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.
