The New Republic

Holy caribou barbie!  If Honduras is a banana republic then what is the equivalent if the political landscape is near the North Pole and is populated by white trash, moose, and children named "Trig?"

- Randyandy

November 6, 2008 at 9:31pm

No, we need to hang onto it. I used to live there, I have friends there, it's going to catch up. It really is as corrupt and backwoods as it looks, believe me. But it'll catch up. And come global warming, more sane people will move there, which will civilize it a bit. Just wait.

- psantillana

November 6, 2008 at 9:35pm

Forget independence.  We need to see if China will give us a fair price for the whole state.  Between the oil and the improvements Alaska ought be worth a lot more than the $360 million in 2008 dollars we originally paid for it.

- FWright

November 6, 2008 at 10:26pm

For Sale: one State, slightly worn.  Furnished, all utilities connected.  Current tenants due to vacate for prison shortly.  Quiet neighbours.  Exotic views (on a good day).  All reasonable offers considered.

- Mormon Socialist

November 6, 2008 at 11:30pm

When does that pipeline start workin'?

And where's Levi? Has anyone seen Levi?

- fougasseu

November 6, 2008 at 11:47pm

I want Levi to steal all those clothes and get on a plane to Brazil. Free Levi!

- psantillana

November 7, 2008 at 12:24am

t does seem fishy. But if the US jettisons Alaska I'm going to go to Obama's website and apply for Ambassador to Alaska.

- JEFF FREY

November 7, 2008 at 1:00am

As an Alaskan who grew up in Washington DC I am appalled at your arrogance. Alaskans voted for Ted Stevens and Don Young as a protest vote against the political hysteria of the lower 48. The sham  trial of Senator Stevens, and the outrageous  treatment of Governor Palin and her family angered many Alaskans. We know who Governor Palin really is which made the lies and accounts of incest etc and treatment of her children outrageous. How do you think African American voters would react if the same things had been written about Barack Obama? Initially I as well as many Alaskans wanted to vote for neither Young nor Stevens. I am a republican and wanted to vote pro-life, but didn't really want to vote for either encumbant candidate, because of the accusations of wrong doing. However as a former Washingtonian, I can assure you Senator Stevens was not tried by a jury of his peers. There were three occasions when a misstrial should have been called. The trial was viewed as unjust and many Alaskans were protesting a non-alaskan jury deciding an Alaskan Election.

Notice Russia's announcement to deploy missiles to Poland , the day after the election of Barack Obama. It looks like Alaskans really can see Russia from here.

- LisaEagleriverAK

November 7, 2008 at 1:41am

great to know that Alaska voted for Stevens  as a way of saying:  "F...You!" to the rest of the United States and most particularly Washington DC.  Way to go!  I love knowing they are all just as big Ignoramuses as their bubble headed, linguistically challenged Governor.  Trig, Track, Bay, Moose... any other children's names?  How about she stay at home for a while so that 7 year old can get back to school.  Or is that just too sexist a suggestion?  Never mind baking cookies... just let the child get back to school instead of having to babysit her baby brother all the time... but hey... what can one expect from trailer trash?

- Annabella2

November 7, 2008 at 2:10am

why turnout seems to have dropped despite the tight reelection races ?

Perhaps calling the election before the Alaskan polls even closed may have had something to do with it.

- LisaEagleriverAK

November 7, 2008 at 2:19am

Outrageous treatment? If Palin had campaigned for VP like she did for Governor (or how she governed, for the most part), then you would have a point. But she didn't. She got the treatment she deserved for her sneering, mocking performances. Not a wise move on her part, I think. Plus, of course, her media interviews revealed her to be spectacularly unprepared for the office. I think she would have been much better off if she had blinked.

Sham trial? Stevens asked for an expedited trial. He chose to take the stand. Nobody forced him to say that he thought he could accept indefinite loans of valuable things as long as he said that he rejected it as a gift. Guilty, guilty, guilty. It's too bad, because he did do a lot of good for our state before he lost his bearings and thought he could do whatever he liked.

- JEFF FREY

November 7, 2008 at 2:20am

Annabella

I much prefer Alaskan trailer trash to arrogance, believe me I grew up in McLean VA, and I love our beautiful capitol city,  but now I live in Alaska, my children play on hockey teams with some of the most honest hard working people I've ever met. Yes some even do live in trailers because that is all they can afford.

Her children have been enroilled in a charter school. Shocking yes we actually are educating our children up here. I believe witnessing an election first hand, traveling our country must have been extremely educational. Why is hatred justified as long as its directed at someone who doesn't fit in your paradigm?

