Christian Reformed fundy split-off from Dutch Reformed

[libdem4life]

20. I think she did the right thing. A daughter's wedding is a milestone in a family.

He should not be penalized for it. I have more and more respect for her .every day. She does the right thing. And it will increase her popularity in Arizona as she gets to have it both ways....as fate would have it...unlike Susan Collins.

[moriah]

24. Um, she's from Alaska, don't think Arizona's opinion matters.

Being from Arkansas (AR), which people will assume looking at the abbreviation is Arizona (AZ) or address our packages to Alaska (AK), I'm understanding of how the confusion can occur. And I am sure Alaskans get annoyed at their packages getting addressed to Alabama (AL).

Thank the FSM for zip codes or mail wouldn't get anywhere.

[libdem4life]

27. True story...no accounting for state codes. Thanks for the state code check. n/t

[MGKrebs]

21. "with no senator holding the sole deciding vote. "

I don't understand this.
Even if she voted 'no' it would be 50-49. So is it really Manchin she is protecting?

[MGKrebs]

22. My understanding:

Manchin, the only Dem to support Kav, didn't want to be the deciding vote. If Murk were to vote no, he WOULD be the deciding vote, and maybe would even change his vote to no, killing the nom.

[PufPuf23]

23. Pathetic excuse by Murkowski on why not voting NO on Kavanaugh

Let Daines be there to cast a vote.

Politician BS.

[SomethingNew]

26. This affects one person and his family.

It doesn't change the outcome of the vote or the margin of the final tally. It doesn't allow for any wiggle room to deny the vote come election time since all of this was so we'll publicized. The only person it affects is the guy trying to go to his daughter's wedding and his daughter. I don't think anyone should be discouraging this out of spite or pettiness.

[libdem4life]

28. I totally agree. Don't hold it against her. We still must be a nation of cultural civility. n/t

[rusty fender]

31. How collegial of her!

[oberliner]

32. And she's the least awful Republican senator today

[DeminPennswoods]

33. The vote will be 50-48-1

If Manchin would decide to vote no, it would be 49-49. If Murkowski then decided to vote no instead of a present, it would be 49-50. Then the vote would be held open until Daines returned and voted yes to make it 50-50 and Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote for Kavanaugh.

Murkowski did Daines, who is up for re-election in 2020, a big favor by allowing him to avoid being the deciding vote on Kavanaugh, but that's about it.

[JCanete]

36. That's way too much. nt

[JDC]

34. Convictionless coward hiding behind a shredded veil of "courtesy."

[Tired_Democrat]

37. Swamp

Yes, these spineless swamp creatures are worthless! Hope Karma finds them all!

[JCanete]

35. edit...whoops, forgetting my senators...I guess an abstaining is better than nothing for an R. nt

Last edited Sat Oct 6, 2018, 05:20 PM - Edit history (1)