If I were a high ranking mainstream Republican law maker, its not rocket science what to do next

[NNguyenMD]

Break off into a third party and abandon the Republican brand to Trumpism, and you become the most courted and the most powerful third way voting block in congress. Jim Jeffords did it in 2000 after George W Bush got elected. He switched to independent and mostly caucused with the Democrats.

If Romney or Murkowski were smart, they would seriously look into this.

But they are not.

[Roland99]

1. I was thinking the same thing earlier today. Groups like the Lincoln Project and others

who are "Never Trumpers" or Republicans for Biden (or moderate Repubs who've kept quiet but inside know he's toxic) could easily form a sizeable new party.

[leftieNanner]

2. Romney is a coward

Murkowski just goes where Moscow Mitch tells her.

[JI7]

3. Republicans have to accept liberal positions on social issues if they want to last long term

[Hugin]

6. Also, shift to actual conservation conservatism.

Both lower case.

[1848minifesto]

4. That depends

It depends what your motives are. In terms of your political career, your best choice might be to go all out in support of Trump, and contribute to his legal fund. I don't think Trump and his base are going anywhere, and if you go against the great leader you could lose the next primary you have to face.

[regnaD kciN]

5. The only one I can think of who'd take that is Murkowski...

After all, she's already run as an independent before, and isn't on the warmest terms with the Palinistas up there. But Mitt has aspirations to run for president again, and he's not going to be welcome in the Republican fold if he breaks from the party now. Otherwise, who else? Susan "Concerned" Collins? Ben "The Adult in the Room" Sasse? I can't really think of many others who haven't already had "45" tattooed on their arm and forehead. And most of them would look at it as meaning they'd have to face down both a Democrat and a Republican in their next re-election bid. (Murkowski is the only one who has a successful track record doing that. And Jeffords, back in 2001, was a special case, because that was going to be his last term in the Senate anyway.)

Basically, if I'm Chuck Schumer and staring at a 49-51 deficit once all the runoffs are over, I'm definitely approaching Murkowski and offering her whatever plum assignments and pork she might need to go independent and caucus with Democrats, as long as she agrees to vote with us on eliminating the filibuster and whatever court reform a President Biden's bipartisan commission might come up with. Aside from that, I'd have to see who else was willing to take the leap. But that should come with a caveat -- if, say, a half-dozen mainstream Republicans went independent and looked to cut a deal with us, they might give us control of the Senate...but it would be handing them virtual veto power over anything we might want to do. In which case, the policies of a Biden administration would probably wind up not looking much different from a Bush 41 administration. Do we really want that?