Donald Trump took time off from a busy morning of betraying transgender people and bragging about the crowd at his latest neo-Nuremberg rally to toss a dart at Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski
Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!
Why single out Murkowski and not also fire at shot at Susan Collins, the only other Republican to vote against the motion to proceed? Eh, why not.
The last iteration of the Republican bill set aside some cash for Alaska in an attempt to buy off Murkowski. But that payoff isn’t nearly enough to offset the costs that would be heaped on the most northerly state.
Alaska doesn't fare very well under the proposed Senate health care legislation: Many Alaskans are likely to face higher premium costs or less coverage, and the state would eventually have to make deep cuts to Medicaid coverage.
The average Alaskan would end up facing thousands more in premiums, and with one-quarter of the state’s population currently on Medicaid, the idea of a massive cut to that program wasn’t exactly attractive. So Murkowski voted against and naturally, Trump attacked—because attacking has been so effective. His entire “push” for health care over the last week didn’t involve helping senators iron out differences. It was all about threatening senators to do what makes Trump happy. And it worked.
At the lunch, the president also threatened electoral consequences for senators who oppose him, suggesting that Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) could lose his reelection bid next year if he does not back the effort. The president also invited conservative opposition against anyone else who stands in the way.
Heller flipped and voted Trump’s way.
He’s not alone. The entire Republican Party has spent the last year in an incredible race to the bottom, searching for the magic level of ignorance and subservience that will please the new king. Sure, boss. Your strategy, whatever it is, is the best strategy. Sure, boss. That was a really big crowd. Please don’t yell at us, boss.
Oh, and: Sure, boss. Insulting people who have done everything for you because they were trying to do what they thought was right is good. It’s real good.
The entire Republican Party is vividly demonstrating their incredible willingness to be bullied. When Donald Trump was safely at a distance, a number of senators were willing to scoff at his ridiculous ideas, his toddler-esque attitude, his blathering incompetence. But somehow, now that Trump is actually up close and sputtering, Republicans have proven that they’re … cowards.