Mayor Pulls Security AND Spit Guard
THREE CHEERS FOR FAIRBANKS!
Before we dive in to the usual shenanigans from the local to the federal level, let’s all take a moment to marvel at what just happened in Fairbanks and take a look at the faces that will grace the Borough Assembly and the School Board. Some will return, others are new, but all were enthusiastically supported by the Interior Democrats!
At a time when the importance of rational local governance and local elections have never been more plain to see (more on that later), Fairbanks rallied the community with great candidates, solid plans and policies, hard-working campaign volunteers, financial support, letters to the editor, phone calls, good old-fashioned grassroots organizing, and they DID IT!
A huge congratulations to incoming Assembly members Savannah Fletcher, Kristan Kelly, and David Guttenberg, and School Board members Chrya Sanderson, and Erin Morotti. And yes, this means that the Q-Anon candidate who thinks some “cabal” has buried thousands of children under the White House is not going to be a lawmaker. And Lance Roberts, who says that women shouldn’t have jobs because it makes God sad, is no longer sitting in an elected position making decisions.
Thank you to everyone who had a hand in these victories. A sweep like this doesn’t just happen by itself, and to everyone involved – whether you helped on a campaign, reminded friends to vote, made calls, waved signs, or donated, all we can say is:
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Well done!
MURKOWSKI’S GONNA MURKOWSKI
This week also saw hundreds of Women’s Marches across the country supporting abortion rights in the wake of the horrendous Texas law which literally puts a bounty on anyone helping a woman seek abortion services by rewarding snitches with cash money, and makes illegal any abortion after six weeks – before most women even know they are pregnant.
Alaskans rallied too, despite some dicey weather. And we couldn’t help but notice that our Senior Senator is back in campaign mode again. We’re old enough to remember things like her vote for the Blunt amendment which allowed insurance companies to deny coverage of birth control, and her vote for conservative anti-choice justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. She has also notably voted against allowing late-term abortions, which occur only under the most dire and wrenching medical circumstances. She’s rated a measly 47% by Planned Parenthood. And we all know that 47% on any test is a failing grade.
This was this week ^^. Below has been the last few years.
If anyone is saying, “but she’s the best we can do” just hold your horses.
State Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson is seriously considering a run for the US Senate. If you don’t know her, she is a Democrat and she’s smart, driven, compassionate, experienced, and we would be ridiculously lucky to have her represent Alaska on Capitol Hill.
Imagine – no shilly-shallying, no political game-playing, no figuring out which way the wind is blowing before making decisions, no using “concern” as a cover for inaction, no having to write letters and beg and hope for crumbs. With Elvi, you know where she stands, and it’s on solid ground when it matters most.
Check out her impressive background HERE and her latest floor speech HERE.
“We continue to see on a national level, personal and political division, the ‘it’s us against you,’ approach, the ‘other-izing’ of our neighbors and fellow community members, blatant partisan obstruction to any good policy, and the insatiable hunger for power – all of which is getting in the way of moving this country forward. Forward to promote living-wage jobs, economic growth, and the continued development of new industries that address the climate crisis we are in.”
And repeat after me: Alaska deserves better than a proxy war between Mitch McConnell (Lisa Murkowski) and Donald Trump (Kelly Tshibaka).
And for now, here’s a cheesy meme to remind you of your worth. 💗
And this just in:
Raising the debt ceiling is literally required to pay our loans, a substantial portion of which came under the Trump administration. Republicans always vote to raise the debt ceiling because if we don’t the U.S. will default. This has never happened and would wreak financial havoc on not only the United States, but around the world.
Lisa Murkowski, at the end of the day, is a party pawn. She will do what Mitch McConnell allows her to do, and won’t do what he doesn’t. She’ll stand on the side of the reckless irresponsible showboaters playing chicken with our pocketbooks. She is a loyalist. And it’s not to Alaska.
THE ‘TOTALLY COINCIDENTAL’ CABINET MEETING
Governor Mike Dunleavy has announced that he’d like to continue to be the conductor of the three-year-long slow-motion train wreck that has been his administration. That means he’ll be a candidate on the 2022 ballot.
Once an elected official becomes a candidate, the whole landscape changes. They must then be very sure never to mix business (their elected position) and pleasure (their campaign). There are all kinds of rules about this for good reasons, but primarily it boils down to ethics. Think about it. State money (your money/our collective money) should never be spent on anyone’s campaign, giving them an unfair advantage in an election. Doesn’t matter which side – if you hold office, the people shouldn’t pay for your campaign. This is a very bright political and ethical line.
For instance, let’s say that a candidate who currently holds the office of governor scheduled a big fundraiser for his reelection in Soldotna, on the Kenai Peninsula. And let’s say he wanted to bring along a whole bunch of other government officials who work for him in his cabinet to this campaign fundraiser as ‘co-hosts’ so he can draw a lot of people and make a bunch of money for his reelection.
