Why Won't Joe Miller Concede? (Answer: It Doesn't Matter)
Alaska’s Democratic Senator Mark Begich made a statement yesterday that was covered in Politico and the Anchorage Daily News, calling for Joe Miller to abandon his legal challenges to the U.S. Senate election that has Lisa Murkowski unofficially declared by herself and the Associated Press as the winner of the race. “It is time for Joe Miller to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the state of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner,” Begich said. “Without both senators, Alaska’s interests will be at risk on critical issues from energy development to job creation and reducing…
Angelina Jolie's Deadbeat Dad Thinks I Was a Big Meanie to Sarah Palin
By Linda Kellen Biegel Jon Voight, the actor who made the movie“Runaway Train” in the Great Land a quarter of a century ago, came back to make another one. It’s called “Ghost Vision” and it’s filming in Alaska now. Don’t get me wrong…I am ecstatic about Alaska’s new place in the movie-making business! I have been a musician/stage worker in this town long before I was ever political and I can only offer a big THANK YOU to AK Senator Johnny Ellis and the AK Legislature for passing the “Alaska Film Incentive Program.” It’s wonderful to watch many of my…
Mudflats Chats – After the Election With Scott McAdams
I had the opportunity to sit down with former U.S. Senate candidate Scott McAdams and talk informally with him about the campaign. It was so informal, there was ice cream involved – the best way to interview someone if you ask me. It was only a few days after the election and I wanted to get his thoughts and reflections on the campaign while it was still fresh in his mind, and before he traveled back home to Sitka. The former Mayor has now resumed his job as the head of the local Community Schools program. His immediate goal? To…
Joe Miller's Lawsuit – Highlight Reel
This Joe Miller lawsuit thing may seem to be getting complicated, so here’s a (hopefully) simple breakdown and a “highlight reel” of most of the important things you need to know. It’s not every little thing, but it’s enough to have a reasonable discussion at the watercooler without people thinking you’ve become an election wonk. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Heck, some of my best friends are election wonks. OK, fine. I’M an election wonk. But here’s the dill (as our former governor would say): Write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski spent a lot of time focusing on spelling this…
Voices from the Flats – Brad Friedman
The article below, by Brad Friedman should be required reading for every legislator and every voter in the state of Alaska. As we march closer to the end of the Alaska senate race, there are still many questions that need to be answered. The most important thing that can come from this election is not simply coming to a determination about who won this particular race. We have an opportunity to take back our elections from a system and a process that is inherently flawed, has been proven unreliable, has been shown to be vulnerable, and yet is still entrusted…
Mr. Wrong is Right, and Other Strange Tales from the Alaska Senate Rabbit Hole
We should all be used to it by now. Alaska politics will turn into something far more complicated than we believed was possible. The Corrupt Bastards Club, the Ted Stevens trial, the Don Young Coconut Road fiasco, some half-term governor run amok in the Lower 48, and now this – the Alaska Senate race of 2010. It’s always interesting when you find yourself with a strange bedfellow. That happened quite a bit when Palin had the VP nomination. People who were following the race from Alaska will remember that there were local Republicans a-plenty who wrote some really great scathing…
M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I v. The Letter of the Law – Joe Miller Sues!
One of the two Republican attorneys vying for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska is suing. (Hint: It’s the one with the half-beard, not the one who failed the Bar exam four times) Yes, Joe Miller filed a lawsuit today, just hours before the write-in ballots are due to be counted in Juneau. What he wants, he says, is for the state to follow “the letter of the law” when determining which write-in ballots should count, and which ones should be chucked. Miller’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said the campaign is seeking a hearing on the matter as early as…
The Alaska Senate Race – Round Two. Ding!
Here’s a quick update on the Alaska Senate Race for those of you still playing along at home. As it stands right now “Write-In Candidate” is 13,439 votes ahead of Joe Miller. We don’t know how many are actually for Lisa Murkowski, but we can presume it’s a large percent somewhere in the neighborhood of all of them. How many will be thrown out because of error? History tells us about 7%. What kind of spelling deviations will still be allowed? Where is the thin bright line between voter intent, and close but no cigar? What happens for people who write…
Alaska’s View from the Hill With Senator Mark Begich
Once again Matt Felling of KTVA sits down for a conversation with a member of Alaska’s congressional delegation. This time it’s Senator Mark Begich (D). He remarks about the surprisingly low turnout in Alaska’s election and the large number of Alaskans who remained undecided until the last moment. He’s calling the race for Murkowski. “I think she’ll have a small drop off, maybe 5 percent, maybe 10 percent — what you see is an end result of an election where she still wins.” He talked about how the money given to Murkowski by Native Corporations had impact, and has some…