Murkowski to Declare Victory Tonight
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski will declare victory later today in the seemingly endless senate battle with Joe Miller, also a Republican. Miller was endorsed not only by Sarah Palin, but received considerable financial backing from the Tea Party Express. On the other side of the coin, Murkowski received considerable financial backing from corporations, but her write-in victory has dealt a blow to the Tea Party and to Sarah Palin in her home state. “We’ve said all along, we’ll wait for the votes to be counted,” Murkowski Campaign Manager Kevin Sweeney told CNN. “The votes will be counted this afternoon.” When asked…
Why Joe Miller Has a Point
Something in Alaska stinks. Again. Not just an ordinary low tide smell. Not like something you’d blame on the dog. It smells like an infection. For me to plug my nose, I’d have to overlook some curious facts. I’ve written another piece like this. It was after the last election. I said it the three elections before that. In the words of baseball great Yogi Berra, it’s Déjà vu all over again! I’m writing and talking about the same thing, in what has become an even-year ritual: Alaska doesn’t count votes properly and hasn’t for years. Alaska still uses the…
Examining the Vote Count – the Alaska Senate Race Goes On…
…and the beat goes on. Today the Joe Miller campaign issued a press release regarding the latest news on their attempt to get information out of the Division of Elections. Think of the Joe Miller campaign as a dentist, and the Division of Elections as a rabid hippo with a toothache. The Miller campaign is certainly not the first to have issues with the mechanics and transparency of the Alaska vote count. They’ve even taken the chance their press release will spontaneously burst into flame, and have cited and linked to the complaint from the Dems back in 2004. They…
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…
An Open Letter to Lisa Murkowski
By Elstun Lauesen Dear Senator Murkowski, Congratulations. You made history. You persuaded 10s of thousands of Democrats and Independents who otherwise would have voted for Scott McAdams to write you in. We will see what the final count is, but it appears that your margin is substantial and may well carry you forward for another six-year term. One of the persistent arguments that we heard from your supporters during the campaign was that you were going to be independent, because the Party leadership ‘threw you under the bus’ (though it is difficult to see how supporting the nominee of the…