Sen. Lisa Murkowski appeared at a “No Labels” conference on Thursday and what she said has a lot of folks on the right talking.
She claimed that she wasn’t attached to the label of “Republican.” She said she was more of a Ronald Reagan Republican than a “Trump Republican.”
Advertisement
“[S]ome would say, well you’re not really a Republican at all,” she said. “You can call me whatever you want … I’m not attached to a label. I’d rather be that no label.”
Murkowski explained she was “more comfortable with that identity” than with an “identity … as a Republican, as a party person.” She claimed she wanted to “do right by this state” regardless of party.
But she still professed to be a Republican saying she “never shed my party label.”
The conference involved “600 citizen supporters” and “No Labels national leaders.” President-elect Donald Trump received 312 electoral votes and more than 77 million votes nationally. He won by more than 13 points in Alaska, 54.5 to 41.4 for Harris. That’s a big mandate from Alaska for Donald Trump. So if you’re trying to do what the state wants, the state wants Donald Trump and his agenda.
Her remarks had a lot of people talking and this video went viral on X with a lot of criticism. Murkowski said she thought it was going to “be hard in the next four years.”
🚨Sen. Lisa Murkowski laments that there will be accountability to voters for obstructing Trump’s cabinet picks:
“The approach is going to be everybody toe the line, everybody line up. If you want to survive, you better be good. Don’t get on Santa’s naughty list here because we… pic.twitter.com/pPsVtZqhHS
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 13, 2024
Advertisement
“The approach is going to be everybody line up. If you want to survive, you better be good. Don’t get on Santa’s naughty list here because we will primary you.” She mentions Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and her questions about SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth, but Ernst had already indicated she was supportive of Hegseth by the time Murkowski made these remarks.
READ MORE: NEW: Ernst Signals Hegseth Vote Following Second Meeting
“Why are we doing this to ourselves?” Murkowski continued. “So I think we’re getting a little bit of a preview now of what it’s going to mean to be allegiant to party. And I don’t think that’s going to help us as a Republican Party, believe it or not. And I think it’s going to energize the Democrats and charge up the Democrats to say the Republicans are going to overreach, they’re going to overreact, so we’re going to have an opportunity.”
So here’s the thing. It should surprise no one that voters who voted in Trump should want Republican senators to support the nominees Trump has put forth, in order to implement his agenda. That’s why they put him in office — so he could implement the agenda they want. It’s not even “allegiant to party” — it’s being allegiant to the voters. If the voters don’t like what you are doing, then yes, they are going to primary you and try to vote you out.
Advertisement
That’s how the process works. You’re supposed to represent them. And supporting the nominees isn’t going to “energize the Democrats” — not supporting the nominees is going to energize the Democrats. If Trump’s agenda is put into place it’s going to reduce the control of the Democrats and benefit Americans and the entire country.
If a “Republican” doesn’t get that, that’s a problem.
There’s a story that Mr. Miyagi tells in “The Karate Kid” of which I am fond.
