Sen. Backpedals About Alaska’s Dimwit Voters
There’s backpedaling, and then there’s Backpedaling. Sen. Lesil McGuire (R), my friends, is a double-down Backpedaler. It’s actually quite impressive. It’s almost… what’s the word I’m looking for… “Palinesque.”
With the current legislature out of touch with actual Alaskans on so many issues, it’s a skill the majority of Republicans are going to have to master. House Majority Leader Lance Pruitt, and Speaker of the House Mike Chenault have already backpedaled to varying degrees that they laughed out loud at the thought of legal same-sex partnerships, despite the fact 70% of Alaskans think it should happen.
This time it’s about dumping cruise ship waste. Regarding the legislature’s recent overturning of a citizens initiative from 2006, Sen. McGuire had some words.
When asked about this on Tuesday, Sen. McGuire said:
“…actually when you sit back and look at voter psychology, when people go into the ballot booths, it’s not clear that voters always understand what they’re voting on, to be honest.”
Oh, voters. Silly, silly voters. You don’t even understand what you’re voting on half the time. Thank goodness you have lawmakers who can undo your careless mistakes.
Needless to say, McGuire got taken to the woodshed by those poor dimwitted Alaskan dunderheads who can’t understand things on ballots. So, did she apologize for her inelegant and insulting comment? You might think so. But you see, she doesn’t really need to apologize because YOU are the one who “misconstrued her statements.” It’s one of those, “I’m sorry IF YOU took what I said the wrong way,” only without the “I’m sorry” part.
Remember that first thing she said? Well… heh heh… actually, she meant EXACTLY “quite the opposite” thing! Here’s what she says now:
“Some people have misconstrued my statements as saying I believe voters may have been confused when they voted on the Cruise Ship initiative in 2006,” said Senator McGuire. “I think quite the opposite. In fact, Alaska has some of the most educated and engaged voters in the United States. These documents prove the citizen’s initiative was misrepresented on the ballot and that may have caused voters to make a decision they otherwise would not have made.”
So get this straight my fellow dullards – not only can we not understand what we vote for, we can’t even understand it when she tells us we can’t understand what we vote for. We are double dense – confused and misconstrued. And to prove it, after her non-apology, she dredged up and introduced papers to prove to us that we misunderstood what she originally said, while simultaneously attempting to obfuscate the fact that she said what she really thought the first time. Take 2 Advil for that political whiplash.
Somehow between Tuesday and Wednesday, her analysis about the overall “voter psychology when people go into ballot booths” became conveniently swept under the carpet. Instead, she’s doubled down, and attempted to distract us with shiny documents from the past. It’s suddenly all about this particular initiative’s wording. See, all that stuff about clean water clouded the minds of the otherwise astute and educated electorate, when what they really wanted was poop and copper in intertidal zones, and marine parks. If voters had only known how poorly Alaska regulates pollution from completely completely different things, then they’d have voted for an additional billion gallons of partially treated sewage, heavy metals, and foamy detergent. I mean, everyone else is doing it, so why not the giant floating cities from the Lower 48?
Well, I hate to break it to Sen. McGuire, but if Alaska voters are really as smart as she suddenly now says they are, they will actually see through her load of cruise ship waste in a flat second. You see, even we simpletons have learned…
The Seven Stages of Republican Guilt
1) Saying what one thinks out loud in public
2) Shock and horror at backlash from the aggrieved
3) Immobilizing panic
4) Fear that one’s allegiance to lobbyists will be discovered
5) Spin and creation of new facts to make the mean people stop
6) Blaming others in poorly-worded “apology” via press release
7) Repeat
The good news from all this is that McGuire says she now wants to clean up water discharges from those other sources – Alaska municipalities and fish processors, which also dump nasty stuff in Alaska waters. This, of course, comes at the price of ignoring the cruise industry’s dumping. Let them dump at will, while holding residents to a higher standard. It’s kind of like letting oil companies get away with billions of dollars, while Alaskans have to sacrifice schools, and roads.
Perhaps the thought of cleaning up our act on both fronts of the dumping issue will occur to someone.
Until then, we’ll wait for the next legislator to say what they think with their outside voice, and then try to unring the bell. I’m guessing it won’t take long.
