Gov. wants to know if you’re “done venting” yet
You could practically hear the eye rolling as he stared at his watch.
It’s hard to say when that might be; are we “done venting” about the horrendous cuts to the university system? Are we “done venting” about skyrocketing charges at the Pioneer Homes? Are we “done venting” at incompetent, partisan cronies, and conservative talk radio hacks making six figures? Are we “done venting” about disingenuous promises used to get into office? Are we “done venting” at extreme cuts to Medicaid, homeless services, pre-K, agriculture programs, and public safety? Thumbing his nose at the Constitution and rights of workers? Are we “done venting” about how our governor is defending funneling over a billion dollars a year in tax credits to oil companies while the rest of Alaska just has to suck it up? I don’t know. We’re all just like: vent, vent, vent. When will we ever stop?
An easier question to answer is the “what are Alaskans willing to do?” part. That, they’ve made pretty clear.
ONE MORE VENT…
The administration hasn’t actually announced it yet, but the next big money-saving move on the part of the Dunleavy administration is to cut about $100 a month in benefits from Adult Public Assistance recipients. According to the state these payments are for “needy aged, blind and disabled Alaskans to help them remain independent.” What better way to help them remain independent than cutting their already meager benefits? Right? Or maybe this is just another good-faith conversation starter to see what they’re willing to take. I’m sure the governor hopes that the blind, needy, elderly and disabled get done venting soon. As usual reporter Dermot Cole is tracking the current misdeeds at dermotcole.com.
NEVER MIND
Republican Lance Pruitt, House Minority Leader, Dunleavy sycophant, and husband of Dunleavy’s recently-booted communications director Mary Ann Pruitt, has decided to join the governor in his furious backpedaling strategy. He spent the entire legislative session trying to sabotage efforts to roll back Dunleavy’s budget vetoes, including leading his merry band of malcontents to the Wasilla Middle School for a pretend special session. He spent his time as leader sniping at his colleagues in the majority at every turn. But now that he senses a tough challenge from Democrat Liz Snyder, he’s suddenly decided that maybe he wants to become a statesman. This involves telling other legislators to just pretend like all that other stuff never happened. [cue Kumbaya music] “What I would like to see is us putting our swords down and recognizing that we’re all Alaskans, and we have different ideas, and different ways of going about it, but together we can get through this challenge,” Pruitt said to the Alaska Municipal League’s Annual Local Government Conference. Indeed. Now that he’s run everyone through with HIS sword, he’s ready for everyone else to make nicey-nice and put theirs away.
THE OTHER PRUITT
At least one Pruitt is out of the governor’s inner circle, in case you missed the memo. Mary Ann Pruitt will no longer be making a cool $15k a month to implement the governor’s inexplicable and ineffective comms strategy. You may remember how she arranged for a bizarre interview conducted by an Alaska “student” (who turned out to be the son of two Dunleavy commissioners) at a table with an enormous bowl of oranges – where the governor sat and answered scripted softball questions to post on YouTube.
Well NOW, former right-wing radio host Dave Stieren (who’s making a mere $11k a month as a “community relations liaison”) has taken over and is interviewing the governor himself, with a new series of scripted softball questions and calling it a “News Update.” But no oranges this time. You get what you pay for, I guess.
FULL HOUSE
(Randomly chosen image from randomly chosen Facebook page in Gillis’ “liked” section. There were dozens more that would have done the job.)
The newest member of the House, hunting guide Mel Gillis (R), was sworn in this week. He replaces Josh Revak (R) who got appointed to the Senate after the death of Sen. Chris Birch (R). This will make the third legislator hand-picked by the governor who will be headed to Juneau in January – Rep. Sharon Jackson, Sen. Josh Revak, and now Gillis. His political experience? According to the Anchorage Daily News, “In the 1980s, he became involved in the political fights over the Alaska National Interest Lands Act. He has stayed involved with the politics of big-game hunting in Alaska in the decades since.” He’s also decided to caucus with the House Republican Minority. He has “liked” many political pages on Facebook including: Breitbart, Drain the Swamp Alaska, Pro-Life Alaska, the NRA, Ben Shapiro, and a variety of other pages like ‘Conservative Guy’ that post non-stop Obama conspiracy theories, angry feminists, evil Democrats, puerile doctored photos, and Russian propaganda. This should be fun.
From CNN today, on the DOJ wanting a light sentence for convicted felon Roger Stone, whom the prosecutors recommended a 7-9 year sentence.ICYMI We are totally expletive deleted!
The new filing — which isn’t signed by any of the four prosecutors who endorsed the original sentencing memo before announcing their departure from the case on Tuesday — takes a more sympathetic view of Stone’s crimes. It suggests that Stone may not have truly threatened to injure his associate Randy Credico, even though a jury had found him guilty of intimidating him.
The filing says Stone’s “advanced age, health, personal circumstances and lack of criminal history” weigh in favor of a lesser sentence. The prosecutors point to other cases, including that of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who received more lenient sentences for witness intimidation, false statements and obstruction of justice.
