Republicans Have Their Lieberman, And You Can Thank The Tea Party

by Stuart Shapiro

I’ll let Steve Benen explain:

Quick quiz — only one Republican senator has sided with Democrats on DADT repeal, the tax deal, New START cloture, and the DREAM Act in the lame-duck session. Who was it?

The obvious guesses would likely be Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), or Scott Brown (R-Mass.). But the truth is a little further north.

Now no one expects Lisa Murkowski to become a Democrat, but she clearly feels reduced loyalty to the GOP.  Joe Miller has managed to take a reliably Republican vote and turn her into something both parties hate, a “maverick.”  In addition to the Senate seats in Delaware, Nevada, and Colorado, the Democrats may owe the Tea Party thanks for a crossover vote from one of the reddest states in the country.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.