- LisaEagleriverAK

November 7, 2008 at 2:38am

Jeff Frey

I agree that if Governor Palin's campaign had resembled her Alaskan campaign or her governance she would be more highly respected nationally. iHowever  the treatment of her children and family was and continues to be outrageous. The accusations about Bristol  preceeded any campaigning on her part, and the commentary continues to be bitter and vitrolic. I believe the media interviews were awful, but have you noticed we don't have that format of interview in AK? Growing up in DC, we would listen to meet the press etc for hours. I don't think I have seen one local format like the network interviews.I think it is particularly unsuited for Alaska. Alaskans are straightforward and the format  seems ingenuous.

As for Stevens, I agree he lost his bearings, but the trial, was still such a stretch of justice. A chalet? Most Washingtonians would call us trailer trash if they saw his Alyeska cabin? Oh wait, they already do.

- LisaEagleriverAK

November 7, 2008 at 3:21am

Unfortunately she wasn't running for the President of Alaska she was running for the President of the United States and as such she has to do the same interviews as everyone else. If that isn't possible for her (with a degree in journalism) then she should have passed on the job to begin with.

Apologize for her all you want but she is a national embarrassment as a Vice Presidential candidate.   I don't care about her personal life. I don't care about what her kids do or her husband. But anyone who decides to run for a job that puts them in a position to become the leader of the free world should be prepared to answer a few questions.  I agree that she was overmanaged which made things like the Couric interviews look worse than they had too, however the truth was that she knew next to nothing about national and international topics.  That is fine for the Governor of Alaska but its simply disqualifying for job of  Vice President of the United States of America.

I don't blame her. I blame the McCain Campaign for the cynical and politically motivated choice to begin with. She should have declined it but they never should have tried to use her like they did.  And the GOP should stop trying to make the same mistake again by using her to try to keep their base together for the 2012 election. Its time for her to go back to being the Governor of Alaska. She seems to be suited for the job and happy with it.

- jerrystn

November 7, 2008 at 5:09am

"We know who Governor Palin really is which made the lies and accounts of incest etc and treatment of her children outrageous."

Well, Lisa, first of all, despite your "we," it appears you don't speak for all Alaskans. In fact some of the most searching scrutiny that Palin got during the campaign, and a number of the revelations that got picked up and discussed elsewhere, came from the Anchorage newspaper, I do believe. And I'd like to know, which of the facts were believe we learned about her were "lies"? Be specific. Lies are things like John McCain saying that as governor, Palin never requested earmarks, when she plainly and provably did.

Second, what "treatment of her children"? Be specific.

And third, "accounts of incest"? What? Who said anything about incest, let alone gave "accounts" of it? Who was supposedly involved in this incest? It sounds to me like you've inflated the criticisms and questions into your own fantasy of what they were instead of actually looking at them.

On the original point of the post, I agree -- let 'em go. And let the Deep South go while we're at it. Maybe they can form the new transcontinental nation of Wingnuttia.

- JSmith125

November 7, 2008 at 7:03am

Lisa,

Wasn't Palin's whole message about being a reformer and fighting corruption? As I understand it, that's a big part of how she got elected in the first place.  So Alaskans decided to show their support for her by re-electing two of the most corrupt members of Congress?  If you want to support Palin, fine; she was on the ballot.  Hell, I voted for Joe Biden twice on Tuesday (once for VP and once for Senator),  But don't use her as an excuse for keeping Stevens and Young in our nation's government.

And for what it's worth, I don't care about Bristol or Trig or any of the other Palin children, nor do most of the other people that dislike Palin.  That stuff came up in the first few days after she was picked, got smacked down immediately by Obama as being out of bounds, and was a non-issue in the campaign.  Remember that after the convention, Palin's favorables were very high.  I objected to Palin because she constantly showed herself to be woefully ignorant of important national issues and Constitutional ones (e.g. saying it might be a violation of her first amendment rights for the media to call her comments about Ayers negative campaigning).

- AlanSP

November 7, 2008 at 7:28am

Don't kick Alaska out of the union. Just revoke its statehood so it reverts to a territory. Then the mineral-rights payments will go to the federal treasury. And as a territory, Alaska can still have a governor and a territorial legislature and elections and everything. It's win-win. Other necessary reforms:

- North and South Dakota are one Dakota too many. Merge them into one state.

- Split California in two. The northern half will become the state of Calisota.

- Statehood for Northern Virginia. But with a better name.