But then COINCIDENTALLY, that governor just happens to decide to hold a “cabinet meeting” at that very same time in that very same place, just to get away from Juneau and check in with another random area of the state. For business. You know. Nobody’s ever had a cabinet meeting in Soldotna before, but hey. First time for everything, right?
We certainly hope that the governor’s brother governor is going to foot the bill for his little weekender with his buddies on the Kenai, and not make YOU do it. Stay tuned.
You can get the full background from Dermot Cole at these links:
Dunleavy cabinet members serve as ‘hosts’ for campaign fundraiser
Dunleavy campaign should pay for his fundraising trip to Kenai
PROPAGANDACAST!
Buckle up, kiddos! Just when you thought that state governmental processes couldn’t get any LESS exciting, get ready for the new government … PODCAST! It’s called “First Hand.” Because you don’t need that pesky media holding anyone to account and getting in the middle of everything. The fourth estate is not willing to parrot the government line all the time, so we’ll just snip them right out, and come to you DIRECT “from commissioners, staff, and MORE!”
Isn’t that kind of like… propaganda, you ask? Yes. Yes, it is.
The first guest on the propagandacast was the Commissioner of Health and Social Services, Adam Crum, the failed State Senate candidate who said that he’s “not a healthcare policy guy” and now holds the reins of HSS in the state with the largest pandemic numbers in the country, and in the world. He held his first spin class which was aptly dissected by Dermot Cole.”On a new state-funded podcast hosted by one of two new press agents hired last month, Health Commissioner Adam Crum gave a similar ‘get the shot if you feel like it’ pitch.“’To be clear, myself and the governor 100 percent believe, it is a personal choice, I respect that, I want everybody to understand it absolutely is a personal medical choice. And it is so important for us, we’ve said this throughout. You have to meet people where they’re at.’“’Some people will have reasons that they believe or medical reasons, which is true, that they’re not going to receive that, and that is absolutely fine. And what we just ask is if you don’t receive that then you have grace with those who ask for you to get a vaccine. And for those that are vaccinated, that you also have grace for individuals for what their reasons may be they don’t get it.'””This is not what a competent health commissioner would say.”
But it is what Adam Crum would say.
PANDEMIC PROFITEERS
As the lunacy of the anti-mask parade at the Anchorage Assembly meetings continues this week, an interesting story has broken. It seems a Dave Bronson for Mayor mega-donor has popped up at the old Golden Lion Hotel, ready to help Anchorageites with their monoclonal antibody needs.
From The Blue Alaskan:“At an Alaska Public Media Mayoral Debate held during the Anchorage mayoral campaign, Bronson said he would sell the Golden Lion Hotel on ‘day one’ after becoming mayor.”WEKA LLC owners Todd Herring and his wife Crystal, and through five of their various businesses, have donated thousands of dollars to both Mayor Bronson’s campaign and a pro-Bronson Independent Expenditure group.”
$15,000 to be exact. WEKA Tactical (see above) which sells firearms, ammunition and tactical gear got its business license in 2013. WEKA Medical, which will now run the clinic, got its business license… two weeks ago. WEKA stands for “wisdom, experience, knowledge, ability” so everything will probably be fine… The mayor made the announcement in a press release.
And if you’ve been listening to the anti-mask testimony all week, you probably noticed that Mayor Dave “I will never get the vaccine” Bronson has been busily touting the benefits of the “therapeutics” (like the monoclonal antibodies available at the Golden Lion Hotel) that we have available now. Funny how that all works out.
And meanwhile back at the three-ring circus going on in the Assembly chambers as the mask mandate testimony passes its sixth day…
STRATEGY #1
Like Governor Mike Dunleavy, the Mayor’s plan seems to be to:
1) Let covid run its course until everyone has either been vaccinated or gotten the disease.
2) Beef up staffing at hospitals using outside health workers paid with federal money (Thanks Biden) to increase the “throughput capability” of the covid ward to treat all the sick people rather than prevent them from getting sick in the first place.
3) Limit testing to only symptomatic people and reduce testing availability by HOURS every day so the number of reported positive cases will go down.
4) Continue to fight any kind of direct ask for vaccines or masks, and refusal to implement the mandates they’re capable of enforcing.
You are not the only one that finds this unacceptable. Assembly member Meg Zaletel from Midtown had this to say.
From Alaska Public Media:“If there’s a reduction in hours, it seems to make very little sense. Especially since many Assembly members, at the behest of the community, just advocated for expanded services, since lines were spanning parking lots and it was taking hours to get a test,” said Assembly Member Meg Zaletel. “We know, with the current high transmission rate of COVID in our community, testing needs to be readily accessible and convenient so people will use it.”She added: “We’ve got to have COVID testing right now, more than ever, and reducing that service doesn’t make sense to me.”
