Pat Dollard

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The Hill:

Some of the nation’s top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer insight into the biggest questions burning up the blogosphere today.



Today’s question:

Is Sen. Murkowski’s defeat in Alaska’s Senate GOP primary good news for Republicans or Democrats?

Andy Roth, vice president of government affairs at the Club for Growth, said:

It’s good news for Republicans and bad news for the two other political parties in Washington —Democrats and Appropriators. Murkowski is the latest earmark supporter in Congress to be defeated by her own party’s voters. Once unthinkable, Alaska will soon have a senator who will refuse pork projects. After his victory, Miller said, “Alaskans are prepared to enter a new era of politics — an era of self-dependency.” How refreshing.

Murkowski’s defeat should be a wakeup call to all the big spenders inside the Beltway. Miller, along with several other soon-to-be senators, are going to lock arms with Sen. Jim DeMint and shut down the favor factory in Washington. In the near future, economic liberty will once again be respected.

Alan Abramowitz, professor of Political Science at Emory University, said:

It’s not going to have any effect on the outcome of the Alaska Senate race — Republicans will hold that seat easily. But continued intra-party feuding and primary victories by extremely conservative Tea Party candidates could cost Republicans some other winnable seats this year and could continue to hurt the party in the future.

Bernie Quigley, Pundits Blog contributor, said:

Good news for America. The Tea Party movement has brought new political instincts which suggest Jefferson, Jackson, Emersonian self-reliance and the tenacity of Barry Goldwater. But it is a play waiting for an actor to metabolize it into a substantive movement. Dick Armey, [Newt] Gingrich and others left behind by history have hoped to commandeer this movement. Sarah Palin brings the wild and free spirit of the west back to America. But Joe Miller could be the singular individual who gives the form living substance. Those left behind back east will soon follow the cue. They already are.

Frank Askin, professor of law at Rutgers University, said:

Senator Murkowski’s defeat cannot possible be good news for Republicans since she would almost surely have been reelected. Whether the Democrats can now pick up this seat remains to be seen, but their chances are surely much improved.

Peter Navarro, professor of economics and public policy at U.C. Irvine, said:

It’s good news for Sarah Palin and her presidential ambitions and therefore bad news for Mitt Romney. Barack Obama might think its good news because he might conclude a “rogue” like Palin might be easier to beat than a moderate like Romney — but anybody will beat Obama in 2012. So maybe this is good news for the Draft Hillary crowd (still just a fetus at this point).

Hal Lewis, professor of Physics at U.C. Santa Barbara, said:

Anything that helps to break the hold of the antediluvian Republican management on the Republican party is good for the country. The country benefits from having both parties focused on the common interest instead of job protection for incumbents or ideological snake pits. When the Democratic party is rescued from the Chicago ward politicians who now have it in their thrall, and the Republicans from their own ideologues we’ll all be better off. Every step counts, and this is one. If only the Democrats could do as well.