This action can be overturned by a referendum. The author of the original initiative, Joe Geldhof, needs to hear from you! He said that he’ll start the referendum process (which only has 90 days after adjournment) if someone raises $35,000. So call him at (907) 586-8193 or email him at joeg@alaska.com and ask him where to send your donation…
Republican administration in Alaska is generally responsible for misleading wording on ballot measures. Apparently they didn’t mislead enough on the cruise ship initiative to make the vote go industry’s way.
Unfortunately for those of us who do understand what we’re voting for, she was probably correct the first time, as evidenced by those who were elected this past election.
The magic of the gerrymander, Carol.
Nothing more.
What documents was Ms McGuire referring to when she did her lil tap dance to and fro over what dips we all are for voting for the discharge law? Do I need to go search film on Leg website?
Amongst the other slaps in the face this new legislation is full of , we lost something we really, really wanted- Ms McGuire be damned.
“…46.03.464 are repealed. ”
————————————————————————————-
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/statutes.asp?title=46#46.03.462
Sec. 46.03.464. Advisory panel on wastewater treatment; commissioner’s reports to the legislature.
(a) A science advisory panel is established in the department. The panel consists of 11 members selected by the commissioner.
(1) coastal community domestic wastewater management;
(2) the cruise ship industry;
(3) the commercial fishing industry; and
(4) a nongovernmental organization with an interest in water quality matters.
(c) On or before January 1, 2013, the commissioner, in consultation with the panel, shall provide a preliminary report to the legislature that summarizes
(1) methods of pollution prevention, control, and treatment in use and the level of effluent quality achieved by commercial passenger vessels;
(2) additional economically feasible methods of pollution prevention, control, and treatment that could be employed to provide the most technologically effective measures to control all wastes and other substances in the discharge; and
(3) the environmental benefit and cost of implementing additional methods of pollution prevention, control, and treatment identified in (2) of this subsection.
(d) On or before January 1, 2015, the commissioner, in consultation with the panel, shall provide a final report to the legislature that includes the topics identified in (c)(1) – (3) of this section.
——————————————-
So, now , we’ll only get what a politically appointed commissioner wants us to hear and see, eh? Oh goody.
Cap’n Torpedo strikes again! Mr Parnell’s hand carried legislation more firmly lodges everything to do with this in the Executive branch and the foolish Legislature (what checks and balances??) abdicates its role in oversight.
Oh goody, even more. Pffft!
documents was. eeks!
documents WERE!
We got the required preliminary report :
http://www.dec.alaska.gov/water/cruise_ships/pdfs/SAP_2013_Prelim_Report_cover_ltr.pdf
and now thanks to the passage of this stoopid law, we’ll not see any followup.
The shucky-durn-we-can’t-come-up-with-a-way-to-deal-with-this-right-now attitude prevailed. Now- we won’t spend the time and effort to work on it, will we?
We do not even have to address the concerns here now, do we?
Pffft!
http://www.kcaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/MRidgway_to_Commissioner_Hartig.pdf
I am camped at a motel 3 near Victorville California tonight. The motel used to be a 6 but that was a while ago. The natural environment that was here in California is gone. Replaced by highways and oil wells. Chemical farms. The regressives in our state government will for a profit remove the entire sustainable environment from Alaska, just like they did here. Vote for a regressive on any level and you get what you deserve.
Lesil, I understand everything I read. When I don’t, I seek more information until I do.
Two Advil for the whiplash? I think this calls for something stronger. What do Republicans take (apart from payoffs, of course)? Ah, I remember: Oxycontin.
“Perhaps the thought of cleaning up our act on both fronts of the dumping issue will occur to someone.”
That would be the best answer, of course, which means the odds of legislation to that effect passing this legislative session is about nil. It’s odd how the GOP faithful like to use phrases like “open for business” and “job creation” when the long, medium, and sometimes even the short-term effect of what they are proposing is bad for business and employment.
I’ve come to the conclusion that many of our elected Republicans aren’t very good business people. They don’t understand our markets, they don’t understand what makes small business tick, they don’t understand what makes big business tick, they believe in wasting money on things guaranteed to provoke lawsuits and cost us money in legal fees while accomplishing nothing, and their priorities are backwards. How about a budget and a sensible oil tax with incentives for producing – first – before tackling any more ALEC bills and telling us how afraid we should be and how stupid we are.
Having our seafood seasoned with tourist crap will make so much more marketable . . . Said no fishetman ever.