The DC US Attorney’s Office now argues that Judge Amy Berman Jackson should effectively discount Stone’s social media posts following his arrest, including one threatening her, when deciding his sentence.
In their previous argument that Stone should get seven to nine years in prison, prosecutors had noted that Stone posted an image on Instagram of Jackson with crosshairs behind her head, contradicted himself under oath in a court hearing about the Instagram post, and violated the judge’s orders not to speak publicly about the case should merit him more prison time.
BTW, all four federal prosecutors of Stone quit the case and two resigned from Justice.
But the new court filing on Thursday says those actions shouldn’t add to Stone’s sentence.
Why is it, when drumpf deliberately lies about everything, Murkowski and Sullivan never demand a single iota of proof about what he says. They have let everyone of his blatant, pants on fire lies pass without uttering a single , plaintive wail. What a bunch of ass kissing cowards. Just like my own sinators.
Heads on pikes is now official drumpf policy. Both Vindmans and Sondland have been marched out of the kremlin annex by security guards for doing their constitutional duty and testifying against the most corrupt potus ever.
WAPO reporter says the firings of witnesses is an impeachable offense in itself. Get set for impeachment round 2.
And don’t be surprised if Alaska becomes Russia territory soon.
ps I will personally notify the guv when I am done ranting. If that ever happens.
Hpw to spell gutless effing wonder AND chicken in Alaska? MURKOWSKI No offense to chickens.
Several wingnuts acknowledged drumpf did the deeds he was accused of. House did their job and drumpf will carry the stain of impeachment around for the rest of his miserable life.As was said earlier, drumpf cannot be acquitted because there wasn’t a real trial with witnesses.
My senators were lost causes before the impeachment ball got rolling. Vote them all out.
They have handed Agent Orange the Constitution on a spindle. Wait until he declares no need for elections. It is in the interest of the citizens that he remains in office.
One more concern is how much concern could Murkowski have had about McCTurtlef###face and his coordinating with the kremlin annex on impeachment defense (it doesn’t exist) if she went ahead and voted in favor of it?
drumpf### the dumb#### wants to eliminate environmental reviews to speed up environmental destruction by new pipelines and Pebble Mines.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-to-announce-update-to-national-environmental-policy-act-officials-say-11578576718
Forgive me for posting WSJ link, but NYT and WAPO lin ks hide behind paywalls. Not sure how much climate change related iowa weather is, but for the third year in a row we have had virtually no snow and only one night of barely below zero temps going into the New Year. Our snows have come late and often in Feb and March and we have had frost and snow into May a time or two.
One of the best, if not the best, Christmas songs ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOjYsKqaSVM&feature=youtu.be
It is all about the orange catastrophe in the kremlin annex and it is all true. Spread some holiday cheer to your friends and especially political enemies. Have a Merry Christmas/ Happy Holiday or whatever you wish to call it.
Mfi, yes, The best ever. Thank you for sharing. And may all your 2020 wishes come true. , ,especially your wish In November 2020! I am so ready for the self admitted women private part grabber to be out of The White House..
Thanks, Really. I’d certainly like to see more voices chime in. I know folks have things to say. I hope they do not stay this silent on election day in 2020. May all good things come to you and yours in the New Year.
How do you like drumpf now? New NAFTA is 90% the same as old NAFTA.after drumpf promised to rip it up and negotiate a much better deal. So, what we learned is drumpf is a pathological freaking liar and couldn’t negotiate his way out of a wet paper sack.
Sounds the same with China’s trade deal. Former Mexican ambassador to China Jorge Guajardo more aptly summarizes our slink back to status quo ante:
“China Phase-1 deal is the equivalent of a gunman, who had taken hostages, surrendering to authorities, with no one killed, but his manifesto never published,” Jorge Guajardo, the former Mexican ambassador to China, tweeted. “No harm done to anyone, back to normalcy, madman contained, but the shopping mall lost a lot a customers during standoff” [Anna Swenson, Alan Rappeport, and Keith Bradsher, “U.S. Settles on Outline of Elusive China Trade Deal,” New York Times, updated 2019.12.13].
As for farmers, the richest ones, of course, they collected millions from drumpf’s handouts to the wealthiest farmers. It is part of the effort to prop up drumpf’s economy.
Why not leave Alaska the way it is, guv? Disabuse yerself of the notion destroying forever, the largest wild salmon fishery in the world is not a worthy goal. Decimating the lives and cultures of first peoples dependent upon those fisheries should be yer ticket to HELL.
Take back the obscene tax credits to major profitable oil companies that wingnuts bestowed and have destroyed Alaska’ future.
Leave the rain forest to hell alone.
Get rid of every single stoopid wingnut politician in Alaska and the rest of the nation and restore respect for all and civility to all.
Then call it a day and ride off a cliff into the sunset.