Contacts for Voting Problems
Throughout early voting, I have been receiving emails, Facebook messages and phone calls reporting problems folks have encountered. They have included: — A pollworker demanding to see a voter card in addition to the voter’s driver’s license. (Note: if you do have your voter card, provide that first. It makes things easier.) — A voter was required to vote a question ballot because their address listed on the register was one number off the correct one, which was listed on their voter card. — A voter was listed on their voter card in the wrong district (according to APRN, this…
Alaskans With Backbone
Today, Alaskans rallied in temperatures well below freezing to show their support for bipartisanship, for comity, for those who work for Alaska first. Join them tomorrow at the polls, and support candidates with a willingness to work across party lines – candidates with statesmanship, and a broad vision for Alaska’s future. Vote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Giessel Loses It
by Thomas Dewar …on television. Making this fact even more stunning is that she herself paid for the air time. Oh yes, gentle reader, in Cathy Giessel’s latest bizarre ad, she gives you a stern talking to. Because who doesn’t enjoy being yelled at by the politicians we employ? Even under the best of circumstances the senator’s demeanor is one of barely contained rage and contempt, and a race she feels slipping away is far from the best of circumstances. Even her own, high-profile supporters have publicly noted that the race is surprisingly close. In order to cope with the…
Meet Pete Kelly. Whoa.
One of the races to watch in this cycle involves the stalwart, awesome Joe Paskvan, whom you may remember sitting at the end of the table in the Resources Committee meeting last session taking no guff from the administration, and helping to keep Alaska from hemorrhaging $2 billion dollars a year from our coffers to Texas and London. He’s running a close race with Pete Kelly (R) up in Fairbanks. This is not what Pete Kelly looks like when you see him on the street right now. This is what Pete Kelly would look like on the inside, if you…
Who is Really Putting Alaska First?
Last week reminded me of the day, a little over two years ago when I sat in the Anchorage Baptist Temple with Alaskans and dignitaries from around the country for the funeral of former Sen. Ted Stevens. Vice President Joe Biden had flown in and was scheduled to speak. Partisan murmurs of “Who does he think he is?” “Why is he here?” and even more disparaging comments were coming from all directions. Minutes into Biden’s eulogy of “Uncle Ted,” those comments evaporated. Biden explained his friendship with Stevens, how they had supported each other through the tragic losses of wives…
Alaska’s Accountability Moment
Some folks talk a good game about that popular notion of “accountability,” but don’t really care for the concept when it’s applied to themselves. Exhibit A: Tuesdays’s critical election, which will determine the balance of power in our state. Our state’s biggest political fight—oil taxes—is often misreported as a dispute over whether to cut taxes for multinational oil companies, and this is simply inaccurate. Both sides of the debate are open to such a tax break. The only difference, and it is a crucial one, is whether such a break is tied to the often promised increase in production, or…
Senate Fundraising Report
We all know that the Citizens United ruling means an unprecedented amount of cash will be flowing from the coffers of well-funded special interest groups into our eyes and ears via political advertising this year. But those well-honed messages don’t always coincide with a candidate’s actual level of support from constituents, or the voting and donating public. Worthy of note is an article in today’s Anchorage Daily News that talks about the actual campaigns and their fundraising ability so far. Those examined are the competitive Alaska State Senate races which will determine the makeup of that body for the next…
Giessel’s Education Spin (VIDEO)
Making History As the Anchorage Daily News points out in last Sunday’s profile of a certain state senate race, a successful independent candidacy around these parts takes one back to an Alaskan icon like Jay Hammond. Running unaffiliated, without the trappings of political party infrastructure, certainly means you start out as an underdog. But it doesn’t mean you have to remain one. Combine a candidate’s work ethic—hitting thousands of doors throughout the district over the course of a year—with the fact that the majority of the district’s voters are themselves independent, and the next thing you know the race…
Oyster Roundup Deluxe Election Smorgasbord!
This is really more like a bag of Halloween goodies than an oyster platter. Enjoy! Quote of the Week: “Please, I’m begging you. Go vote for this guy. He’s awesome!” ~Bob Lester of the Bob & Mark Show on KWHL about State Senate candidate Ron Devon. Party’s Over! Remember the breathless complaint that was filed against Senator Hollis French, and Putting Alaskans First? The Party Planner was all in a tizzy because they used the same APOC savvy bookkeeper, and the same production company to do their commercials. Ergo, they must be in cahoots and illegally coordinating the two campaigns,…
First Ladies Endorse Alaska
“As our husbands were known for putting Alaska first, we, too, are dedicated to this guiding principle. Now, multinational corporations are attacking those Alaska legislators running for re-election who stood together in the past session to protect Alaska’s interests. “We thank and endorse Senators Hollis French and Bill Wielechowski and their colleagues in the Senate Bi-Partisan Working Group for their courage and leadership, and urge our fellow Alaskans to support them in the upcoming election.” —Ermalee Hickel & Bella Hammond • Oct. 30, 2012 In Alaska’s relatively short history as a state, “Hammond” and “Hickel” are as legendary as names…