Alaskan Senate Race

[GrayMatterWife]

GOOD!! It's just been announced that that Dem guy (someone I've never heard of...the mayor of Anchorage or something?) beat Ted Stevens for the Senate seat. I know that, for the math for Republicans in the Senate control issue, I should have been rooting for Stevens to pull it out because, once he was forced to resign, the Rep Governor would replace him with a Rep. But I was disgusted that Ted Stevens didn't withdraw from the race. Perhaps he couldn't have, since his felony convictions came down so close in time to the election (a lot of states have rules that won't allow your name to be removed within a certain period of time before the election). But he should have said that he should not have been campaigning and he should have dealt with the long count in QUIET dignity. He is a CONVICTED FELON, for crying out loud, who abused his office! It is a disgrace that he was genuinely fighting for his seat.

But that's just me. Some people say, "Well, he's still got appeals..." but I think that the office is bigger than the man, and he should have done Alaska the service of surrendering that seat when he could no longer serve it honorably.

Is anyone from Alaska? Any thoughts on this?

[spotty_dog]

Re: Alaskan Senate Race

Well, I'm no longer Alaskan but I'm technically *from* Alaska.

When I was an Alaskan resident I always took it for granted that we had some VERY senior Senators working for us in Congress, gaining us clout that was difficult to come by otherwise as a remote state with a small population. I mean, I was a resident from 1980 to 2001, and our Senate representation was Murkowski and Stevens for that *whole* time. When Lisa Murkowski succeeded her father in 2002, somehow it seemed like it always *would* be Murkowski and Stevens, LOL. So, felony conviction or no, I'm kind of surprised that he lost the election!

Yes, I think Stevens acted ridiculously in not bowing out of the race sooner, but what's done is done. They've now got two VERY junior Senators, (and a governor still licking her wounds) and this is going to be an interesting new political era for Alaska. I wonder if Stevens fought from a place of denial that he really was not going to die in office as I'm sure he'd always assumed, or if he did it to preserve the strength of the Alaskan Senate seat by making sure it was legitimately won rather than simply conceded.

Interestingly, Begich is not an unknown name in Alaska. Mark Begich is the son of US Representative Nick Begich, for whom the Begich-Boggs visitor center at Portage Glacier near Girdwood was partly named.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Alaskan Senate Race

Interestingly, Begich is not an unknown name in Alaska. Mark Begich is the son of US Representative Nick Begich, for whom the Begich-Boggs visitor center at Portage Glacier near Girdwood was partly named.

Oh, I'm sorry if my comments implied that he was an "unheard-of" of something. I didn't mean it that way. I meant it more as a concession of my own ignorance of Alaska state politics! The fact that I hadn't heard of him means nothing...!

[spotty_dog]

Re: Alaskan Senate Race

Interestingly, Begich is not an unknown name in Alaska. Mark Begich is the son of US Representative Nick Begich, for whom the Begich-Boggs visitor center at Portage Glacier near Girdwood was partly named.

Oh, I'm sorry if my comments implied that he was an "unheard-of" of something. I didn't mean it that way. I meant it more as a concession of my own ignorance of Alaska state politics! The fact that I hadn't heard of him means nothing...!

Oh, not at all! Gosh, I wouldn't begin to expect to have heard of the senators from any other state. It's just an interesting observation on the almost dynastic nature of Alaskan politics. Name recognition goes far there!

Re: Alaskan Senate Race

Just to be debatey -- If the citizens of Alaska wanted him that badly and voted knowing he was convicted, they should get to have him with the likely consequence of him being stripped of committee positions. (That would be assuming that he not be asked to resign or booted out).

I don't think we should have someone convicted of a felony in the Senate. :huh: I heard an NPR interview today with an Alaskan saying that he thought Ted Stevens should be tried in Alaska and that a far away jury in Washington shouldn't decide their fate. I didn't understand how dear he is to many until all this happened.

[DCJenn]

Re: Alaskan Senate Race

I heard that too and I took offense on behalf of my peeps in DC. Good god, there are more lawyers per capita in DC than anywhere else. and other than the crack smoking mayor, we're upstanding citizens.

Jenn