The Daily Escape:
Wrongo wrote here about Republican politicians behaving with deference to power in their Party and a fear of standing out:
“Standing up to Trump would mean risking access to donors, media cycles, committee power, and the favor of a political ecosystem that now functions more like a loyalty marketplace than a deliberative body.”
Finally a Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said on-camera what many elected officials have said off camera and off the record: They’re afraid of MAGA retaliation:
“We are all afraid,…I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
More from CNN:
“The senator’s candid comments gained national news attention on Thursday…when Murkowski spoke with a group of Alaska nonprofit leaders. Thankfully the publication had a multimedia journalist there, too, so there is YouTube video of the exchange.”
More from Murkowski:
“We are all afraid….It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
Credit Murkowski for giving voice to her fears. But there’s nothing really keeping her from leaving the Republican Party and caucusing with the Democrats besides fear. In 2010, she lost the Republican Party’s nomination to serve another term, but ran in the general election as a write-in candidate and won. Then, in 2022, the Alaska Republican Party endorsed a challenger, as did Donald Trump, but she won the nomination anyway. This was despite her decision to vote to convict Trump in his Second Impeachment Trial.
Despite her long tenure in the Senate and accrued seniority, she is relegated by Republicans to chairing the Committee on Indian Affairs. To be sure, this is an important position for her state which has a large indigenous population, but it keeps her on the sidelines for the most important policy debates within the Party. She has a position on the Appropriations Committee, but she’s watching Elon Musk usurp that committee’s authority to control how money is spent.
She has said that the potential cuts she is most stressed by are broad changes to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the National Endowment for the Humanities, because of the disproportionately large impact they have on Alaskans. She also said she was unnerved by how USAID had “just been obliterated,” and by threats to end Ukrainian refugee resettlement inside the U.S.
These are issues she shares in common with Democrats.
Murkowski also said that amid recent rumors that AmeriCorps would be terminated, she’d texted Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to try to register her concerns, but wasn’t clear how effective that kind of access to the White House might ultimately prove:
“I share this with you not to say that we don’t know anything, but I’m saying that things are happening so fast through this Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE … none of us understand the half of it,….It’s literally piecing it together.”
It’s understandable that she fears speaking up will put her physical and political security at risk, as well as potentially harm the constituents she represents. Giving open expression to those fears is a form of bravery. People need to drop their fear and get angry. Not enough good people are angry, including Murkowski.
She could become an independent and caucus with the Democrats. The Democrats can offer her the ranking member position on Indian Affairs and a continued position on the Appropriations Committee.
From BooMan:
“Hershel “Woody” Williams was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient to have fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He said ‘if fear overtakes you and becomes the dominant instinct, you cannot operate. You cannot operate under fear. Your brain won’t let you.’”
Murkowski isn’t just worried about a nasty tweet; Trump has an army out there to be afraid of.
Appeasement doesn’t get you anywhere. It just raises the stakes. So Murkowski should switch Parties. It would help conquer the fear while making it more likely that the issues she cares about are addressed.


