Governor, Senator, & Republicans Caught in the Act
YOU DON’T WANNA BE LIKE MIKE
It’s one thing when the “I wanna be like Trump” Governor decides (hours after telling Alaskans to mask up and keep their social bubble small) to show up at a swanky cocktail party fundraiser on the Anchorage Hillside. But it’s another level of irony to be outed by the bumbling ineptitude of your own propagandist.
Dunleavy’s blogger, Suzanne Downing/Must Read Alaska, begins this weird video foray into the underground world of unsanitary Republican fundraisers by looking at the sunset and musing, “An orange, orange view for an orange president… although he looked a little bit pale when he came out of the hospital the other day… Oh, look! Pumpkins!… Oh, look! The Governor’s here!”
[In the style of Must Read Alaska]: Did she begin the party early in her car? Who’s to say? That’s what some people were saying… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The quick downloading skills of The Alaska Landmine saved this precious moment for posterity – the open mouths, the horror, the woman frantically masking up, the governor pointing and yelling “Shut it off!” It all had the vibe of a teenage party, busted on Facebook Live, only to have the parents find out.
H/t to Matt Buxton of the Midnight Sun for capturing the two still frames that tell the story^^
>>>CLICK HERE TO WATCH<<<
And what does the Governor have to say for himself?
*crickets*
But the Governor is not the only one on the hook for bad behavior. Here’s a little cheat sheet of reckless unhygienic Republicans over the last week – a week, by the way, which saw President Trump in the hospital on supplemental oxygen and a cocktail of steroids and experimental drugs, and several top aides, the First Lady, three U.S. Senators, several high ranking members of the military, the President’s personal assistant, and leading advisors and members of the administration and debate team testing positive.
Note that legislators from all across the state came to Anchorage (top photo) and down to the Kenai (lower photos), flouted public health guidelines, and then returned to their home districts.
LET’S PLAY “SPOT YOUR REPUBLICAN LEGISLATOR!”
There’s a great op-ed in the Anchorage Press if you want to read more.
ATTENTION FAIRBANKS! BART LEBON IS NOT A CENTRIST
Republican Bart LeBon (Left above), who caucused with Democrats and Independents last session to help firewall the Governor’s draconian budget cuts, has now decided (despite winning his blue district by literally ONE vote) that’s he’s done pretending.
“We’re Republicans and we want to form a Republican majority. That’s our hope and objective,” LeBon said to James Brooks of the Anchorage Daily News.
It also explains his newfound group of Republican buddies including the Governor, Senator Dan Sullivan, Tammie Wilson, and a Trump sign. So much for his claimed centrism. This race just became very defined: Christopher Quist (D) vs. Bart LeBon (giant flaming-red Republican who’s ready to caucus with the most radical right-wing legislators Alaska’s got to offer). Now you know!
And Steve Thompson (far right above) is ready to shed his pretense too, and will abandon the bipartisan coalition to caucus with the far right. Jeremiah Youmans (D) is his competition in District 2.
DIVISION OF ELECTIONS SCREW-UP #812 (HONESTLY WE’VE STOPPED COUNTING)
If you live in House District 9, which is the vast swath of land from Valdez to Delta on the Richardson Highway, and from Glennallen to Palmer on the Glenn, you may have been mailed the incorrect Official Election Pamphlet for your region. There are several precincts we know of that got the wrong one, so please click HERE and tell everyone you know who lives in the District to double check their pamphlet which should say Region III, NOT Region II. You’ll notice that the incumbent Republican, George Rauscher, (whose campaign coffers have been fed by outside groups in DC and Virginia), doesn’t think it’s important to communicate his positions to District 9 voters. He didn’t even provide a statement.
Nor did Rauscher respond to the Anchorage Daily News 2020 Voting Guide, where many Alaskans get their information before voting. But you will find a pamphlet entry and survey responses from from Bill Johnson, and we suggest you check them out! And as the Twitterverse noted, you may be cool but you’re probably not Bill Johnson on a 4-wheeler in the Alaska Range cool.
SHE’S BAAA-AAACK!
You may remember a couple months ago when Pastor Leslie Becker, a Republican running in Ketchikan, was outed for some heinous comments posted in her now-deleted blog. Well, you’d think after the massive blowback from her district, she would have apologized and moved on – trying to mend fences, and demonstrating that she had learned and grown as a person and a candidate. NOT SO!
Pastor Becker actually doubled down, or I guess it’s tripling down at this point. Here’s a Twitter thread that lays it all out from Eric Stone of KRBD radio.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that she doesn’t believe in man-made climate change, she refused to speak out against Pebble Mine, AND even after she was asked more than once, she refused to wear a mask. There’s no Democrat in this race, but with cluelessness like this we can assume it will be an easier ride for longtime Independent incumbent Dan Ortiz to keep his seat in this race.
ANCHORAGE REPUBLICANS – ‘RUNNING’ ON EMPTY
The Running debates on Alaska Public Media are the gifts that keep on giving and people can’t help making hilarious video mash-ups of Republicans. Hopefully there are more on the way! You can’t make this stuff up.
James Kaufman (R) HD28 (running against Democratically-endorsed non-partisan Suzanne LaFrance in HD28)
David Nelson (R) HD15 (running against Democrat Lyn Franks in HD15)
Mel Gillis (R) HD25 (running against Democratically-endorsed non-partisan Calvin Schrage)
