Really, just quit it.
I came unhinged again at a couple people in brownsox's post about Bob Poe announcement he's seeking the AK democratic 2010 gubernatorial nomination. The comments that bugged me were the "Can we ask Alaska to secede?" and "What's wrong with the people there?" regular kneejerk reactions to Palin's latest loony malapropisms.
more below.
Look, people. I'm not mad at Texas because of George W. I'm not suggesting we sell Florida to Cuba because of the 2000 election results, or include Georgia in the deal because Chambliss managed to get 60%.
Enough of the misplaced aggression! Alaska commentator Shannyn Moore says Alaska progressives should be treated with care and compassion, like the endangered species we are. I'm not looking for special treatment, just a little understanding.
I'm sorry some people seem to think Alaska progressives had anything to do with Palin's ascension. We did not. In fact, ALL Alaskans were shocked by Palin's selection by McCain. There were rumors circulating but everyone was saying, that'll never happen, she must be 20th on the list. Many of us were still amazed she was elected governor. There were novel circumstances, and it feels like an anomaly.
Alaska's had as many Democratic as Republican governors in its 50 year history as a state. We have passed on underqualified Republicans plenty of times.
I cannot stand Palin. She is vindictive, narrow-minded, disaffected and incurious to a fault. She has managed to alienate former supporters to a degree that should have precluded future success. She seems boundlessly clueless by any reasonable measure. What can I say? It didn't seem to slow her down, any more than the same faults clotheslined George W. Who amongst us believed he had any shot at a second term in 2004? If Alaskans are crazy, it's because the entire country is too.
It took me a long time to figure out why I liked living in Anchorage, Alaska. 37 winters later, I get it now. It is not because it contains an atmosphere of progressive achievements [though, it's getting a little better all the time]. When Bob Poe announced today, he spoke of Alaska's 'unparalleled quality of life'. It was 66 degrees inside my house this morning, and 86 degrees less outside. In Fairbanks it is 30 degrees less than that.
The other day I saw Mark Begich, Anchorage mayor and new U.S. Senator of Alaska -- entering a grocery store as I was exiting. He was warmly greeted by other shoppers as he walked through the produce section. This kind of meeting is no big deal here, an everyday occurance. Last summer my hiking buddies and I said hello to Tony Knowles on a mountainside trail right outside town. I thought about how all Alaska Democrats have to be about 100 times better than their Republican opponents, in order to prevail in a state that still has basically 2/3 of its population more sympathetic to conservatives. Begich and Knowles are phenomenal politicians, in the mold of early governor Bill Egan. My late father related meeting Egan in the '60s on a plane flight from Seattle. They talked awhile and Egan asked him lots of questions about his work and family. 12 years later, with no contact between they ran into each other again and Egan instantly recalled his name and the conversation!
The problem in Alaska is that in recent years Republicans have dominated. I thought for awhile that majorities in the Mat-Su Borough would vote for a sock puppet if he had an R after his name. I don't know why this is, really. There doesn't seem to be much rationality in it. I do believe the way to turn Alaska to the left isn't to belittle its people or treat it like a colony by trying to game our Democratic primaries.
When I attended the Feb. 5th Super Tuesday Democratic caucus, it was pandemonium -- chaos almost -- due to a 1700% increase in turnout compared to '04. My district went 174-35 for Obama over Clinton. Later, after Palin's selection by McCain, an anti-Palin rally in Anchorage drew 1,500 protesters. Doesn't sound significant, but it was the largest protest in state history, and as a percentage of the city's population it was equivalent to 44,000 turning out in Manhattan.
Maybe some of y'all just flat don't care about our 650,000 state residents or our three electoral votes that haven't gone blue since 1964. Or you're just so pissed off about Palin you can't think straight. Or you think we're a bunch of freeloading underachievers. Just try to think [and post] more calmly and critically. Do it for Sydney Laurence, Robert Service, Peter Kalifornsky... for all the Native peoples of Alaska. Do it for Mike Gravel! And Shannyn and Camille Conte and Philip Munger and everyone else here who is fighting the good fight against formidable odds. This state will play with your perceptions, but only if you're open minded.