Alaskans have never followed the herd, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski is as Alaskan as they come. She voted to block the abrupt termination of Obamacare without a viable replacement, she voted “present” during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh because of his alleged transgressions, and she should continue to push her Senate Republican colleagues to conduct a fair and impartial trial of President Donald Trump when his impeachment comes before the Senate in the new year.
Whether or not Trump is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, the outcome should not be predetermined before the trial has even begun. Many will squawk at Murkowski’s decision to speak out against her party (and not for the first time), but Murkowski is right to say out loud what many Republicans think privately. A good politician and public servant is someone who chooses to be a leader and not a sheep for partisan’s sake.
Alaskans have repeatedly reelected Murkowski, including her impressive 2010 write-in campaign against the Republican plot to oust her, because she represents Alaska in the only way she knows — as an Alaskan who does not follow the herd.
— Kieran Smith
Bellingham, Washington
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