Mudflats Chats: Paul Begala on Pebble & Democrats
I sat down with Presidential adviser Paul Begala, and asked him his thoughts about the proposed Pebble Mine project, Senator Mark Begich, blue lawmakers in red states, and what it really means to be a Democrat. One of the lead advisers to President Clinton, Begala and James Carville shaped a moderate campaign agenda that focused on balancing the budget and creating 22 million new jobs. I’d been told that Begala is an avid hunter and fisherman, and has been fishing near Bristol Bay. So, I knew where I wanted our conversation to begin – with an issue that is of…
Palin for Senate? Buckle up, Alaska.
A friend of mine answered his phone this week with, “Palin for Senate.” I gasped before I laughed. Oh, it’s easy to make jokes about the former half-term governor’s announcement that she’s considering running against Senator Mark Begich in 2014. “Senator Palin 2014 – 2015 ½!” I’d guess the late night joke writers have already contributed to her PAC. Christine Pelosi (yes, her mom is famous) tweeted, “With Palin exploring a Senate run, It’s Christmas in July for @shannynmoore.” It’s true. If it weren’t for Sarah Palin, you probably wouldn’t be reading my column. I wouldn’t have met a long-lost…
Begich on a Palin Senate Run
Remember that line from Brokeback Mountain, “I wish I knew how to quit you?” Well if Sarah Palin were Jake Gyllenhaal and Alaska were Heath Ledger, she’d have been all, “I’m outta here!” And now that she’s considering a run for the Senate in the very state she quit, the Senator whose seat she’s looking to fill had a few things to say about that. “I don’t know if she’s a resident. She’s been away from Alaska a lot and has probably lost touch with what’s going on… “Most Alaskans I see on a pretty regular basis, but I haven’t…
Palin Considers Senate Run
They said it couldn’t happen. They said she was done. But she does not like being done. At the very least Sarah Palin is making headlines with idle threats. At most, she actually is doing what she says, and considering a run for the U.S. Senate. “I’ve considered it because people have requested me [to] consider it,” Palin told conservative radio host Sean Hannity on his show. Ever the reluctant leader. As a matter of fact, she told Sean Hannity once that George Washington was her favorite founding father for just that reason. He wasn’t seeking power and prestige, or…
Chicken & Waffles, & John Boehner?
STRANGE OMEN #1 I should have know something was afoot in the universe when this happened just down the road from my house, begging the question, “Why?” Just to be clear, I have never actually seen a chicken cross the road, nevermind in this visually perfect allegorical fashion. I have never even seen a chicken in my neighborhood at all, though clearly there is now photographic evidence that they exist. About a quarter mile and a few hairpin mountain road turns away from the chicken sighting, is something relatively new to Alaska – a fancy gated community. It is called…
SCOTUS Sticks it to Alaskans
Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court of the United States decided on a 5-4 vote to gut the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has a central provision, Section 5, that requires some state and local governments, mostly in the South, and also in Alaska, to get permission from the Justice Department or a federal court before making changes in their voting laws. Indeed, it was the Voting Rights Act that was at the heart of successful efforts to stop states attempting to cut back on early voting hours and instituting voter identification laws that would have dramatically affected minority…
Devaluing Democratic Donations
Disclaimer: This lament is not about whether or not Ed Markey is a worthy progressive Democrat or whether he’ll make a good US Senator. I happily stipulate to both. Alaska, from a progressive perspective, just got its clock cleaned at the voting booth last November. Big Oil was successful in buying itself a new, less bipartisan legislature, and wasted no time in shaking us down to the tune of $2 billion a year. Word has it that the draconian bills on social issues and against labor are on tap for the upcoming session. Next year will also see—let’s face it—a…
He’s In! Joe Miller Files for Senate Run
Buckle up boys and girls, it jut got interesting. Joe Miller has tossed his hat in the ring, and will be running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Alaska. This will be Miller’s second attempt at a senate seat. He did his best in 2010, winning the Republican nomination, and running in the general against Democrat Scott McAdams, and write-in candidate incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski, whom he’d trounced in the primary. Murkowski won that race in a history making election. But this time, the incumbent is not a member of the same party so no write-in will…
March Against Monsanto
Monsanto shouldn’t be immune from the U.S. justice system. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring legislation to eliminate the Monsanto rider. The Monsanto rider stripped the courts of their power to halt the planting of genetically modified crops that could be dangerous to people or the environment. I will keep working on this issue because genetically modified crops can be just as dangerous as genetically modified fish. I’ve always opposed Frankenfish—and I oppose special legal exemptions for Frankenfruit companies too. ~Senator Mark Begich, D-AK Anchorage will be making history when we participate in the first ever global March Against Monsanto! Join over…
Alaska Politicians Uncovered!
If you are a person of symbology, a political mystic, or for any reason believe that anagrams have any kind of hidden meaning, then get out your crystal ball, light a bundle of sage, and wrap your head around these startling divinations. I took it upon myself to use a handy online anagram generator (or two) to share with you the deeper, sometimes darker, and often creepily accurate dimension of (echoey deep voice—->) THE POLITICAL ANAGRAM. Let’s begin with the executive branch: Governor Sean R Parnell = Plane Snarler. Hmmm… I thought that was Sen. Lesil McGuire! Lt….