Bad Guy v. Bad Guy in Battle for Good. Alaska’s Election Under the Magnifying Glass.
Well, goodness me. The Alaska Senate race has certainly summoned an interesting cast of, um… ‘characters’ to the far north. First, we learned that Lisa Murkowski has employed the services of a certain Ben Ginsberg for her legal team dealing with the vote count. If you haven’t heard of Benjamin Ginsberg, let me illuminate you. He was one of Bush’s attorneys working on the Florida recount in 2000. He was also one of the attorneys behind Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, the 527 group whose purpose was to assassinate the character of John Kerry. This is who’s in Lisa Murkowski’s corner….
Alaska Senate Ballot Count – Live Blog!
[If you were watching the ballot count on TV, you were treated to an endless loop of the soundtrack of Titanic. You can replicate the experience by playing the Youtube video above as you read my account of the visual experience of the day’s events. For those of you who are more concerned with the actual news events of the day, you can check out the ADN politics blog which has been frequently updated by Sean Cockerham. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get back to my entertainment for the evening…] Woman in black pullover stares at book…
An Open Letter to Lisa Murkowski
By Elstun Lauesen Dear Senator Murkowski, Congratulations. You made history. You persuaded 10s of thousands of Democrats and Independents who otherwise would have voted for Scott McAdams to write you in. We will see what the final count is, but it appears that your margin is substantial and may well carry you forward for another six-year term. One of the persistent arguments that we heard from your supporters during the campaign was that you were going to be independent, because the Party leadership ‘threw you under the bus’ (though it is difficult to see how supporting the nominee of the…
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…
Oyster Roundup
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Neighbors and Cupcakes and Bears – Oh, my! For the faint of heart, and the thin of stomach lining, the ADN’s Julia O’Malley got a peek at the first episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and she watched it so you don’t have to. Between carrying on about the neighbor, and trying to shoo boys out of Willow’s room, you can get all the details about what it takes to go fishing in “bear country.” Just to clarify what you may already be thinking – yes, all of…
Lisa Murkowski: She’s changed, we haven’t.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) released their latest commercial for the benefit of Scott McAdams, describing Lisa Murkowski’s mischaracterization of her political stances: The video is great and the message is spot-on. This gives me the opportunity to talk about a piece of Senator Frank Murkowski’s history where we can see Lisa following in her dad’s footsteps. During the Rachel Maddow Show’s visit to Alaska, Lisa Murkowski discussed the time (back in the 80’s) that the Moral Majority took over the Republican Party (5:20 on the video): What she does NOT discuss is how her father, then Senator Frank…
McAdams Full-Page Ad: “I’m Twice the Man Joe Miller Is…”
As a large girl myself, I’m infuriated but not surprised by the ignorant Conservatives, (or DINOs, or folks with mental health issues) who can find nothing to use against Sitka Mayor and US Senate Candidate Scott McAdams except his size: –ADN “AK-Voices” right-winger, Brian Sweeney forgoes credibility in lieu of insulting size-references to Mayor McAdams in at least two of his “articles.” (I have no doubt his sneering commentary is a throwback to some kind of High School trauma involving a football player and his head in a swirling toilet.) –Facebook fans obsessed with Lisa or Joe have become desperate now that…
Alaska Judge Says No Cheating! Republicans and Democrats Celebrate.
In a rare moment of political kumbaya, both the Alaska Democratic Party and the Alaska Republican Party have sued the state for what they consider to be electioneering that unfairly favors Lisa Murkowski, the Republican write-in candidate for Alaska’s senate seat. She seeks to retain her seat running against Joe Miller the Republican candidate, and Scott McAdams the Democratic candidate, both of whom are on the ballot. Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner ordered the Division of Elections to remove the handy dandy list of write-in candidates from polling places across the state. Up until this point, the Division of Elections…
Making History: Murkowski Candidacy Unites the AK Democratic Party & the GOP
Monday morning, I received an email press release that the Alaska Democratic Party was announcing that they would be joining the AK GOP in a lawsuit against the State of Alaska Division of Elections. The suit alleges that the Division of Elections is violating its own regulations (specifically 6 AAC 25.070(b)) by allowing voters to look at a list of write-in candidates with their names and political party affiliations: The DOE’s unprecedented listing and posting of Murkowski’s name violates Alaska law. The ADP filed the lawsuit seeking to prevent the State from illegally providing information about write-in candidates, to ensure that…
Debate Night!
I’m sitting at the KTUU Gubernatorial (and soon Senatorial) debate at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. You can view it live on KTUU Channel 2, or live streaming at KTUU.com I’ll be watching live, but feel free to blog it in the comments. I’ve forgotten my laptop, but Mudflatter Writing from Alaska has loaned me hers to start you off! The room is full of the hardest of the hard core supporters from all the camps and it promises to be a lively evening. So, pop the corn and cozy up!