Operation Chaos a Success! Don Young Wins by a Nose!

Lt. Gov. Sean “Caribou Ken” Parnell (left) and Don Young with his favorite objet d’art….Don Young.

Operation Chaos, it seems, may have been a diabolical success.  You’ll all recall when Rush Limbaugh urged all his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton in states with open primaries.  The theory was that she’d be easier to defeat than Barack Obama.  It’s debatable whether his tactic had any effect locally, but it obviously didn’t work on a national level.

In Alaska, on the other hand, things may have turned out differently.  It was no secret in the polling, that Democratic candidate Ethan Berkowitz was much more likely to defeat long-term but desperately corrupt incumbent Don Young, than Republican newcomer (and some would say Palin-bot) rival Lt. Governor Sean Parnell.

So, devious Independants and Non-partisans (who make up well over 50% of the voters in Alaska), chose the Republican ballot and voted for Young in a desperate attempt to swing the general election in favor of a viable Democratic candidate.  How do I know this?  Because, just in general chit-chatty conversation, I personally came across FIVE people who did it.  I didn’t ask. It was almost like people needed to make this guilty, yet gleeful confession.  Did one of my earliest posts help plant the idea?  Probably not. Not many people read it.  But the idea obviously sprang up indepentently in the minds of those hungry to get the old-guard corrupt politicians out of office.

Weeks after Alaska’s primary, the absentee ballots now counted, Don Young can claim victory by the razor-thin margin of 304 votes.  I know five of the voters by name, and I’m guessing that Alaskans like them have put him over the top.  Alaska politics makes strange bedfellows.

Parnell  will probably call for a recount, so keep those champagne bottles corked for now.  The recount could take another 10 days.  But, things may be looking up in one branch of Alaska politics.

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Palin Throws Alaska Under the Bus.

GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is effectively turning over questions about her record as Alaska’s governor to John McCain’s political campaign, part of an ambitious Republican strategy to limit embarrassing disclosures and carefully shape her image for voters in the rest of the country.

That’s the lead in from the Anchorage Daily News story about the latest GOP strong-arm tactics to perform what many Alaskans feel is an outside political takeover of the state’s Troopergate investigation.  A pack of high-powered east coast lawyers are the new artisans of the Palin “image”.  If anyone has a question about Palin’s 20 months as governor, ask the McCain campaign, because apparently no one else can give you  the answers.

This is not going over well in Alaska.  I’ll use my usual caveat that there are lots of Alaskans who happily subscribe to the “Sarah right or wrong” mentality, and will continue to do so.  However, the progressive take on this whole latest mess is only slightly short of taking torches and pitchforks and surrounding the Attorney General’s office, demanding an end to the stonewalling.  I’ve watched Alaskan progressives that I personally know go from saying, “Wow! I can’t believe I voted for a Republican!” to, “She’s doing OK.  I don’t agree with everything, but I don’t regret my vote” to being so furiously seething angry they just can’t say anything.

This means that there’s a shift, and shifts tend to bring along all people to a certain degree.  If there’s one way to tick off Alaskans it’s by bringing in ‘outsiders’ to try to control state affairs.  Imagine if you will how a small independant nation would feel being invaded by the superpower next door.  It’s like that.

I’ve even lived to see the day that Republican State Senate President Lyda Green (often vilified by Democrats over the years) agreed to do an interview on the local progressive talk radio station, and was practically hailed as a hero.  Why?  For simply stating the investigation should and will move forward despite the fact that the Attorney General, under the influence of McCain lawyers, said that state employees would defy their subpoenas. “Nothing has changed,” she said. “Our job is to find the truth.”  Real integrity coming from either side of the aisle is what Alaskans want.  It’s in desperately short supply these days.

And again, and again, I hear Alaskans quoting that now infamous promise of our governor (who is still our governor by the way) to run the state with “ethical, open and transparent” government.

It remains to be seen how effective the so-called “Truth Squad” is in ‘shaping her image’ in the rest of the country, but they are not doing her any favors here at home.  I’ve never heard so many people say they can’t wait to see her new approval ratings.

Meanwhile, the opposing side, not to be outdone by a goofy name, has come up with  “Alaska Mythbusters,” a nod to the popular television show. This white hat version of the Orwellian “Truth Squad”  is made up mostly of elected officials who have opposed or know Palin and who criticize her work.

