AK-SEN, AK-AL: The changing environment in Alaska

by Soren Dayton | June 9, 2008 at 12:39 PM

A Democratic consultant in Alaska told me that the politics up there are fascinating. You have a civil war in the Republican Party between the old guard and new reformists. And you have a Democratic Party that is targeting the old guard. The consultant admitted that if Governor Sarah Palin continue to box them out on reform, ethics, and a degree of populism, it will be very hard for the Democrats to win any races. The News-Miner has a great wrap of these races.

The good news is at the House level, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell is looking to defeat incumbent Rep. Don Young (R) in the primary. Parnell is up 37-34 over Young in the primary. In addition, Parnell defeats the likely Democratic challenger, 43-38, while Young loses 58-38.

On the other hand, the Senate seat is looking quite bad. Democratic candidate Mark Begich is up 51-44 over Ted Stevens. I have heard that Begich's advisors biggest fear is that Stevens would get out and be replaced by a young, less-crooked Republican. They don't think that they could beat a generic Republican.

I think that these polls bear a lesson for us. If Republicans are serious about small government, clean government, and reform, we can win. John McCain is showing life in a horrific environment with precisely this formula. And it is working in Alaska. Will anyone in Washington notice?

Average:

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

Comments

Dear God!

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 12:47.

If Republicans are serious about small government, clean government, and reform, we can win. John McCain is showing life in a horrific environment with precisely this formula.

John McCain is to small government what FDR and LBJ were! What the heck are you people smoking? His stated plans will bring about an expansion in the size and cost of government comparable to the New Deal and Great Society.

Are you people on the McCain payroll or what?

DUH

Submitted by karasoth on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 12:49.

A large number of folks writing here used to be offical online guys for major republican canidates

of course they are here to tell us everything is great with the gop

Supposedly

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 12:55.

he's not on the McCain payroll now. In any case he's blowng his credibility by coming out with this sort of stuff. The case for McCain is "he sucks, but he's better than Obama". Trying to pretend that he's a small government guy is just embarrassing.

The WSJ called the McCain supported global warming bill the biggest expansion in the Federal government since the New Deal.

(Now, if only the WSJ would wrap their heads around the price tag for amnesty.)

McCain is about the best we got for president

Submitted by Soren Dayton on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 12:54.

He voted against the Medicare Bill. He voted against the energy bill. He opposed the farm bill. He opposes substantial spending.

There are plenty of legit reasons to oppose McCain. But he was probably the biggest advocate for small government of the people seriously running for President this year. Fredheads might dispute, but I will stand by my statement on the "seriously" line.

Then name the serious candidate more in favor

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:03.

of bigger government.

Hell, Huckabee did not have plans for the Fed's as grandioise as Johnny Mac has.

he was probably the biggest advocate for small government

What did this "advocacy" consist of? As I'm sure you know, earmarks, which are his current signature issue, have nothing at all to do with the size of government. They only affect where the money goes, not how much is spent. We could ban every earmark today without having the slighest impact on the size of government.

Meanwhile his actual policy proposals, such as his global warming and amnesty ideas (both cribbed from the left wing of the Democratic Party) come with a price tag estimated in the trillions of dollars. Each!

By what possible measure is this man described as "small government"?

"He voted against the Medicare Bill"

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:27.

As did Lincoln Chafee, Trent Lott, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Kennedy. I think it's petty obvious that MCains vote was due to his reflexive need to oppose whatever Republicans are doing rather than to some commitment to small government.

Cite some evidence or shut up

Submitted by Soren Dayton on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 14:28.

You are arguing based on the fumes of your own hatred.

Shut up yourself.

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 14:52.

You are arguing based on your paycheck.

Wrong

Submitted by karasoth on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 13:00.

See the above comment about his cap and trade nonsense

huge expansion of government

huge income re-distribution

and like all big government programs before its passed we already know it doesn't work

Really, this site is a joke.

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 14:58.

For all the blather about the "next right" and a new bottom up approach, it's the same old same old.

To recycle the line about the state department, you people are here to represent the GOP to us, not us to the GOP. The "next right" turns out to look like the right we've seen the last several years, only more so.

You're not interested in new ideas. You're only interested in new and better ways of selling the old ideas to an increasingly reluctant group of voters.

Re: Really, this site is a joke

Submitted by Lynn on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 15:18.

Well Jon, I think the door swings both ways.

Don't go Jon

Submitted by karasoth on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 15:22.

Some of us Occassionally fight the good fight here

Hey ,Soren, receive Sandor's message yet?

Submitted by Ironman on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 18:28.

Simple : He hates McCain more than Obama. Among the many things he disparages.

Now, maybe we could discuss something constructive...like if the AK GOP could scare up an opponent for Young whey they decided to let Stevens take the pipe ala Allen and Burns last cycle. Dummies

They went after Young

Submitted by karasoth on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 18:31.

Because he is less stuck in the establishment of AK and at least 3/4rs the crook Stevens is

Don't be dense.

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 08:59.

I hate liberals. I hate Republican liberals even more than Democratic ones. I expect Democrats to be liberal. You, on the other hand, think that a Republican liberal is a better thing than a Democratic one.

That thought process can only end with the national GOP becoming like the CT GOP. Which is to say, both liberal and powerless. Talk about the worst of all possible worlds. And we're well on our way to it at present.

They needed a bigger broom

Submitted by Ironman on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 19:22.

Sadly, it seems AK politicians who go bad are less willing to listen to reason than the CT variety, who get the "Goldwater speech" and do the right thing.

Separating the wheat from the chaff

Submitted by mikedevx on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 08:25.

Republicans must NOT be afraid to lose their worst. If you do not get rid of the worst, then your party absolutely dies, absolutely. No question about it.

And Ted Stevens is among the very worst. He must go. The sooner the better.

If you decide he must be kept, solely because EVERY Republican seat must be kept, you are guaranteeing the death of the party and of conservatism.

It was a very good thing, a miracle of wonder, here in Texas when Tom DeLay got tossed. The rebirth of hope for Republicans began that day.

The rebirth will continue when Don Young and Ted Stevens are tossed out on their sorry, corrupt, spendthrift, worthless asses. They are cancers to hope for all conservatives.

Ted Stevens, Don Young, and ONE MORE

Submitted by mikedevx on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 08:31.

I forgot to mention, I see the need for a total of one three prunings to occur this year.

If this isn't enough for the rest of them to get the message, then perhaps we are doomed anyway.

In addition to the Alaskan duo of Ted Stevens and Don Young, there is only one other bad apple that must be removed from the basket.

He is Jerry Lewis, a 15th-term member of the House of Representatives, representing the 41st district of California. Currently he is the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. He is monstrously corrupt - I think he can give the Billary show a run for top spot on Corruption. He cares only for Power, and nothing for Conservatism. He is Tom Delay's alter ego.

After Tom Delay, it can be seen that These Three must be the next to go, to give Republicans a chance to reclaim conservatism's good name.

Corrupt

Submitted by Jon Sandor on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 09:02.

Words have meaning, and "corrupt" is not the word you're looking for.