Murkowski & Palin – Rock 'em Sock 'em Republicans
Well, any bets about whose head is going to pop off their shoulders and bobble around on that little springy thing? After years of back and forth, which started in denial, moved up to subtle comments, and then not-so-subtle jabs, and now no-holds-barred rock ’em sock ’em robot action… my money is on Sarah Palin. To be the one with the head popping off. Back when Palin returned home with her tail tucked between her legs after the 2008 election, rumors ran wild that she’d go up against Murkowski in 2010 for the senate seat. She decided not to, and…
Mr. Wrong is Right, and Other Strange Tales from the Alaska Senate Rabbit Hole
We should all be used to it by now. Alaska politics will turn into something far more complicated than we believed was possible. The Corrupt Bastards Club, the Ted Stevens trial, the Don Young Coconut Road fiasco, some half-term governor run amok in the Lower 48, and now this – the Alaska Senate race of 2010. It’s always interesting when you find yourself with a strange bedfellow. That happened quite a bit when Palin had the VP nomination. People who were following the race from Alaska will remember that there were local Republicans a-plenty who wrote some really great scathing…
Bad Guy v. Bad Guy in Battle for Good. Alaska’s Election Under the Magnifying Glass.
Well, goodness me. The Alaska Senate race has certainly summoned an interesting cast of, um… ‘characters’ to the far north. First, we learned that Lisa Murkowski has employed the services of a certain Ben Ginsberg for her legal team dealing with the vote count. If you haven’t heard of Benjamin Ginsberg, let me illuminate you. He was one of Bush’s attorneys working on the Florida recount in 2000. He was also one of the attorneys behind Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, the 527 group whose purpose was to assassinate the character of John Kerry. This is who’s in Lisa Murkowski’s corner….
Alaska Senate Ballot Count – Live Blog!
[If you were watching the ballot count on TV, you were treated to an endless loop of the soundtrack of Titanic. You can replicate the experience by playing the Youtube video above as you read my account of the visual experience of the day’s events. For those of you who are more concerned with the actual news events of the day, you can check out the ADN politics blog which has been frequently updated by Sean Cockerham. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get back to my entertainment for the evening…] Woman in black pullover stares at book…
M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I v. The Letter of the Law – Joe Miller Sues!
One of the two Republican attorneys vying for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska is suing. (Hint: It’s the one with the half-beard, not the one who failed the Bar exam four times) Yes, Joe Miller filed a lawsuit today, just hours before the write-in ballots are due to be counted in Juneau. What he wants, he says, is for the state to follow “the letter of the law” when determining which write-in ballots should count, and which ones should be chucked. Miller’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said the campaign is seeking a hearing on the matter as early as…
Open Thread – Counting the Hours
Aren’t you excited? It’s Counting Day for the absentee ballots! The Millerbots are apparently on watch, burning the midnight oil, counting down the hours and ready to tackle the hinkiness head on, with the help of the RNSC. The Murkowskibots on Twitter have been mostly silent. Murkowski herself is in DC trying to raise money to contest the contesting of the ballots. And although she has not claimed victory, her website has. “Help Us Protect Lisa’s Historic Victory!” the headline proclaims. Weren’t these the people who were all over Joe Miller for picking out the office furniture prematurely? Just saying.
The Alaska Senate Race – Round Two. Ding!
Here’s a quick update on the Alaska Senate Race for those of you still playing along at home. As it stands right now “Write-In Candidate” is 13,439 votes ahead of Joe Miller. We don’t know how many are actually for Lisa Murkowski, but we can presume it’s a large percent somewhere in the neighborhood of all of them. How many will be thrown out because of error? History tells us about 7%. What kind of spelling deviations will still be allowed? Where is the thin bright line between voter intent, and close but no cigar? What happens for people who write…
Oyster Roundup
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Neighbors and Cupcakes and Bears – Oh, my! For the faint of heart, and the thin of stomach lining, the ADN’s Julia O’Malley got a peek at the first episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and she watched it so you don’t have to. Between carrying on about the neighbor, and trying to shoo boys out of Willow’s room, you can get all the details about what it takes to go fishing in “bear country.” Just to clarify what you may already be thinking – yes, all of…
Alaska’s View from the Hill With Senator Mark Begich
Once again Matt Felling of KTVA sits down for a conversation with a member of Alaska’s congressional delegation. This time it’s Senator Mark Begich (D). He remarks about the surprisingly low turnout in Alaska’s election and the large number of Alaskans who remained undecided until the last moment. He’s calling the race for Murkowski. “I think she’ll have a small drop off, maybe 5 percent, maybe 10 percent — what you see is an end result of an election where she still wins.” He talked about how the money given to Murkowski by Native Corporations had impact, and has some…