- All states with only one seat in the House become territories, have their borders redrawn so that no state has fewer representatives than senators.

- Open offer of statehood to all non-Francophone Canadian provinces and territories. Open to Scotland and Wales, too.

- Hawaii is too lonely. Conquer and grant statehood to other Polynesian islands in the Pacific, just for the company.

- Give Oklahoma back to the Indians. White Oklahomans to be offered homesteads in any of the new federal territories, or Utah.

- It's getting cramped down here. Fifty-four-forty or fight!

- rhubarbs

November 7, 2008 at 8:26am

Lisa: As I recall, didn't the Anchorage Daily News -- a paper that certainly should know Gov. Palin and her record very well -- choose to endorse Obama? And didn't they single her out in their editorial for her lack of preparedness for the job?

- BHLnyc

November 7, 2008 at 8:29am

I know how you feel LisaEagleRiver.  I grew up in Southern California in the1970's and 80's - imagine the warm, respectful welcome I received from all the condescending Ivy League snot asses in Washington DC when I moved there after proudly graduating from my state school I bartended to put myself through.

I was treated like crap.  I often still am by well-meaning co-workers here at Columbia University where I now work who blithely bahahahaha when they find out my background, like its universally acceptable to mock right to my face.  

I mean, after all - I get it that my hometown and state are a joke, right?  It's OK to laugh together at it, right? Like, were my parents (a veteran turned professor and an electrical engineer - Mom, incidentally) in a commune?  Were they really MELLOW?  Did they give me pot and listen to The Dead?  My mother's brother was Dean of Stanford Business School for chistsakes.  My parents wouldn't know a joint from a hole in the wall.  I still get this (at 44) all the time here on the east coast.  I know.  

But frankly, Palin begged for it.  Literally.  I have never heard a meaner, more hateful and ignorant convention speech in all my life.  She also constantly lied about her record from the first moment she was nominated, in ways that insulted the intelligence of everyone involved.  Her kids were treated horribly, maybe if she had a civlized record on sex education, which is really health education and on the choices of people not like her, she would have been treated better.  Maybe not.  

She lied so much and was so ignorant, her arrogance insulted literally the entire country and even the world that she would accept the offer.  Her deep dishonesty and arrogance still shock me.  She allowed the crowds at her rallies to spew bigotry and threats to a decent family man who was the only person in public life who fiercely defended Bristol.

It would have been nice had Palin bothered to thank him for that.

Palin begged for it.  Sorry.  

- Wandreycer1

November 7, 2008 at 8:43am

Lisa, your governor lost in her bid for VP because she was a strident, cloistered, partisan disgrace.  She had two months to make her case to the American people, and rather than have press conferences like a normal candidate, she ducked the press like they were bill collectors.  (If Alaskan politicians aren't adept at dealing with reporters, as apparently you aver, then I guess we shouldn't nominate them again.)  References to a "real" (and by extension, "fake") America didn't help.  She lost.  Learn to cope.  Those of us who supported the other guys in 2000 and 2004 learned to.  

And, pray, how would YOU pick "peers" for the unabashedly venal Sen. Stevens?  Sham trial, my eye.  He got the same justice that is meted out to everyone else.  His days in the Senate are numbered.  You decided to give an electoral middle finger to the rest of the country?  Fine.  Here's ours back; he's going to get kicked out of the Senate, as even his own party concedes he should.  Again, learn to cope.

- drdannyu

November 7, 2008 at 9:02am

Lisa,

Here is what Kathleen Parker had to say about the P:

"The Republican Party's Baghdad Bobism with regard to Palin, a denial so pernicious that party operatives were willing to let her sit a heartbeat away from the presidency in a time of war and financial collapse, revealed what really ails the party. The "P Factor" isn't a single person but a sickness that will have to be acknowledged and cured—Republicans will be reciting their newly tailored principles only to themselves."

I don't really care about Birmingham or Field or Levi or whatever; have never heard of any incest stories; didn't know her from Adam before the elections and would love to forget about her now that the elections are over.  But you know, Wand is right, and your failure to see the P as she was in these elections, and to truly grasp the depth of ignominy into which she has plunged the GOP and McCain is rather telling.  There is nothing wrong, in principle, about being ignorant; there is much wrong when you boast about it and propose to run the US because of it.  Anyone who continues to support her deserved to be mocked, for willingly flushing his or her brain down a toilet.

