Washington in 60 Seconds: Lisa Murkowski Makes Her Move

2 years ago

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Patricia Murphy

Capitol Hill Bureau Chief

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Good morning, Capitolists! The House and Senate may be out of session, but there's more than enough going on today to keep any curious Capitolist entertained. In the next 60 seconds, read all about that and what's happening in Washington.

- Murkowski Makes Her Move. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who lost her primary to Tea Party favorite Joe Miller, will announced today whether she's decided to run in the general election as a write-in candidate. The odds are stacked against anyone with a nine-letter last name succeeding as a write-in, but Murk is giving the idea a hard look, telling the Anchorage Daily News yesterday, "Believe you me, the easier path would be to pack it all up and go do something different," she said. "If I had not heard this call from Alaskans, I would not be deliberating as I am."

- Right Here, Right Now. If you've been missing the sweet sounds of Mitt Romney's election-year promises or Michele Bachmann's interpretive retelling of Revolutionary War history, then march yourself on over to today's Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., or log on to C-SPAN.com to watch streaming video of all the excitement from the comfort of your parents' basement. Other conservative luminaries on the schedule include Mike Huckabee and our favorite kingmaker, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

- Reid Ramming Defense Bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote for the annual Defense Authorization bill on Tuesday afternoon, when Republicans will have to take the bill or leave it, without a chance to bring up amendments to change legislation. Reid has used a procedural maneuver to prevent GOP tweaks to the bill, and has also added an immigration rider to it, all but daring GOP senators to vote it down. The bill also includes language to repeal the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

- The Lady's Gaga for Lieberman. Speaking of DADT, Lady Gaga dedicated a song at her Hartford, Conn., concert last night to Sen. Joe Lieberman, the independent Democrat who has led the fight on the effort to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military. The Hartford Courant has the deets.

- Waters' Staff Flushed. The Hill reports that staff members from Rep. Maxine Waters' office were ejected from an event featuring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday after they unveiled huge pictures of their boss with slogans defending her from the ongoing ethics case against her. "No improper action. No benefit. No failure to disclose. No one influenced. No case!"

- O'Donnell Sleeping on the Campaign? Now that Christine O'Donnell has knocked Rep. Mike Castle out of the race for the Delaware Senate, Democrats are gleefully circulating the curious details of O'Donnell's latest campaign expenditures. According to her public filings, her campaign spent $550 for a mattress, $1,500 for sunscreen packets and shelled out thousands to cover half of the rent on the Senate hopeful's town home.

Filed Under: The Capitolist

Tagged: Christine ODonnell, ChristineOdonnell, dailyguidance, harry reid, HarryReid, Joe Lieberman, JoeLieberman, Lisa Murkowski, LisaMurkowski, maxine waters, MaxineWaters, values voter summit, ValuesVoterSummit

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