When Alaska’s senior US Senator sticks to business, energy and Alaska issues, she does very well. When she wanders off into other topics, things get dicey at best, as her natural liberalism comes out. She had herself quite a couple weeks, unfortunately for the rest of us.
First, she stepped off into the anti-vaping hysteria, co-sponsoring legislation banning flavored vapors. As with all stupid ideas, she chose to work with senate democrats.
Lisa hasn’t publicly opined about what we do know about vaping-related lung illnesses, that they appear to be clustered, that they are in states with active marketplaces for marijuana and marijuana consumables, that they seem to be related to ingestion of THC, oils, and other non-water based vaping products, and that black market products seem to be involved. Instead, Lisa takes the easy way out, signs up for the current moral panic, and sponsors legislation aimed at helping protect The Children from the scourge of vaping. If she isn’t careful, she is going to make a great case for a return to Smoking in the Boy’s Room. Brownsville Station will be very proud.
Second bit of Lisa foolishness was a statement that she wasn’t really happy with the science that the Army Corps of Engineers is doing in their permitting process on the Pebble Mine. The anti-Pebble forces have been trying mightily to drag her into opposing the mine. So far, she has mostly ignored those invitations and resisted that pull. Unfortunately, from time to time, she slips a little bit, sending the anti-development crowd into paroxysms of joy.
Of course, as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Interior and Environment subcommittee overseeing the EPA, she was completely silent on the fraud upon the public the EPA committed preparing their anti-Pebble watershed assessment a few years ago. She is also silent about the fact that most of the same public employees who perpetrated the fraud of the watershed assessment are well dug in and participating in the current EPA opposition to Pebble by submitting comments and analysis claiming that the Army Corps science on Pebble is insufficient. Apparently, the EPA can commit fraud right and left but if the Army Corps arrives at the wrong solution, they aren’t doing proper science.
Final Lisa event was when she tapped into her inner Orange Man Bad and voted for a democrat senate resolution opposing DoD money swung for border wall construction. The resolution passed the Senate 54 – 41 with 11 Republicans voting for it. As I understand the festivities, there are not enough votes to override a presidential veto of the resolution.
Still, Lisa Murkowski hasn’t lifted a finger to stop the invasion from the south other than occasionally dabble with the amnesty lobby. She claimed in her explanation for her vote to be more concerned about the President “… overstepping constitutional authority” than the invasion from the south. Unfortunately for her, the federal courts have already ruled that the president does have the constitutional authority to swing military spending from one threat to another.
What are we to make of all this? Two conclusions are possible. First is that she despises President Trump to the extent that she is now putting Alaska at risk. And if Trump is for something, Lisa is against it. Second, is that I expect Lisa will be a vote to convict President Trump in the impeachment trial next year. And if she does that, she will have won her last election in 2016. There won’t be another one.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