- icarusr

November 7, 2008 at 9:09am

And, frankly, I couldn't possibly agree more with Wandrey on her last point.  Palin owes Obama a gigantic debt of gratitude.  He defended her daughter forcefully and clearly, and connected her story with his.  He was under no obligation to do so, since reminding voters of his "non-traditional" upbringing was hardly to his advantage.  But he did it anyway.

If Palin had any class, she would have acknowledged this.  She didn't, because she doesn't.

- drdannyu

November 7, 2008 at 9:09am

PS  My respect for Alaskans overall has actually gone up in this debaucle, mostly from being exposed to so many wonderful, funny, highly intelligent Alaskans through the big bad media.  

There simply was no better coverage than the Anchorage Daily, period.  Hands down the best.  I heard the editor on NPR and he sounded like a combination of a civic minded, grizzled reporter of yore and a journalism professor, in the best possible way.   Everyone I spoke to about him here in the center of un-real America loved him and admired him.

I saw so many youtubes of wonderful Alaskans, it was hard to keep track.  There was the two young women from Wasilla who were as eloquent and calm as Cicero in condemning Palin's record there, both fiscal and especially environmental.  

The head cop she had fired is clearly a dedicated public servant and seems like a great guy.  The only one who didn't agree was Palin, who had anyone who disagreed with her fired.  What a child.  Anyway, every interview I saw with him, I respected him more.

There was the Obama "event" where thousands showed up and formed a human American flag and then reformed in to the Obama campaign symbol.  I couldn't ever figure out how to do that, but these folks did - laughing the whole time.  

I loved the funny characters in the bars in Wasilla who supported their hometown girl, I know those guys.  I grew up with the same types.  

Many many Alaskan voices in this campaign redeemed their politicans by a long shot.  Many states have curdled and corrupt politican cultures, no question.  Alaska is not alone there.  

Alaska is not being attacked by most people, despite this post. What I saw of Alaskans made me like them a great deal.  

It WAS insulting to hear that a state who has it so good on the public teat (my tax dollars) has a bunch of nitwits wanting to suceed - who Palin actually supported. Yes, that is insulting.  How dare she?  But this is not the majority of Alaskans and that's obvious.  

- Wandreycer1

November 7, 2008 at 10:34am

Almost all of the polls, presidential and senatorial, were very close to the actual results; especially Rasmussen numbers. However their final numbers showed Stevens and Young going down big, which did not happen. Smells very fishy to me.

- gflibCDL

November 7, 2008 at 11:03am

This from WaPo:

"On top of the $150,000 first outlined in Federal Election Commission filings, Palin spent "tens of thousands of dollars" on additional clothing, makeup and jewelry for herself and her family, including $40,000 in luxury goods for her husband, Todd, our colleague Michael Shear reports. The campaign was charged for silk boxer shorts, spray tanners and 13 suitcases to carry all the designer clothes, according to two GOP insiders."

Silk boxer shorts?  I thought POWPOW said that "she needed clothes"; that the RNC justified this by arguing that the Wasilla couple were thrust in the media spotlight and had to have clothes worthy of a VP candidate - even if she was running as Joe Sixpack Moosemama.  Silk boxers, though? Spray tanners?  I mean, I don't give a flying fuck what the RNC spends money on - but surely, RNC donors and the IRS should?  And exactly Joe the Plumbers wear silk boxers from Nieman Markus?  Why should anyone take the Refucklicans seriously on any issue?

But, of course - and Wand, I hate to return to this - this is not the Wasilla Witch's fault.  She is trailer trash brung to the big city and, just as her expense reports show, she was happy at the public trough, at any trough.  But the issue is the judgement of the man who selected her and who was ready to foist her on the country and on the world, on the strength of his septuagenerian non-Viagra hard-on.  With this report - and I would not presume to tarnish the reputation of all Alaskans on the basis of Todd's tanner spray - POWPOW's reputation should be deep in the gutter; he should be forced to resign his Senate seat for his lies, for his lack of judgement, for this travesty.

- icarusr

November 7, 2008 at 11:26am

So are they going to donate Todd's silk boxer shorts to charity?

Palin had a chance to indulge on someone else's dime, and she took the ride as far and as fast as she could. I think it reveals her true character, and I can't understand why some people are trying to defend this. Unless they hope to have the chance to do the same someday.

- JEFF FREY

November 7, 2008 at 12:27pm

tanner spray? oy.

- Wandreycer1

November 7, 2008 at 1:15pm

Lisa said:  "How do you think African American voters would react if the same things had been written about Barack Obama?"

Did you not pay attention to this election at all?  The republicans made up stuff constantly about Obama that were obvious and proven lies and continued to repeat them anyway.  Half-Muslim is my favorite as it is completely impossible.  But you Republicans seemed to believe it true.  