The Trump playbook is back. Less testing = better numbers!
STRATEGY #2
The other strategy seems to be to drag on public testimony and delay as long as possible, so we see the numbers go down (from the limited testing) eliminating the Assembly’s justification for implementing a mandate.
The stalling part of the program is the brain child of Eagle River Assembly member Jamie Allard. You may remember, she’s the one who was booted off the Commission for Human Rights because of her comments last summer defending Nazi license plates.
She’s been trying to filibuster the whole proceeding by dragging out the public testimony as looooooonggggg aaaaaas pooooosssssssible. She slowly and deliberately asks multiple probing questions of every single anti-mask testifier, guiding them to expound on the aspects she wants to hear and shaping their answers. The three-minutes of public testimony then turns into 5, 6, 7, 8 minutes or more for each person. Some testifiers have been complaining about the long wait time, but they haven’t seemed to put two and two together.
The other stall tactic is to gum up the works by crying foul about procedure even when no foul is to be found. She challenges rulings of the Chair, insists that the Municipal attorney look things up, calls breaks, and in general tries to break local government by grinding it to a halt.
STRATEGY #3
Intimidation and madness. Last night Mayor Bronson, who didn’t like the fact that Chair Suzanne LaFrance was no longer going to allow Allard to filibuster by having lengthy discussions with every testifier, god mad. He not only dismissed security at the meeting despite the fact that there had been at least one arrest of someone with a firearm this week. Then he had Adam Trombley, the Director of Economic & Community Development physically remove the plexiglass spit guard from the testifiers’ podium. It’s getting very very ugly.
DO NOT DESPAIR!
Amid the raging, screaming, fist-shaking, Star of David-wearing, science-denying, droplet-spraying mob, there are voices of reason. Here’s a passionate must-listen from Travis Neff.
>>Watch the video and read the full transcript HERE at The Midnight Sun<<
“There is no debate happening here when one side has medical doctors, epidemiologists, institutions, compassion, evidence and the other side has a mob,” Neff told the assembly in closing. “A mob that cheered a homophobic slur, a mob that was egged on by morally vacant politicians as our hospitals are receiving national press for crisis standards of care and our case rate remains the worst in the nation. It would be the worst in the world if we were a country. And so I ask this assembly to, please, wield your power because the pilot here doesn’t understand our plane is crashing.”
If you live in Anchorage, the best way to channel your frustration is by raising your voice. You don’t have to enter the pit of covid droplets to do it either. You can send an email to all Assembly members at: wwmas@muni.org
Let them know if you support a mask mandate as Anchorage stands as THE global hot spot for covid transmission. They are counting emails, and listening to everyone. The loudest are not the majority, but the majority CANNOT afford to be silent. Your comments don’t need to be longer than a sentence or two, but they need to be made.
And if you live in Midtown Anchorage and you received a ballot in the mail, this is because the anti-mask crowd is attempting to recall Assembly member Meg Zaletel, one of the authors of the current mask ordinance now being debated. Don’t let that happen. Get your ballots in the mail before October 26 and encourage your neighbors in midtown to do the same and VOTE NO on the recall.
DON YOUNG DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE
As tempting as it would be to say that 88 year old Congressman Don Young is just phoning it in at this point, that would be an exaggeration.
From Roll Call:When the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked up its budget reconciliation measure earlier this month, the longest-serving member of the panel wasn’t there. Alaska Republican Don Young also wasn’t there during the June 9 and 10 committee markup of a $767 billion bill paying for surface transportation programs.And he didn’t vote on the surface transportation bill that the committee voted on in 2020, even though the markups were hybrid, meaning he had the option of voting in person or remotely.In all three cases, he was the lone committee member not to vote on a single amendment on any of those bills, which were considered some of the more momentous pieces of legislation tackled by the committee this Congress.
As a matter of fact, Don Young has not voted in a single Transportation and Infrastructure markup in over two years. The last time he did pipe up was to make sure the Coast Guard wasn’t taking into account any data or information from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when it wrote up its own report on how the Coast Guard was going to deal with climate change. That amendment was defeated.
And since then? Nada from Don Young who explained that “I don’t believe in Zoom, I don’t like that communication-type thing. I just do my job.”
Tim Stretton, at the Project on Government Oversight had this to say about Don Young “doing his job.”
“In what private business is it OK if an employee doesn’t show up to their work but only for certain events? He works for the people of Alaska. He has a duty to them to have their interests and vote for or against bills. Even if you vote against something, you try to improve it. And it would appear he’s not doing that.”
Ironically a photo of Alaska’s only congressman on Wikipedia shows him using Zoom just fine. So, it’s not that he can’t do his job. He just doesn’t feel like it.
This article was reposted with permission from the Alaska Democratic Party.