So what does the Attorney General Talis Colberg have to say for himself?  I know a couple people who know Colberg, and respected him deeply until recently.  I heard from a friend of his that this whole thing is really taking a toll on him. “He’s really a decent guy,” says my bewildered friend. So, what say you sir?  Hello?  Are you there? 

Oh.  Talis Colberg just went “on vacation” to Kansas.  You can’t make this stuff up. 

Beware of tornadoes, falling houses, and flying monkeys!  Nothing would surprise me any more.

Tune in to KUDO

CC just talked to Senator Bill Wielechowski about the McCain campaign’s insidious strong arm tactics in Alaska regarding the Troopergate investigation. She’ll have a recap coming up, and a call to arms. Should be a good one.

To listen, click HERE

Call in to ask questions or make yourself heard – 907-569-1080

The show runs from 3-6pm Alaska time. (4-7 Pacific time)

National Organization for Women Endorses Obama-Biden.

There are lots of women who have flirted with the McCain-Palin ticket following the addition of the first female Vice Presidential candidate since Geraldine Ferraro shared the ticket with Walter Mondale in 1984. Recent polls even indicate that white women are, on the whole, leaning toward the McCain-Palin ticket. Obama supporters have a visceral reaction to this news which usually involves cringing, and feelings of nausea.

But, it’s OK. Take a deep breath, and think about it. This is historic. This is the first time the Republican party has put a woman on the presidential ticket. Yes, the Democrats were there a quarter century ago, but it’s still historic. Palin hit the McCain campaign like a jolt from those little electric paddles that revive heart attack victims. (CLEAR! ….DZZZTT!….. It’s aliiiive!)

People in most of the country knew nothing about Sarah Palin, but what they were able to garner from first impression sounded pretty good – spunky, attractive, strong personality, reformer, down-to-earth hockey mom, youth, energy, special needs kid, great camera presence, confidence, and, of course, the surprise factor. We all love a surprise! So, why wouldn’t women be excited? The prospect of having someone in a position of power who comes at things from a completely different perspective than typical white male Washington insiders was….well….downright refreshing. And we love being refreshed, almost as much as we love being surprised.

However, to assume that this is the end of the story underestimates women. Granted, some will vote gender, just like some men will vote gender, and some of both genders will vote race. My team right or wrong. That’s just human nature.

But others will take the excitement over Palin’s presence on the ticket only as a starting point. They will like her until they have a reason not to. And those women are now being presented with some pretty good reasons not to. There has been so much information presented to the American people about Palin in the last few weeks, the facts are only now starting to settle out, and order themselves in our mental file cabinet. We’ve got a religion file, an environment file, a foreign policy file, a women’s issues file, an ethics file, and most of us have a few ‘gate’ files too – babygate, busgate, dairygate, bookgate, troopergate,….it’s mind boggling. But after our crash course in Palin 101, we are starting to make sense of things, and patterns begin to emerge.

The most important issue for women is Palin’s unwavering stance against reproductive rights for women and girls. The vast majority of women, even those who would categorize themselves as “pro-life” or “anti-abortion”, believe that exceptions should be made in the case of rape, or incest. Women who remember the dark days of back alley abortions, and the deaths of so many beautiful young women, know that abortion will never be eradicated. They want abortion to be safe, legal and rare, and they cannot relate to Palin’s position. Neither can women who really stop to think what life would be like in Palin’s America if their 12-year old daughter became pregnant after being raped by her father. Coupled with her position advocating ‘abstinence only’ sex education, this issue simply comes down on the wrong side for the vast majority of American women. The icing on the cake is the fact that as mayor of Wasilla, Palin fought lawmakers who wanted to stop Wasilla, from charging rape victims for their own forensic testing and ‘rape kits’ to the tune of up to $1200 per victim. Eventually formal legislation was passed to force Wasilla to abolish this practice since the mayor would not comply voluntarily. Most women, particularly victims of sexual assault, find this to be almost too outrageous to be believed.

Her policies on women’s issues, radical religious views, her anti-environmental and wildlife policies, lack of foreign policy experience, position on health care, unsettling ethics questions, along with her position on the war in Iraq, her sabre-rattling, and a host of other controversial issues cannot stay hidden. There is simply too much information out there, and it covers too wide a range of topics to be effectively suppressed. It may seem that there’s not enough time between now and the election to get this information ‘out there’, but think about what has happened since August 29th when McCain made the announcement he had selected Palin. There is time.

