Dems Vote to Begin Recall of Holmes
By Michelle Scannell Approximately 50 District 19 residents gathered tonight, and voted to begin the recall process against Representative Lindsey Holmes (D—>R). In a meeting that was led by temporary District Chair (and former Anchorage assemblyman and mayor) Matt Claman, people-Undeclared, Independent, and Democrats, voted overwhelmingly to get the wheels of democracy moving against the Turnagain Turncoat for her recent actions, in which she switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican before even being sworn in to office. Scorn was heaped upon Holmes as she was called “traitor,” “thief,” “corrupt,” “unethical,” “Lindsey the Liar,” “Benedict Holmes,” and my personal…
Alaska the Swing State?
Well, here’s something to sink our collective teeth into. Nate Silver, god of numbers, statistical wizard, and Grand Political Prognisticator has just written a piece on his blog at the New York Times entitled… are you ready for this… Alaska: Future Swing State? I started. I caught my breath audibly. My brain revved furiously. Was this a trick? Nope. All looked well, as I skimmed through at Evelyn Wood Speed Reading pace. Silver has several interesting points. First, he notes that Alaska showed the most improved performance for President Obama since 2008. He also rightly notes that Sarah Palin…
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…
Money Changers in the Temple
Someone called me a communist this week. Pop Moore was a teacher and principal at Nikolaevsk, a Russian village near Homer, from 1970 until 1992. My mother taught school there. I grew up hearing stories from Old Believers who had escaped Soviet communism, about barns full of men, women and children burned to death for not renouncing their faith. I saw handwritten holy books that had been strapped to the heads of men swimming across rivers into China to escape, before China went communist. I was about as tall as the post office counter when a clerk said to Pop,…
Spouse for Senate!
Spouse is running for Senate. I know, right? It’s been pretty exciting around here I can tell you. He’s running for State Senate in “District N” a giant and beautiful swath of Alaska that stretches from South Anchorage, down Turnagain Arm to include Girdwood, and Hope, and then over to Seward, and on to Sterling and Nikiski, with all points in between. Every race is important but, I’m going to tell you why this one is the most important to me. When Ron was a little kid, living in Anderson in the Territory of Alaska – back in the days…
Preaching Politics from the Petroleum Pulpit
“Are you a pastor, elder or church leader? The Alaska Family Council would like to buy you breakfast at the Petroleum Club on Friday, October 5th at 9:00am. Pastor Voddie Baucham will be presenting on why pastors should be involved in matters related to civic engagement.” Because that’s where Jesus would invite you to breakfast… That, believe it or not, is part of the email that was sent out last month from Jim Minnery and the Alaska Family Council. “The Alaska Family Council and our legislative arm, Alaska Family Action, believes very strongly that church leaders should bring cultural issues,…
Mudflats/Stonekettle Live Debate Blogging!
It’s time for rock ’em sock ’em politics in the form of the first presidential debate of this election cycle. Are you looking for a little company tonight? Someone to snuggle up to while catching the Obama/Romney show? Well, may I offer two somebodies in the form of myself, and Mudflats contributor Jim Wright, who is also the proprietor of his own blog Stonekettle Station. We’ve been sharpening our wits to a fine ninja-sword-like edge, and we’re ready to take them both on. You can too. Just be right here at 5:00pm Alaska time (6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern). There…
The Time to Toss Pebble is Now. Really.
Here in Alaska, the proposed Pebble Mine project is not a partisan issue. It’s an issue of fish vs. cyanide, Alaskans vs. multinational corporations, Native culture vs. the bottom line, sustainable jobs vs. instant gratification, and food security vs. greed. It’s a battle between holding on to the best of our state, and the last great wild salmon run in the world, and letting it all slip away to line the pockets of the already wealthy multinational mining conglomerates. We have a lot at stake. And right now, we can actually help to influence how this all turns out. What…
Election Commissioner and Poll Worker Clash at Assembly Meeting – “That’s a lie!”
Tensions ran high at last night’s Assembly meeting, held to certify the badly botched Municipal election of April 3, 2012. The most intense moment came when Gwen Mathew, the Anchorage Election Commissioner, testified to the Assembly about the issue of broken security seals on the Diebold AccuVote machines on the day of the election. Mathew stated that she had received no report “at all, anywhere, of a seal being broken.” Wendy Isbell, a poll worker who had reported a broken seal multiple times in testimony, in writing, and by interview, to the Assembly, her precinct chair, and the Election Commission…