The Great Communicator, President Ronald Reagan, was known for more than a few choice pieces of wisdom, one of which was his famous 11th Commandment – “Thou shalt not publicly criticize another Republican,” along with pointing out that someone who disagrees with you 20 percent of the time is your ally 80 percent of the time.
Alaska’s own Princess Lisa Murkowski does not subscribe to either of these notions. Now (and rather predictably) she is on record attacking vice presidential candidate JD Vance for some recent tongue-in-cheek remarks about “childless cat ladies.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) hit her party’s own vice presidential nominee, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), for what she called “offensive” comments about “childless cat ladies.”
“If the Republican Party is trying to improve its image with women, I don’t think that this is working,” Murkowski told POLITICO, calling Vance’s comments unfortunate, unnecessary and “offensive to many women.”
“To be so derogatory in this way is offensive to me as a woman,” she added.
Lisa Murkowski is, to be candid, rather easily offended.
Lisa Murkowski, it should be noted, was originally awarded her Senate seat by her father, like a feudal title, and has managed to hang onto it through several cycles, including one in which she was primaried and then won with a write-in candidacy, and most recently she won re-election largely due to the complexities of Alaska’s ill-advised ranked-choice voting scheme. She has managed to hold that seat in reliably red Alaska despite being critical of her own party’s candidates; one of the more recent targets of her criticism is, of course, former President Donald Trump.
Murkowski often breaks with her party and has said she won’t vote for Republican nominee Donald Trump. Other Senate Republicans criticized Vance’s choice of words as a mistake, but largely moved past them.
And here is the big question brought on by Senator Murkowski’s remarks:
Where are her comments on Kamala Harris’s policy positions? She has said that she favors oppressive gun-control laws, and is willing to implement those by executive order if necessary. She is in favor of ending gas and oil extraction on public land, which would be devastating to Alaska’s economy. She wants to do away with traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, whether we like it or not.
We haven’t heard much from Senator Murkowski on those issues.
Previously on RedState: Alaska Represents! The Great Land at the Republican National Convention
Mary Peltola: A Study in Democrat Prevarication
Must Read Alaska’s Suzanne Downing has this to say:
Murkowski has made no remarks about Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her plans to use an executive order to enact her gun control agenda, or her socialist vision for America. Murkowski continues to save her venom for Republicans.
And here’s the thing: JD Vance isn’t even wrong in his “childless cat ladies” comment. Blue states just plain have fewer kids than red states.
Of course, many factors influence national birthrates. One thing that stands out in the United States, however, is how fertility differs among the states—ranging from a low of 1.27 in Vermont to nearly replacement-level in South Dakota. Notably, the states with the highest birthrates are overwhelmingly Republican, and those with the lowest are disproportionately Democratic.
As the saying goes, the future belongs to those who show up for it – and the blue states seem to be opting out.
The rightness or wrongness of JD Vance’s comments aside, it says a lot when an ostensibly Republican Senator takes to the airwaves to criticize a fellow Republican over a comment made three years ago and is strangely silent on remarks made by the Democrat’s presumed presidential candidate, in which that candidate espouses positions that are hateful to a majority of Alaskans.
Kamala Harris is a socialist. She would ban most, if not all, private firearms ownership. She would end energy extraction on the North Slope, costing thousands of Alaskan jobs. And Princess Lisa is reserving her criticism for her fellow Republicans.
Lisa Murkowski arguably won re-election in 2022 due to ranked-choice voting. Well, ranked-choice voting is on the Alaska ballot this fall, and with a bit of luck and some better turnout, we’ll get rid of that bad idea. After that – well, 2028 will be here before we know it.