Palin’s nomination has not only energized the evangelical Republican “base”, it has energized women. It hasn’t energized all women yet. But, it has energized the ones who have done the research. And those women will talk to their friends. And more of the ones who haven’t had time to do the research, will start doing it. And the vice presidential debate will happen. And women will mobilize, just like the women did in Anchorage last Saturday at the Alaska Women Reject Palin rally. And those women brought men, and their teenage sons and daughters. I was there, at the largest rally in Alaskan history, and it was powerful. The presence of the women at that rally, waving signs that held Palin accountable for her radical views, gave permission to women everywhere to question, and learn, and think about where they cast their vote. Communication will happen. It can’t be stopped.

Add this to the mix. N.O.W. (the National Organization for Women) has come out with an official endorsement, not for McCain-Palin, but for Obama-Biden. NOW has not endorsed a presidential candidate since Mondale-Ferraro in 1984. In addition to the endorsement from N.O.W., the Obama-Biden ticket received endorsements from Business and Professional Women/USA, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Congress of Black Women and the Women’s Information Network.

“It’s extremely disappointing that an organization [NOW} that purports to be an advocate for all women not only opposes but feels compelled to go out of its way to criticize and make negative comments about the only ticket in the presidential race with a woman on the ticket,” Palin’s spokeswoman Maria Comella said in an e-mail.

What this powerful endorsement says is that regardless of the chromosomal makeup of the Republican ticket, they are simply wrong on the issues that matter most to women. McCain’s record is dismal, and so is Palin’s. Their records would be dismal regardless of their gender.

And one thing about women’s issues…they are not just women’s issues. They are people issues. Everyone has a mother, or a sister, or a wife, or coworker, or girlfriend or daughter who will have to live under the supreme court appointments of the next administration. So, have faith. Informed people make better decisions than uninformed people, and the natural law of information is that it gets dispersed. The more people learn, the less they support Palin, and the McCain-Palin ticket. There is still time.

New McCain Stall of Troopergate Investigation: Part Karl Rove, Part Laurel & Hardy.

Here’s another great piece by one of our newest and most favorite Mudflatters, Alaska Representative Les Gara. He’s not only a great legislator, with a real insider’s perspective on the surreal world of the Alaska Legislature, but he’s a pretty entertaining read. Enjoy!

Since Monday the McCain camp has stepped up its personal attacks against Alaskans. They’ve continued their D.C.-style tactics against neighbors in this small state. The game plan is to find an excuse to stop our Legislature’s Troopergate investigation, and hide evidence McCain’s folks really don’t want to surface before November’s election. It’s been a little Karl Rove, and parts Laurel and Hardy. How else can you explain the following?

Last week the Attorney general’s office promised state witnesses would comply with subpoenas the Legislature issued last week. Tuesday the Governor’s Attorney General flip flopped, and announced that state witnesses wouldn’t comply because, well, and I’m paraphrasing here – he’s changed his mind. And in what has to be an idea hatched after a 4th Martini at Chilkoot Charlie’s, Governor Palin’s attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the ethics claim she filed against herself two weeks ago. Yup. She really filed a complaint against herself. Tuesday she said she’s discovered, after a thorough investigation of herself, that she’s done nothing wrong. Does anyone know how to get a hold of Jon Stewart and Tina Fey?

It’s silly season up here in the far north, but this week’s moves are aimed at one thing: John McCain’s effort to find cover for being disingenuous. See, before Governor Palin’s nomination for the Republican VP spot, she did the honest thing. She admitted the evidence – of roughly 20 contacts between her staff and husband with Public Safety officials, seeking the firing of Governor Palin’s former brother-in-law – might lead a reasonable person to the conclusion that the she misused her office to fire a state employee. So when Alaska‘s Republican-led Legislature called for an investigation, she did the honorable thing and said she and her staff would comply. She denies any wrongdoing.

Things changed on August 29 when Governor Palin was added to the McCain ticket. Since then his handlers have told her she can’t testify. They don’t want the evidence in this case to come out. They don’t want her to testify under oath. They don’t want other witnesses to testify under oath. So they have engaged in daily maneuvers to attack, as disloyal to the McCain campaign, anyone who wants the investigation to move forward. They’ve now attacked two well respected prosecutors, and perhaps the state’s most highly regarded law enforcement official – the Public Safety Commissioner she hired, and then fired, Walt Monegan.

