Begich – “If you’re pro-choice, you’re pro-choice.”
“There is no middle ground,” says Alaska Democratic Senator Mark Begich when asked about his firm pro-choice stance. “I’ve never run from these issues. I can’t speak for other Democrats, I just know where I’m at. These are not issues that I run from. People know where I stand.” That might not be a controversial position for a Democrat in California, or New York, but in a state that’s voted for a Republican president every cycle since the Johnson administration, it sounds like a risk. Alaska carries a mere 3 electoral votes, and with the notable exception of a certain VP nominee…
Sullivan, Treadwell vs. Women
You’d think a vote for the Violence Against Women Act would be a no-brainer. You’d think this because opposing violence against women should be as controversial a position as supporting the troops or enjoying apple pie. If you live in Alaska, you’d really think this is an easy vote, because all three members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation—including Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Don Young—have supported the bill in the past. Senator Murkowski has gone so far as to lobby House Republicans on reauthorizing the law, and has signed on to a bipartisan letter of support which reads in part as follows:…
Purgatory Will Turn You Vegan. Apparently.
And now this, from the Palin Channel, which clearly has not raised enough money for speech writers. Or teleprompters. Or some guy making cue cards with a Sharpie. Luckily, they’ve been able to scrape up enough for a fake tree, and a pile of leather-bound books which were put in front of her so maybe now she has to read them, a lacquered photograph of a flag, and a ring of keys for a house belonging to a race of giants. Gravitas. That’s what that is. The ex-half-governor must have been feeling confident this day, because she decided to take…
The Weekend Off – News You Missed
Alaska Fairbanks News Miner – Pro-Begich super PAC takes on Treadwell JUNEAU, Alaska – A super PAC that supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has a new ad that, for the first time, takes on Republican Senate hopeful Mead Treadwell. Put Alaska First’s ad also features Republican Dan Sullivan, the presumptive front-runner in the race who has been a target of the group for months. Alaska Dispatch News – Nixon took time out from Watergate to plot politics with Young, Coghill Forty years after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in disgrace, the secret tapes that proved his role in the Watergate…
GOP Senate Lightning Round!
Someone has smoked pot. Someone has committed a crime. Someone got a speeding ticket on the way to a 2nd Amendment rally. It was quite an evening. Alaska’s Keystone Kops of conservatism took to the stage again for the GOP Senate primary debate. Falling all over each other to see who can get more conservative has become almost a sport. Like professional wrestling is a sport. “I’ve been a conservative all my life!” “I’ve been pro-life all my life!” “I’ve been pro-second amendment all my life!” “I challenge you to sign this pledge to keep out illegal immigrants!” Yes, those…
Reefer Madness Comes to Alaska
I knew immediately this debate was going to be contentious. I was sitting on the left side of the auditorium when the woman next to me popped out of her seat like a Jack in the box. “I’m moving!” she said. “The legals are on this side, and the illegals are on the other side. I’m going to sit with the illegals!” “I’m going to sit with the illegals” isn’t a sentence you hear very much these days. I’m a “legal” for a number of reasons, and I wanted to explain to my former neighbor that this wasn’t like a wedding with…
Krazy Kampaign Lit Alert!
Joe Miller is running for U.S. Senate again. And in Alaska, it’s a 3-way scramble to the right to woo the hard-core conservative primary voter. Miller, Mead Treadwell, and Dan Sullivan have all been trying to outdo each other in their attempt to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Begich. Above is Miller’s latest piece of campaign literature, mailed to voters. Xenophobic fear mongering and downright silliness aside, (and that’s a BIG aside) let’s follow the message, shall we? You may need a pith helmet, and a machete to get through the jungle of “logic.” Warning: there’s a cliff at…
Little Slice of Happy
You’re afraid to even look at the news right now, because assorted horrors from around the globe are all competing for ghastly headlines. So you have to take your happiness, and restore your faith in humanity, wherever you can. Which brings us to the fine, civic-minded residents of Williamson County, Tennessee, near Nashville. It seems former SNL cast member, homophobic Tea Party activist, and batshit insane person Victoria Jackson offered to supply the locals with what would undoubtedly have been some top-notch statecraft on their county commission. Weirdly, the voters declined her generous offer last night. Judy Lynch Herbert: 1,422…
Marijuana Debate Wednesday!
Should marijuana be regulated like alcohol in Alaska? The third in a series of four debates on upcoming ballot initiatives from Alaska Common Ground is scheduled for Wednesday night in the Wilda Marston Theater in the Loussac Library. Colorado and Washington have recently legalized pot, and the world has not, in fact, ended. In Libertarian Alaska, it seems like a no-brainer, but there are two sides to this debate. Come see what they have to say, and arm yourself for the water cooler wars. Forum on the Marijuana Legalization Initiative Wednesday, August 6th, 7 – 9 pm Wilda Marston Theatre,…
Sullivan Waffles on Eggs – One of Them May Be Yours.
Back in April, Alaska Republican Senate primary voters got to listen to their three candidates try to figure out who the lifey-est candidate of all actually was. It’s been a gigantic run to the right on pro-life issues by the three men running for the office, each trying to be more hard core than the others. They were asked whether they would support a so-called “personhood bill” called the Life at Conception Act introduced by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that defines life as beginning the moment that little swimmer cracks the eggshell. The bottom line of this bill is that it…