Blinded Me with Science: Begich Town Hall Videos
Alaska Senator Mark Begich discussed issues ranging from guns, to veterans benefits. to the 800-pound gorilla in the room – Pebble Mine – in a town hall May 1st. Out of the 50 or so attending the open Q&A with the Senator, roughly half of them were wearing either a “No Pebble” button or sticker. Attendees of the town hall were not pleased with Sen. Begich’s “let’s wait for the science to come in” responses to Pebble Mine concerns. Sen. Begich also discussed plans to help veterans work through the problems at the Veterans Administration, and saving a local landmark from…
Parnell Announces Friday
Tomorrow, Sean Parnell will announce his political intentions for 2014. He’ll be in Fairbanks, the Golden Heart City, the city where his predecessor and boss Sarah Palin gave her final, rambling Quit Speech into what looked like the severed tail of a wolf, and stepped her Naughty Monkey pumps off the tiny annoying Alaska stage, and on to the big giant national one. Sean Parnell stood there dutifully, and silent. He pretended to like her big signature legislation. He smiled, and nodded. And he stepped into the governor’s mansion to finish out her term. He was quiet, and polite. He…
Senator Palin?
This message, sent to a select group of Tea Party Leadership Fund email subscribers leads off with a subject line that asks: Do the words “Senator Sarah Palin” excite you? Let’s pause for a moment, and look something up. ex·cite [ik-sahyt] verb (used with object), ex·cit·ed, ex·cit·ing. 1. to arouse or stir up the emotions or feelings of: to excite a person to anger; actions that excited his father’s wrath. 2. to arouse or stir up (emotions or feelings): to excite jealousy or hatred. 3. to cause; awaken: to excite interest or curiosity. 4. to stir to action; provoke or…
UPDATE: Begich & Murkowski Down in Polling – Begich Office Responds
UPDATE: A Sen. Begich Office spokesperson got back to TheMudflats with this statement on the PPP polling: “Leading up to the Senate vote, the vast majority of Alaskans who contacted our office were asking Senator Begich to protect Alaskans’ 2nd amendment rights. Hearing their concerns and staying consistent with his long-held position, Senator Begich told Alaskans from the start that while there are things we can do to keep our communities safe, the Manchin-Toomey proposal was not the best approach.” [Below was posted earlier Monday the 29th] While no Alaskan polling firm has come out with data on the effect…
WATCH: Colbert Calls Begich a Hero
Last night, The Colbert Report responded to the defeat in the Senate of the Manchin-Toomey Amendment in an extremely funny segment that once again brought Alaska into the spotlight. Colbert called Alaska’s Democratic Senator, Mark Begich, a “hero” saying: “Despite relentless pressure from special interest grieving parents, 45 Brave Senators stood tall to protect what they find most precious, the A rating from the NRA. “The heroes were not just Republicans, 4 brave Democrats joined in, including Alaskan Senator Mark Begich, who celebrated his vote to kill background checks saying ‘It’s dangerous to do any type of policy in an emotional…
Alaska Eyes 2014
The legislative session in Juneau has ended, and our elected officials have flown away from the carnage they either created, or endured. The stalwart among us, the political junkies who don’t need to take time off to lick wounds, yell at clouds, or throw chairs, will begin to think of… 2014. The courts have ruled that the redistricted map used for 2012 is not Constitutional. We literally go back to the drawing board to rework legislative boundaries. And the insanity will begin all over again. But wait, that’s not all! U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES We’ve also got our one…
UPDATE: Bloomberg’s Cash Goes after Mark Begich – Doesn’t Sway AK Senators
UPDATE: Alaskan Senators Mark Begich (D) and Lisa Murkowski (R) both voted no on the Manchin-Toomey Amendment. Senator Begich was one of only 5 Democratic Senators to vote against the amendment – 4 Republicans voted for it. Quoting TPM: The Republicans who voted for the bill were Sens. Pat Toomey (PA), Mark Kirk (IL), Susan Collins (ME) and John McCain (AZ). Democrats who voted against it were Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Max Baucus (MT), Mark Begich (AK) and Mark Pryor (AR) — the latter three are up for reelection in 2014. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) changed his vote to no…
Begich Supports Same-Sex Marriage
Alaska Senator Mark Begich has come out with a definitive statement in support of same-sex marriage. Monday night, the Senator’s office sent the following statement to BuzzFeed: “I believe that same sex couples should be able to marry and should have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as any other married couple. “Government should keep out of individuals’ personal lives—if someone wants to marry someone they love, they should be able to. Alaskans are fed up with government intrusion into our private lives, our daily business, and in the way we manage our resources and economy.” The comment comes after…
Senate 2014 – Begich v. Palin?!
Here’s a little bright spot for Alaska Democrats. I know, right? How often to you hear THAT? Harper Polling, a Republican-leaning outfit, has done a survey in Alaska of 1157 likely voters. They asked about hypothetical match-ups in the 2014 senate race, in which giddy Republicans are lining up to take on freshman Democratic Senator Mark Begich. The poll was taken on January 29 – 30. After Begich’s narrow win in 2008 over Senator Ted Stevens, who at the time was a 7-time convicted felon, the right has had their knickers in a twist over the “illegitimacy” of Begich’s win….
Lt. Gov’s Discount Fare
If you could be any animal, what would it be? There are completely defensible answers ranging from a pampered house cat, to a wild mustang, to a dolphin or a raven. But there is only one answer to this: If you could be any restaurant in Alaska, what would it be? The answer to THAT, my friend, is Denny’s in Fairbanks. Any other answer is just plain wrong. You may remember that particular venue as the location for the infamous “Denny’s trial” of Schaeffer Cox fame – not to be confused with the Open Carry Day at Carl’s Junior. Schaeffer…