Every day this week McCain operatives have sung the same tune. Today a guy with an East Coast accent, who knows nothing about Alaska, stood in front of a McCain-Palin banner to lead the attacks against people he doesn’t know. At press conferences on Monday and Tuesday campaign staffer Megan Stapleton spit vitriol to repeat her argument that this investigation is really a “Democratic” attack on Governor Palin.

See, that’s easier than just saying their VP has reneged on her promise to testify. It’s easier than just saying they don’t want anyone testifying before the November election. It’s easier than admitting they are stonewalling a legislative investigation.

Here are a few things they failed to say. There are a few small facts that make it hard to style this as a Democratic investigation. One is that Alaska is a Republican State. We have a Republican Governor and a Legislature of 34 Republicans and 26 Democrats. This summer the Legislature’s Legislative Council voted 12-0 (8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) to hire an investigator, and appointed Democratic Senator Hollis French, a well-respected former prosecutor, to find an investigator. Governor Palin stated she and her employees would comply with the investigation. French then hired Steve Branchflower, a former DA who most recently was hired by legislative Republicans to run the state’s Office of Victims rights.

And on Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 (2 Democrats and 1 Republican in favor); and the House Judiciary Committee issued a 7 – 0 (5 Republicans, 2 Democrats) advisory vote, to issue subpoenas to witnesses the McCain camp had previously stopped from testifying.

Over the last two days McCain’s outside operatives have vilified former prosecutor Hollis French – as an Obama supporter who must have called this investigation to hurt the McCain ticket. But French was appointed to oversee the investigation by a 12 – 0 Legislative Council vote, and is probably the state’s most respected legislator – by Republicans and Democrats alike. He’s so popular the Republican Party couldn’t find anyone to run against him this year.

They’ve called former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan – a Native Alaskan who has served Republican and Democratic Administrations with honor, and put his life on the line in uniform – “insubordinate.” Odd, given that when Governor Palin fired him she offered him a different job. I guess being “insubordinate” was a job requirement for the new position. And they’ve challenged the independence of an investigator and former DA, who has no animus anyone can find.

Those Swift boat ads taught the McCain folks that if you say something untrue enough times, it can stick.

My favorite moment of the week came when Governor Palin’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Palin’s ethics complaint against herself. Stay with me. Her attorneys have been buying the peyote, not me. See, on August 29 they needed to find a way to stop the Legislature’s investigation. They tried asking the Republican leaders to call it off, and take one for the team. But the Senate President and others honorably said no. So they came up with an argument that the State Personnel Board – 3 people appointed by Governor Palin and her Republican predecessor Frank Murkowski – had “exclusive jurisdiction” to investigate wrongdoing by the Governor. The Legislature wasn’t amused. So Governor Palin then filed a complaint against herself.

That, they said, put “jurisdiction” in the hands of their friends at the Personnel Board. They argued that since the Personnel Board was now proceeding with an “investigation”, the Legislature couldn’t.

To put icing on the cake, on Monday the Governor’s attorneys moved to dismiss the Governor’s case against herself. They said, and I loosely paraphrase again – that they tried really hard and just couldn’t find any evidence that the Governor did anything wrong. OK. I can’t believe I just wrote that. And I wish it weren’t true.

These are the things you have to do when your Presidential candidate doesn’t want his VP to honor a promise, and doesn’t want evidence to come out before an election. These are the things you have to do if your folks aren’t going to comply with a subpoena. That’s because without spin the headline might read: “McCain Interferes With Investigation Palin Agreed To.” How easy it is to re-write a headline. They learned that during the Swift boat campaign too.

All we can hope for is that members of the press will remember what they learned in journalism school. Not to repeat the spin of political operatives without reporting the truth. Not to write “he said she said” stories, and pretend the truth is somewhere in the middle. But to report the facts. No matter how you spin it, Governor Palin promised to comply with this Legislative Investigation. McCain’s folks got her to change her position. And the Legislature that voted for the investigation did so on a bi-partisan basis. End of story. End of headline.

Over the next few days McCain’s folks will try to get local legislators to step in line, out of party loyalty, and reverse their vote to investigate Troopergate. But many local Republicans, like Senate President Lyda Green, have so far refused to play those politics.

Stay for more from McCain’s Campaign for “Change.” They’ve tried to change the truth. They’ve succeeded at changing Governor Palin’s promise to comply with this investigation. Let’s see what they’ll change next.

Thanks for really being out there on the Mudflats, Les. Hey, if this ‘being a great politician’ thing doesn’t work out, you’re always welcome here.