GOP Congressman Are Dueling Till Dead, Now Slapping Around Republican Women Senators Over Healthcare

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, was heard saying on Tuesday that she was “worried” about President Trump. CreditDoug Mills The New York Times

It's been a tough week for Republican women senators. On Monday, Congressman Blake Farenhold of duck pjs fame was quoted on Texas radio as saying that if Republican senators Collins (Maine), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) -- who voted against a Republican plan on ending Obamacare last week -- were men, he would challenge them to a duel. 

Presumably Farenhold would be the last man standing, although after his jammies pic and sexual harassment lawsuit, coupled with his girth, AOC is not so sure.

The always calm and focused Susan Collins was caught on a hot mic moment Tuesday, talking about the duel challenge. The New York Times got Collins on the record, after she and Murkowski once again aggravated the hell out of male colleagues and Trump himself with more 'no' votes on healthcare. 

“I’ve been in the Senate for 20 years,” Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said in a brief interview at the Capitol on Tuesday. “I have never, ever had anyone suggest a duel as a way to solve a dispute.”

Ms. Collins was responding to a suggestion from Blake Farenthold, a Republican congressman from Corpus Christi, Tex., that an “Aaron Burr-style” duel be used to settle disagreement over health care with “female” senators.

The Senator's hot mic comments were way more candid. The Dallas News shares the dirt:

"Did you see the one who challenged me to a duel?" she asked a male senator, later confirmed to be ranking member Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. 

"Do you know why he challenged you to a duel? Because you could beat the s*** out of him first," Reed responded.

"Well he's huge, and I don't mean to be unkind but he's so unattractive it's unbelievable," Collins said. "Did you see the picture of him in his pajamas next to a bunny, a playboy bunny?"

Always the diplomat, Collins later apologized for her comments, as did Farenhold. The bigger story, however, were the no votes on healthcare cast by Collins and Murkowski on Tuesday, the only Republicans voting 'no' to bring discussions of multiple bills to the Senate floor. Trump was not amused. 

Murkowski sits at rapt attention as Trump makes it clear that he expects Republicans to fall in line on healthcare. Murkowski was not sufficiently moved.

On an unusually impromptu Twitter rant Wednesday morning, Trump shamed Murkowski, "Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday," Trump tweeted. "Too bad!"

Murkoswki shrugged off the criticism, saying she's not focused on her reelection or the Republican party's. "Every day shouldn't be about winning elections," she said. "How about just doing a little bit of governing around here. That's what I'm here for." The Senator continued: "Quite honestly, I don't think it's wise to be operating on a daily basis thinking about what, a statement or a response, that causes you to be fearful of your electoral prospects."

End of discussion, right? No, no. Republican Congressman has some slappin' around to do. 

In an interview with MSNBC's Ali Velshi, Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA) defended Donald Trump’s Wednesday morning Twitter attacks on Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “Somebody needs to go over to the Senate and snatch a knot in their ass.” (For those of you who are not fluent in Carter's Georgia boy male lingo, to “snatch a knot” means to smack someone).

“I think it’s perfectly fair,” Carter said about Trump’s Wednesday morning tweets about the Alaska Senator. “I’m telling you, it has gotten to the point where how can you say I voted for this last year, but I’m not going to vote for it this year,” Carter added as he expressed frustration over the Senate’s inability to pass the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

We're confident that the three women senators will emerge unscathed by week's end, although plenty will be written about the digital harassment of the three senators that is best left unsaid. The Washington Post shares an update of Wednesday's failed votes and what happens next in Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare. One fact is obvious. If those arrogant Republican men hadn't gone down a road that totally excluded participation from Collins and Murkowski -- both of them members of the Senate Healthcare committee and Collins with her own plan -- they could have saved themselves a whole lot of aggravation.