The COVID Caucus Out on the Town

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Let’s start off with a little Facebook gem from Rep. Steve Thompson (R-Fairbanks). It takes a look at the sunny side of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey, you guys… Don’t think of it as 168,000 dead Americans – think of how many Americans are still alive!

Considering that any day now, COVID-19 is going to be the third leading cause of death in the United States, it’s hard not to wonder when Rep. Thompson will stop thinking that the “panic is out of control.” And if you google Rep. Steve Thompson, here’s his weirdly ironic profile:

I tried looking this book up but apparently, it’s out of print and there were no additional volumes. It’s hard to imagine what might have stalled Rep. Thompson’s career as a health and wellness writer…  And yet, you can still find him in the Alaska House of Representatives happily making laws that affect people’s actual lives. Unless of course, you’d rather replace him with Democratic candidate Jeremiah Youmans, who might actually take a global pandemic seriously.

WHEN YOU’RE IN A HOLE, STOP DIGGINNG

Last week we shared the musings of Leslie Becker Ministries, penned by the Republican State House candidate from Ketchikan. If you need a refresher, here it is:

Not surprisingly, praying to God to render Alaska Native communities speechless and get blasted by angels until they learn that giant extraction projects on their lands would be good for them and get them off drugs and alcohol… did not go over well, especially with the Alaska Native community, and especially coming from someone who moved here from California in 2016. “Pastor Leslie” got so much blowback, in fact, for her tone deaf and insulting statements that she was forced to issue a non-apology which (as non-apologies often do) made it worse.

She may have offended some? And also people are distracting from the issues with… issues. But her prayers weren’t meant to be offensive, so…

The reaction from Ketchikaners and Native leaders in the area pretty much sums it up.

You can see what many others had to say in the local Ketchikan media HERE. Becker’s blog has since been taken down and clicking on her other web presence that shows up at Ark Ministry is a Link to Nowhere.

ALWAYS ALASKA

Both Dr. Al Gross and Alyse Galvin are on the airwaves with FANTASTIC TV ads. Keep an eye out if you haven’t seen them. Dan Sullivan must be feeling it because he’s already busted out his “my wife will vouch for me” ads to show how really really Alaskan he is…

He’s also flown up Sen. Ted Cruz (like he did last time), only this time he didn’t show up in the Wasilla High School gym awkwardly wearing a flannel shirt. This time it’s a $2500 buy-in to go on a fishing and sightseeing  tour of Resurrection Bay (Cruz doesn’t fish) and a maskless barbecue. #GoodTimes

Fortunately for Cruz, the new rules about not having to quarantine upon arrival in Alaska went in to effect right before he got here! Wasn’t that “lucky?”

Dan addressed the crowd with all the charisma and passion of a wet dishrag, calling the Republican Senate a “firewall for freedom” and slamming George Soros and Democrats across the board. Nevermind all the Democrats Sullivan is supposed to be representing. It was just partisan, divisive rhetoric all the way.

Cruz, wearing a puffy coat, called Democrats “bat crap crazy” and then said that was an official medical term in the medical dictionary. Which is probably why they’ve all been dealing with health care and a global pandemic with such intellectual and scientific rigor.

He doesn’t even fish. Why are these people listening to him?

Right in the fray was Republican candidate for House Ron Gillam. He ran for Senate against Peter Micciche last cycle, but was considered too extreme and lost the primary. Now he’s vying for the seat which opened when Rep. Gary Knopp was tragically killed in a recent plane accident. A fundraiser he held on August 11 reportedly had over 100 attendees, none in masks and many Republican legislators.

Sen. Mike Shower (Mat-Su), Sen. Lora Rinebold (Eagle River), Ron Gillham, Rep. Ben Carpenter (Nikiski HD29),

Rep. David Eastman (Mat-Su HD10), the core contingent of the Republican Covid caucus.

In a strange side note, David Eastman who for a time was the only member of the legislature wearing a mask (and sunglasses) on the House floor has apparently licked his finger and realized which way the Republican wind was blowing, and has decided now that masks aren’t needed.

Here’s the rest of the “Science is fake and it’s stealing my Freedom™” crew, gathered at Kriner’s Diner which openly flouted the mask mandate until they courts insisted they comply.

The rest of the Republican COVID caucus at Kriner’s Diner AFTER the no dine-in mandate went into effect in Anchorage:

[L-R] George Rauscher (Delta, Sutton, Valdez HD9), Cathy Tilton (Wasilla HD12), DeLena Johnson (Palmer HD11), and Laddie Shaw (Anchorage HD26).

And after their meal in the hotspot to end all covid hotspots in the state, they all trotted off back to their respective districts. Nothing like looking out for your campaign staff and constituents.

WHY WE FIGHT

In case you missed it, here’s a video of the crowd in Anchorage that’s been whipped into a frenzy by the likes of the ‘Must Read Alaska’ blog, “Politadick,” and fringe right-wing Facebook groups who claim mask mandates are “communism” and mind control and that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is just like Hitler for enacting them, and for ‘pissing away’ money to help homeless people.

It’s a clip of the Mayor and his staff leaving a meeting at the Loussac Library in Midtown. It is appalling, and after you watch it you’ll understand the mentality of those we are fighting against, and why we do.

>>>CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO<<<

Please download and mail in your primary ballot and request your general election ballot from absenteevotingapplication.alaska.gov and vote to oppose every candidate or sitting legislator who tacitly or overtly supports this kind of unhinged thinking and behavior.

If you want to DO something about all this, keep reading.

TOMORROW IT BEGINS!

It’s officially GOTV (Get Out the Vote) season! Alaska’s primary for our federal and state candidates is Tuesday the 18th. If you’ve gotten a mail-in ballot and haven’t mailed it yet, DO IT! If you haven’t – it’s not too late. You can print out your own ballot from the Division of Elections website, follow the directions carefully, and mail it in!

Not sure about candidates? You can check out our Democratically-endorsed candidates HERE.

And on Saturday, come join the friendly crew of volunteers who are reminding voters across the state to get their votes in! We’ll have opening remarks from Dr. Al Gross for U.S. Senate, and Alyse Galvin for U.S. Congress!

Sign up to join the team HERE! It will feel good to be doing something constructive and working to put good people in Juneau.

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