Palin received the exact response that would be expected for someone whom presents themselves in the way she has over the last few months.  To sum up most peoples opinions on her selection:  WTF?????

- TLaBorn

November 7, 2008 at 2:03pm

Yes, tanner spray, because McCain wouldn't let her lie in a fry-bed. Paternal in a good way, there.

I agree completely with Rhubarbs, Wandrey, and Icarus.

Wandrey: The ADN is fantastic, and a credit to the state, but Anchorage is much much more liberal than the rest of the state, as are the areas with a high Native density, generally, and AK is just a very bizzare mishmash of a lot of different types. That said, Palin - everything about her, down to her children's names - is completely typical. This is hard to explain, and I have a cold.

Luvya,

p

- psantillana

November 7, 2008 at 2:05pm

Wait, that sounded like I was saying that Anchorage is liberal because it has a high Native density. That's not what I meant. I think Anchorage is liberal for typical big-town reasons. One of my friends said she saw a lot of very strong Native support for Obama, but that was in Nome, which is tiny by lower 48 standards.

And that low voter turnout is very very very fishy.

- psantillana

November 7, 2008 at 2:25pm

Gotcha psantillana, I forgot to add you to my list of reasons to like Alaskans.  JEFF FREY too.  I also greatly like that they are sweet kooks, like I said - I get it.  Remember: Southern Californian circa 70's-80's?  My tenth grade geometry teacher was the world champion (literally) body surfer.  He looked and spoke exactly like The Dude from the Big Lebowski, down to the sweater (remember, Jeff Bridges grew up in Malibu) the long hair, sunglasses and big tummy.  But MAN was he smart.

Like I said, this election has made me like ALL of them alot more - except her.  Every article talked about how shocked people in Wasilla and beyond were when she started spouting her far right Kristol-esque boilerplate.  Its not that there aren't wingers there, they just don't spout the east coast drivel. She knew exactly what she was saying and doing.  Girlfriend had and has big plans for her fine self.  Silk boxers indeed!

- Wandreycer1

November 7, 2008 at 4:22pm

Aw thank you! But I was only there 3 years. Still, I married one of them and went to school meetings and defended their indigent criminal defendants and stuff, so I did pick up some impressions. And my Nome contact is priceless. She is a constant source of fun facts.

For a state with such a low population - everyone practically knows everyone, despite the geographical size - there is an insane variety of types. But there are types. Palin is one of them. Also, did you see Jason Jones' interview of the current Wasilla mayor? One of the squirmiest moments of this campaign, and that's saying a lot. I also have no trouble believing that Palin did not know Africa was a continent. I am not happy to say it, either.

And there are plenty of very smart people, too. Alaska attracts the nature lovers, and people with guts, and they've built a strange little world out there. Lots of odd-shaped buildings and not a lot of zoning laws. I think your body surfing teacher dude is a SoCal equivalent. He couldn't go to MIT or whatever because hey, surfing. I just got Surfwise in from Netflix and am eager to watch it, speaking of this phenomenon exactly.

- psantillana

November 7, 2008 at 5:23pm

"MMMM, 'Alaska', a new scent brought to you by Sarah Palin and exclusively at Target...mmmm, 'Alaska', a hint of tuberose, a whiff of moose, and just a little bit maverick (wink)..."

- fougasseu

November 7, 2008 at 6:01pm

See!  We're practically related.

The Wasilla mayor video was sad.  That woman had the emptiest eyes I have ever seen, lights out no one home.  

I have my squirm moments with So Cal types too.  It's not like stereotypes don't have some basis in fact.  I remember you once describing Alaskans as "troubled, which cracked me up.  Also, the typos on the bar exam story: priceless.

I'm not about to think everyone in Alaska is like Palin, she's an original that's for sure.

- Wandreycer1

November 7, 2008 at 6:07pm

Many politicians duck around and under questions that they don't particularly want to answer.  Palin is the first one I've seen who appears to either reject the questioner's right to ask a question, or to imply that if a question is one that Palin can't answer, the question was therefore meant maliciously.

The Ifill incident as well as the Couric incident reveal a desire to engage in politics on a track that avoids any accountability through the regular media interactions.  It's Bush/Cheney on steroids, and suggests that Palin is completely in tune with the new resentful/populist narrative being cooked up on the Right, in which the biased media hijacked the election for Obama, so he didn't really "win."

- ironyroad

November 7, 2008 at 7:01pm