Another Hat in the Ring for Alaska Governor
It’s finally official. Today, Democrat Ethan Berkowitz has tossed his hat in the ring to run for Governor of Alaska in 2010 by submitting his letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Berkowitz was unsuccessful in his attempt to knock Alaska’s lone congressman Don Young off his perch in 2008, although polls showed him with a solid lead going in to the election. Berkowitz leads in name recognition among Alaskans, and has now entered a gubernatorial field including Democratic Senator Hollis French, and Democrat Bob Poe. “A lot has changed in the fifty years since statehood and yet…
Book Wars. Palin v. Johnston – Who’s Got the Slam Dunk?
Oh boy. Vanity Fair does it again. Get ready for the latest teaser extraordinaire about life in the Palin house after the 2008 election. The world’s most infamous ex-almost-son-in-law has let loose a couple interesting little nuggets of which there promise to be more in the upcoming full article entitled “Me and Mrs. Palin.” “The Palin house was much different from what many people expect of a normal family, even before she was nominated for vice president. There wasn’t much parenting in that house. Sarah doesn’t cook, Todd doesn’t cook—the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the…
Pop, Ooze, Dung, and the Alaska Personnel Board.
Lots of good stuff floating around the internets. Here’s a little smorgasbord of tasty treats you may have missed. POP! Gubernatorial candidate Bob Poe wrote an excellent compass piece for the Anchorage Daily News that begins like this: I support equal rights for all people. And I support banning discrimination in Anchorage due solely to someone’s sexual orientation. I support a comprehensive equal rights ordinance because it’s the right thing to do, period. Sh. sh. shhh. Listen. Do you hear those faint little noises, like Pop Rocks? Remember all those people in red shirts who testified at the Anchorage Assembly…
Netroots – Turning Red Districts Blue: Organizing for Change
One of my favorite panels at Netroots Nation was the panel discussion entitled Turning Red Districts Blue: Organizing for Change. Panelists were David Atkins (moderator), Darcy Burner, Adam Lambert, Democracy for America’s Arshad Hasan, Matt Browner Hamlin, and Eden James. Matt Browner Hamlin spoke about his time as Mark Begich’s online communications director in the 2008 campaign. MBH: The challenge in Alaska is how do you get from a population which is only 23% Democratic to a vote of 50% +1. It was a big hurdle. Most Alaskans are registered as Non-Partisan. What helped the Begich campaign was the…
CRAP 2012!
It’s like the end of a magic show. The magician stands there in the spotlight, all eyes are upon him. A flourish of the cape, a puff of smoke, and…..poof! Gone. The smoke clears, and he is nowhere to be seen. The audeince stares. They look at each other. There is murmuring. Nobody knows quite what to do. Is it over? Should we go home now? Will he pop up again somewhere else in the room? Awkward silence. That’s where we are. Sarah Palin has left the building. We think. Before she surfaces again, let’s take this moment to announce…
Sarah Palin – On to a “Higher Calling”
It’s Quittin’ Time here in Alaska. Yes, according to our almost former executive-in-chief, we’re yesterdays news. Tossed like an old banana peel on the compost pile of past political ambition. Cast off like an old peep-toe pump with a broken heel. Jilted. So, why are we so happy? It’s kind of like being dumped by someone who was really bad for you anyway. Sure there are some hurt feelings. Didn’t we measure up? Weren’t we worth fighting for? “It’s not you, it’s me?” What does the Lower 48 have that we don’t? Is it the money? But, you said you…
Palin Hands Alaska to the Dems?
Is it true? She said she was doing the best thing for Alaska when she quit, and by gum, she just might be right! The soon-to-be official resignation of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) could hand Democrats a legitimate pickup opportunity, according to a recent poll in the Last Frontier obtained by the Fix. The survey, which was conducted by Global Strategy Group, showed Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) at 41 percent to former state Sen. Ethan Berkowitz‘s (D) 40 percent — a statistical dead heat. Democrats held the Alaska governorship from 1994 until 2002 as Gov. Tony Knowles (D)…
Palin’s Parting Gift to Alaska – Another Constitutional Crisis. Gee, Thanks.
What is there to say? You do what you know. And Sarah Palin knows constitutional crises. Let’s look back at some of the highlights… Remember back when former Attorney General Talis Colberg suggested to state employees that it was OK to ignore legislative subpoenas in the Troopergate probe? He was really careful when questioned to say that he didn’t actually tell them not to testify, he merely pointed out that testifying was sort of an “option.” This set off a storm of protest from…well…anyone who knows anything about what a subpoena is. At odds with the legislature, the posture of…