Lisa Murkowski picked to be Alaska's newest senator

Anchorage Daily News ^ | Dec. 20, 2002 | The Associated Press

[JohnnyZ]

Gov. Frank Murkowski has appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, to succeed him in the U.S. Senate.

Lisa Murkowski, 45, is a Republican state representative who was re-elected last month to a third term and was selected as House Majority leader.

[JohnnyZ]

Whew, I was really worried that Lisa was pro-abortion, but I'm still not sure she's very fiscally conservative. Still, an OK pick -- let's hope she can hold the seat against Tony Knowles -- or whoever -- in 2004!

[hobbes1]

So now we have Government by dynastic succession.....

[dirtboy]

IMO this blows - it absolutely reeks of nepotism and third-world politics, and will come across negatively to a lot of swing voters.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Well, as long as nepotism isn't involved.

[KantianBurke]

barf!!

[hobbes1]

Actually I was going to say, as long as their not democrats....lol

[TopQuark]

Yeh, I was always curious about this aspect of our country "of laws not men." The seat often goes to the spouse of a deceases senator. Is this the best choice for the country?

Similarly here, the probability that one's own daughter is the best choice for the country is almost nill. Shame on the governor and shame on the Republicans that condone this move.

[hobbes1]

Well, I would not go that far, she was just Elected a leader in the state house, so that makes it cool...at least IMHO.

I would have a poblem if it were the survivor with ZERO experience....this is not that.

[UofORepublican]

Exactly. He was very close to picking Jerry Hood, who is a Teamster.

[JohnnyZ]

Actually, voters have been generally very sympathetic to political families -- a lot of it is like a brand name. Look at GWB, Jeb, Chafee, Carnahan (her hubby would have lost too), Harold Ford, Jesse Jackson Jr., Chandler and Nunn in KY, and lots and lots of others.

[dirtboy]

Actually, voters have been generally very sympathetic to political families -- a lot of it is like a brand name. Look at GWB, Jeb, Chafee, Carnahan (her hubby would have lost too), Harold Ford, Jesse Jackson Jr., Chandler and Nunn in KY, and lots and lots of others.

With the exception of Carnahan, those individuals had to go win their own elections, not have daddy win and then hand them the seat. And I can see some justification for a governor appointing a widow, although the voters apparently weren't very sympathetic later.

[JimVT]

What the heck....she's got a ton more of credentials than Carnahan's widow.

If folks don't like her they can dump her in 2004.

[11th Earl of Mar]

It is good that she is pro-life. But this still stinks to high heaven.

[hchutch]

A big part was Jean Carnahan's classless treatment of Ashcroft - voting AGAINST him as AG after the way he handle his (questionable) loss in 2000.

[ClearCase_guy]

Being sympathetic to political families is one thing. Having Daddy give you a seat in the Senate as a present for being a good girl is a little different.

By the way, I hear that if Hillary decides to run for president, she's going to arrange for Chelsea to represent New York.

[OldFriend]

The way I look at it.......NY deserves to be represented by Chelsea.

[JohnnyZ]

Voters will have their chances in the 2004 primary and general election. When compared to the other candidates Murkowski was considering, Lisa had a good chance of selection even without being his daughter. Like Frank said, she shares his philosophy (let's hope so!!), and I would say that Binckley and many of the others probably do not.

Hopefully Alaskans will elect Sarah Palin when Ted Stevens decides to retire. One reason she wasn't selected was b/c of her young children, according to her.

[laconic]

Yes, it reminds me of when JFK appointed his BROTHER, who was then 34 years old, as ATTORNEY GENERAL, the LEADING law enforcement official in the US. This is really foul in my view.

[TopQuark]

I did not say she was not qualified at all: I questioned whether she is best.

You apply a rather low standard, by which you get upset only if a general cannot tell apart a plane and a tank. If he can, however, it's OK.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Being sympathetic to political families is one thing. Having Daddy give you a seat in the Senate as a present for being a good girl is a little different.

If that's what had happened I would agree, but it appears that "little Lisa" was heading towards the seat anyway, or did you not read the following statement in the article?

Lisa Murkowski, 45, is a Republican state representative who was re-elected last month to a third term and was selected as House Majority leader.

She was elected House Majority leader after only 4 years (!!!) in the state House. What does that say about how her fellow elected Republican representatives think of her? It tells me that she is very efficient, has good command of the political flow, and is very well liked.