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…
PHOTOS: Hurricane Sandy Hits NY
Freelance Photographer and Mudflats contributor C.S. Muncy has kindly contributed these stunning photos from his travels around New York City, documenting the effects of Hurricane Sandy. C.S. has shot for the Village Voice, NewsDay, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Check out his website at www.CSMuncyPhotography.com When he’s not shooting for some of the largest media publications on the planet he’s serving in the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard out on Long Island, New York. Please support the Red Cross in its relief efforts at http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations . . . . . . . . . . . ….
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…
Breaking: UAW files ethics charge on Romney auto bail-out profiteering
The United Auto Workers and the SEIU picked up Greg Palast’s Nation story on Mitt making bank from the US Auto bailout that he claimed to hate. Since my editor here at the Mudflats allowed me some time off from my job as Mudflats NY Bureau Chief to research this story with Palast – I figured that all the mudpuppies would like to hear to that there’s going to be a press conference in Ohio that should make a big hit in that swing state – and the nation. When video is available – I’ll post… until then – watch the…
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…