Levi Johnston Names Second Baby After Gun
We’d like to take a break from the trivial, frivolous matter of election integrity to delve deeply into a critical piece of developing news… Levi Johnston, the ex-fiance and baby daddy of former Dancing With the Stars celebrity Bristol Palin, and also former ex-almost-son-in-law of the former ex-half-governor and former-almost-second-in-command of these here United States, has gotten his current girlfriend Sunny Oglesby in the family way. Once again, the miracle of life began for Johnston on a camping trip, and once again, the pregnancy was unplanned. We do not know if wine coolers were involved this time. “We were out…
Mudflats Exclusive: Joe Miller Calls for Unity and Right of Citizens to Hand Count of Municipal Election
Former Alaskan Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller, has issued a statement to The Mudflats regarding the integrity of all elections, including the Alaska Senate race in 2010, and the recently held Anchorage Municipal election on April 3, 2012. The Mudflats strongly supported Joe Miller’s (and Scott McAdams’) right to a full hand count of paper ballots in the 2010 election, and for processes that were fair, laws that were consistent, and the ultimate right of citizens to have confidence in their electoral process. Miller has been a strong proponent of the accessibility of the public to a full…
Alaska Republican Convention Gets Paulverized
I don’t mean to gloat. I’m not generally a gloater. Schadenfreude is not my thing. But if I were going to gloat, now would be the time. Hypothetically. It seems… how shall I put this delicately… the the Alaska Republican Convention has turned into what their one time golden child Sarah Palin would call – “a cluster.” @AnchTeaParty on Twitter was kind enough to tweet live from the convention: 17:20 Still no results on election of #Alaska Party Chair. Saying we must leave the hotel ballroom now. 17:21 Chair just declared the convention adjourned with no vote to adjourn and no…
Parnell Kills His Own Special Session. Blames Senate. Pouts.
Things aren’t going well for Sean Parnell. It all started last week when he called the legislature into special session to talk about three things, the most difficult and contentious of which was oil and gas production taxes. The governor sent his team to Juneau with a bill. For purposes of readability, we’ll refer to this bill (SB3001) as what it is metaphorically – a cow pie. Hatching the Idea What the governor wanted in this new “hybrid” bill was to give all kinds of breaks to big oil companies for fields that are already producing, and not so much…
Open Thread – Homage to a Governor
I thought it would be nice to have a little visual metaphor, an homage, if you will, to Governor Sean Parnell, and his “not so special” session, which came to an abrupt end today because the governor pulled the little whistle string and then drove that train right off the rails. (More to come on that) And here are some soothing strains to play out the legislature, particularly those rational and hard-working members of the Senate Resources Committee. Well done.
Quitter 2.0 – Parnell Breaks Hockey Stick, Says ‘Puck You.’
And the crowd goes wild! Remember when I compared the Resources Committee meeting of the State Senate to a hockey game, and said I thought that they ought to have a rule just like in the peewee leagues, where when one team is like 20 points up they just call the game so the other side can slink away and lick their wounds instead of continuing to endure the public humiliation? Well, guess what? Even though that rule doesn’t exist, Bryan Butcher, Bruce Tangeman, and Co. have been recalled back to the locker room. That’s right – Parnell’s…
Professor of Oil and Energy Economics Challenges the Governor to Debate
There has been a tremendous amount of press about changing the ACES (Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share) oil tax system, and hardly any press for keeping ACES in place. This guest editorial is from Dr. Douglas Reynolds, a professor of Oil and Energy Economics at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. If the governor really believes his new oil tax plan is for the best, then he shouldn’t mind debating the issue, right? From Dr. Doug Reynolds During a recent visit to Juneau and Anchorage, I met legislators, staffers, oil industry employers and ordinary citizens. Talking to all these people convinced me that…
The Not-So-Public Election Meeting – (Updated Photo)
~Mayor Dan Sullivan and Deputy Clerk Jacqueline Duke (R) celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day at McGinley’s Bar of which Sullivan is part owner A hastily-called Saturday meeting of the Election Commission was the scene of some interesting and dramatic revelations. Overheard comments that Assembly Chair Hall will be restructuring a vital committee to install Adam Trombley as Chair, and angry voters who were denied the right to speak to the entire body dominated the day – at least for me. The actual testimony , however, was not able to be heard by the public. Private testimony and “anticipated volume” The…