The Republican party seems to be giving the gifts that keep on giving this year. The political BFF of Governor Sarah Palin, Senator Ted Stevens, (Asshole, Alaska) says he will not go quietly despite his conviction today on seven charges of corruption.
This could get fun, kids! There's mo' below!
First, if you haven't heard yet, Alaskan Governor Ted Stevens was convicted in a tempestuous trial today on seven felony counts based on charges of corruption. It was a wacky trial in which the jury tried to expel one of its own members. Ted left the court house today, "unbowed and defiant" saying:
I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have... I am innocent. I ask that Alaskans and my Senate colleagues stand with me as I pursue my rights... I will come home Wednesday and ask for your vote.
Smart, Ted. Very smart. Stay in the race and do what's best for... you. To hell with Alaska.
Now you might think that Sarah Palin would have a bit of sympathy for ol' Ted. After all, when Obama sends Caribou Barbie packing back up to Alaska next week with her $150,000 duds, she very well might have a trial of her own to face.
But no. She throws Ted under the bus like a good Republican always does to someone whose screw-ups might stand in the way of her meteoric rise to power. Mrs. Palin says (and I'm sure without an ounce of hypocrisy, while managing to toot her own horn)
The verdict shines a light on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company that was allowed to control too much of our state. It was part of the culture of corruption I was elected to fight. And that fight must always move forward regardless of party or seniority or even past service. I'm confident Senator Stevens will do what's right for the people of Alaska.
(I can just imagine the first word that popped into Ted's decrepit old brain when he heard Sarah's advice!)
But here's where things get... well, tricky. According to the same Huffpo article linked above, many Alaskans think Ted is getting a bum rap and many think Ted can still win the election. If he does win, just think of the relationship he'll have with the governor of his own state who just sold him down the river! I would imagine these two could make life a living hell for each other.
So it not only looks like Ted will be undeterred by seven felony convictions and stay in the Alaska Senate race, but it's also looking as though Sarah Palin has taken sides and isn't on the same one as Ted. She's rolled the old man under the Greyhound Bus - even though he just might come bouncing and flapping out the back-side, bruised, battered and none too happy about what she's done.
Of course Ted could just lose to Mark Begich giving us an even better shot at a fillibuster-proof Senate and many feel that even if Stevens was to be reelected, the Senate could vote him out:
Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution, was less cryptic. “I do think it is the end of Stevens’ career,” he said. “With the verdict in, I think it would be too embarrassing to the Alaska public to reelect him ... given there is a good chance the Senate would subsequently vote to evict him. ... I cannot imagine the Senate not taking action to remove him.
The ramifications of Sarah and Ted's Most Excellent Adventure could extend far beyond Alaska. Again, from Politico:
In North Carolina, Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan called on Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) to return all the money that she’s ever received from Stevens and also to speak out against any presidential pardon of Stevens. Dole has already returned $10,000 of the $21,000 in campaign contributions from Stevens after he was indicted.
Democrat Jeff Merkley, running against Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), also tried to score some points. Merkley called on Smith to return the $29,000 he received from Stevens during the 1996 and 2002 campaign cycles. Like Dole, Smith previously returned $10,000 of Stevens’ money from this election cycle.
As I mentioned earlier, this could get fun! Not much to do now but kick back and watch Ted, Sarah and the rest of the Republicans flounder about, planting hatchets in each other's backs.
Popcorn anyone?