What Could Go Wrong? This.
There’s a game most of us play. It’s called “What Could Go Wrong?!” You know, like I’m going to hand my nine year old an automatic weapon – “What Could Go Wrong?!” Or, why not go bare-headed and drive a motorcycle really fast? “What Could Go Wrong?!” Then there is the always present, Why don’t we build a giant mine at the headwaters of the largest sockeye salmon fishing run in the entire world? “What Could Go Wrong?” Many Alaskans have asked this question over the last decade regarding the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. When the state government…
Primary Post Mortem
Alaska’s primary election night is over, but the election itself is not quite done. About 14,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted, and the final results will not be known for days. That said, it will be a tough hill to climb for the passage of Ballot Measure 1, which would reinstate the ACES oil tax system put in place by former Governor Sarah Palin and a bipartisan coalition in the Alaska legislature. Sean Parnell, former ConocoPhillips lawyer and lobbyist, and Palin’s former Lt. Governor dismantled ACES with Senate Bill 21 which would give billions from Alaska’s treasury to the…
Sullivan, Treadwell vs. Women
You’d think a vote for the Violence Against Women Act would be a no-brainer. You’d think this because opposing violence against women should be as controversial a position as supporting the troops or enjoying apple pie. If you live in Alaska, you’d really think this is an easy vote, because all three members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation—including Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Don Young—have supported the bill in the past. Senator Murkowski has gone so far as to lobby House Republicans on reauthorizing the law, and has signed on to a bipartisan letter of support which reads in part as follows:…
Dunbar Beats Young in Straw Poll
Don Young lost. That hasn’t happened since 1972 when he lost to Congressman Nick Begich, who had already been killed in a plane crash. OK, this time it wasn’t an election proper, but it’s good news for those who are no fans of “the Congressman of everyone who voted for me.” Young has been in the halls of power since 1973, and at least for the thousands of attendees at the Tanana State Fair in Fairbanks last week, that’s long enough. In the final results of the fair’s straw poll announced by the League of Women Voters of the Tanana Valley, Democratic challenger Forrest Dunbar…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska Fairbanks News Miner – Pro-Begich super PAC takes on Treadwell JUNEAU, Alaska – A super PAC that supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has a new ad that, for the first time, takes on Republican Senate hopeful Mead Treadwell. Put Alaska First’s ad also features Republican Dan Sullivan, the presumptive front-runner in the race who has been a target of the group for months. Alaska Dispatch News – Nixon took time out from Watergate to plot politics with Young, Coghill Forty years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace, the secret tapes that proved his role in the Watergate…
Five Things Alaskans Can Agree on. Maybe.
I was thinking of writing about less controversial things this week… you know, like fish allocation wars or immigration. I’m never sure what’s going to throw people down a rabbit hole of rage, so I’ve decided to focus on a Top 5 list that I would hope we Alaskans could all get in agreement with. First — If it’s illegal to have five cars stacked behind your motor home pulling a skiff full of four-wheelers, why don’t I ever see that guy pulled over by the red and blue lights? I don’t know how many times I’ve driven the New Seward…
Don Young Goes Aggro on Staffer
We snickered when he banged a walrus penis bone on the table during a House session. We face palmed when he threatened to bite a New Jersey congressman like an Alaskan mink. We rolled our eyes when he wore a beanie propeller in committee to mock wind power. We sighed when he cursed at a police officer, and barged into a building that was closed for asbestos cleanup. We dropped our jaws when he suggested that public sector union members/federal employees should be ashamed of themselves. We cringed when he made goofy faces on camera during the naming of a post…
Don Young Makes a Fool of Himself Again
Alaska’s lone Congressman Don Young – who, when not making racist remarks to reporters or getting caught up in scandals, is usually busy doing nothing in Congress. I’m pretty sure at this point the Democrats on the national scene have decided to just let him keep the seat because he’s a fantastic fundraiser for them. Most of the time it’s one of the lefty blogs that catches him being… well, Don Young. This time it was the relatively right of center Daily Caller. Here’s the title of the piece that they wrote this week. Congressman Yucks It Up On House…
Robocalls are Like a Box of Chocolates
WARNING: Contains graphic audio. Adult situations. May not be suitable for children under voting age. Ok, so I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize, and decided to let the answering machine get it. (Yes, I still own a land line because cell phone reception at my house on the mountain is spotty at best). Forrest Dunbar is the latest candidate to go up against the Congressman for All Alaskans Who Voted for Him, since 1973 – the walrus penis bone gaveling, beanie propeller wearing, fed hating, EPA waffle stomper nemesis, Don Young. After the robocall was…
Democratic Frontier: Q&A with the State Party Chair
With the governorship, a US senate seat, our lone Congressional seat, and SB 21 repeal all on the statewide ballot, 2014 is a critical election year in Alaska. Given recent gerrymandering and the influx of outside political money, the state represents significant challenges for Democrats. The Mudflats spoke with Democratic Party Chair Mike Wenstrup about the state of the state, his party, and its future. Alaska doesn’t seem to be a very hospitable place for Democrats these days, so what compelled you to want to run the state party? Alaska values are Democratic values: Respect for personal privacy, government restraint, maximizing public benefits…