I was watching the 360North Channel on the 18th and Deputy Attorney, Dept of Law Rick Svobodny was well “selling snake oil” in presenting changes in the HB Crimes: Victims; Abuse/Neglect to the House Judiciary
Committee that had to do with IMMUNITY and the board members we saying “I am not comfortable with that” while he tried to explain away how changing that will benefit the State of Alaska…
AKA: Hey if I change this law then those who commit crimes, but legally get immunity if I give testimony, to other crimes committed, and I will not be punished for the crimes I committed…
Then there was a Senator who kept trying to get onto his “pet project” to be presented…that didn’t happen…
I was emailing Washington DC while I was listening to the repeated arguments from the board members…
Good for them…fight the good fight….ask question after questions…
7 stages of republican guilt I love it!
It should end with Lie, Lie Lie.
Ok Miss Princess of Poop, so you want to take the fish processors to task for dumping fish waste, i.e. only the parts of the ‘fish’ that were originally part of the fish to start, grind it up to a very specific size and put it back into the bay river or area it came from? (she might want to read up on the DEC specs, which are EPA backed, and find out we have some of the tightest regulations in the industry. It DOES NOT allow us to dump copper and ‘poop’ into the water!!)
See if that doesn’t get you a WHOLE lot of screaming and yelling and out-of-state headlines about how you let cruise ships dump CRAP into our waterways and yet you want to make the processors do better!!
I hope she has all sorts of fishermen in her district who see through and give her the boot, and fast. If she thinks we all do not know how to read what we are voting on she might well find out come her re-election time!
I am totally disgusted and I mean disgusted!!
this woman is out of her ever loving mind. she ran as a Democrat. she took money and goods and services from Democrats.
Alaskans in her district volunteered and then bundled up and went out to vote for a Democrat and her name was on the ticket as being a Democrat. she won the election. she betrayed every last person who cast a vote for her; thereby nullifying your votes.
i say let her know in no uncertain terms that she does not represent you. let her colleagues know that you do not accept her as your representative.
take her behind to court. notify the Democratic Party in Washington.
keep being mad and get even!!! Mudpups Forever! <3
You’re thinking of Lindsey Holmes, the Rep. who changed from a D to an R right after the election. You are completely excused for mixing them up. There are way too many of these folks to keep track of… unfortunately. 🙁
true Jeanne. these folks have become interchangeable. i suppose i am still upset by the Holmes persons’ betrayal. it is so unfair. Alaska is part of my heritage too. i want to see this paradise maintained in its pristine condition for me and my descendants as well as you and yours.
i wish you and all the people there the very best. i know you will work hard and in the end you will do wonders.
The perpetually-primping Princess of political pathology, that’s our gal-pal Lesil in the Sky with diamonds.
That would be Faux news diamonds….
Is is because the oligarchy pays the dumbasses to vote [“Jawbs!] and everyone else is too lazy to show up and cast a ballot? Or what? Just how did we get into this mess?
http://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2013_02_01_archive.html
The entire country is now just like the U.S. Senate: The Republican minority imposes its will, and the majority, under the current rules, can’t do a damn thing about it. Gerrymandering of House districts guarantees that there’ll never be serious electoral consequences for Republicans when they defy the will of the majority; that plus the literal filibuster in the Senate means that there’s no incentive whatsoever for Republicans to be responsive to the American people.
Nicely gridlocked so the Playah-Pooh-Bahs of both parties can continue to feast on the carrion the corporacracy cultivates for their consumption.
Meanwhile, they get to point fingers (wingtips) at each other.
Well played, Harry Reid, well played.
Remind me again – how did these people get elected?
by people who do not understand what they are voting on !
This is demonstrative of the whole republican party and conservationism in general.
They think they know whats best for everyone and they want to impose there ideology on everyone.
Then there are those who hide behind that ideology because it allows them to feed their greed unencumbered by pesky regulations and over-site.
And there you have Alaska politics, those that want to tell you how to live and those that want to fleece you while they do it.
The worst ( eh hem , seanico parnellips ) think they are spiritually and divinely chosen to do it.
So the cruise sh!t initiative will pass and Alaskans will be left with sh!t in there food dish.
God bless us the chosen.
Good post, Ivan, but I think you meant conservatism in general. Conservationists would not be thrilled about cruise ships dumping their sh*t in the sea.
yes thanks,
conservatism not Conservationists 🙂
speedy spell checking error.
Her prior statement was in plain, simple words that were not misconstrued.
Now she is saying she lied to us when she said voters don’t understand what they are voting on.
Or maybe she is lying now when she said says she was lying before.