| updated weekly |
home - contribute - donate - message board - events - links - contact us - archive |
| January 4, 2007 Editor’s Desk by Aaron Selbig, insurgent49 [Editor's note: I am taking the week off from 'Editor's Desk', as I have a big day planned tomorrow blowing the lid off of corruption in the Anchorage Assembly (more on that later). As a new batch of Democrats takes control of Congress this week, and Juneau gears up for the arival of the 25th Alaska Legislature, I thought it appropriate to revisit an 'Editor's Desk' from Election Night in November. Enjoy.]  It’s been a victorious week here at Insurgent Headquarters … hasn’t it?When I walked into the Egan Center on election night, I had a bounce in my step and a big smile on my face, having just seen the numbers from the congressional races. The Democrats had taken firm control of the House and the majority of US governorships (the next day, of course, we would find that they’d taken the Senate, as well). Republican control of Congress was OVER! Time to crack open the champagne, right? The glum faces of our progressive friends in the crowd, however, told me, before I’d even seen the returns, that things had not gone so well in Alaska. Ballot Measure 2 … cooked. Diane Benson … an admirable showing, but not enough. And our new governor? Wasilla Barbie. Damn … once again, Alaska seems to be late to pick up on national trends. Not even an FBI corruption investigation could unseat Republican power in Juneau. Not even the honor of being named the ‘Third Worst Congressman in the Country’ could unseat the arrogant Don Young. What gives, Alaska? Do we still just automatically vote for the guy (or gal) with the ‘R’ next to his (or her) name? How can it be that Alaskan progressives feel beaten and discouraged after a national result that, on the surface at least, looks like a resounding victory over the forces of evil? The answer, I think, is not black and white. Here’s my take: The Good In the Alaska Senate, the Dems gained one seat. This may not seem like much, but it makes the balance of power in that body 11-9 in favor of the Republicans. It’s going to be awfully hard for the GOP to continue along with their “behind closed doors” methodology in the Senate. Bipartisanship, anyone? In the House, the Dems gained two seats. There’s still a long way to go to wrest control away from the GOP there, but still … Bill Wielechowski, a true progressive and a rising star in Alaska politics, won and won big in District J. Look out for this guy … he has a bright future. Ralph Seekins, the Fairbanks Republican who wanted to make a crime out of talking about ethics violations in the Legislature, got tossed out on his ear. Good riddance. Berta Gardner and Harry Crawford kept their seats after tough battles. Labor-friendly Bob Buch won in west Anchorage, charting new territory for Democrats in that part of town. And as for Governor Palin … she will be a better governor than Frank Murkowski, right? Of course, you could say the same thing about a jar of mayonnaise. The Bad I know a lot of supporters of the gas reserves tax, myself included, were buoyed by the fact that the cruise ship tax initiative passed in August despite an avalanche of advertising dollars from the cruise industry. This time around, however, it was not to be. The oil companies poured in more than two million dollars to fight the tax (they were even advertising on children’s Halloween candy, for God’s sakes), and there was just no way that Eric Croft and the supporters of Ballot Measure 2 could counter that. For future reference, Alaska … whenever the oil industry spends that kind of money to convince you something is a bad idea, it means that it’s a great idea. The Ugly The fact that Alaska is sending Don Young back to Washington for the 17th consecutive time makes me want to throw up … or move … or both. Election Postscript To Diane Benson – We love you, Diane. You ran an outstanding campaign and have nothing to hang your head about. The national Democrats who failed to fund you, however, should be ashamed of themselves. To Eric Croft – You are an inspiration. As the only Democrat in the state who calls for the Party to be more progressive, you give us hope. Keep fighting. To Tony Knowles – Thank you, Governor Knowles, for your years of service to Alaska. There is a fresh crop of young leaders in this state, however, and its time that you step aside to make room for them. To Sarah Palin – If you truly want to show Alaskans that you are serious about being more than just a ‘fresh face’, we have a suggestion for you: appoint Eric Croft as Attorney General. To Alaskan progressives: Don’t give up when we have made such big strides. It ain’t easy living in a state that is among the reddest of the red, but we can make a difference here. It is important to remember that Alaskan politics weren’t always like this. It’s going to take some more time, but we can, and will, take back our state. Aaron Selbig is an activist and media junkie who resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage. He is the winner of a 2006 Alaska Press Club award for Best Editorial Writing, host of KUDO 1080 AM's 'The Aaron Selbig Show' and a co-founder of Insurgent49. Aaron may be contacted at editor@insurgent49.com 'Editor's Desk' appears on insurgent49.com every Thursday. |
-
Columnists -
- column archive -
December 28, 2006 December 21, 2006 December 14, 2006 December 7, 2006 November 30, 2006 November 23, 2006 November 10, 2006 November 3, 2006 October 27, 2006 October 13, 2006 October 6, 2006 September 29, 2006 September 22, 2006 September 15, 2006 September 8, 2006 September 1, 2006 August 25, 2006 August 18, 2006 August 11, 2006 August 4, 2006 July 28, 2006 July 21, 2006 July 14, 2006 June 30, 2006 June 23, 2006 June 16, 2006 June 9, 2006 June 2, 2006 May 26, 2006 May 12, 2006 May 5, 2006 April 28, 2006 April 21, 2006 April 14, 2006 April 7, 2006 March 31, 2006 March 24, 2006 March 17, 2006 March 3, 2006 February 24, 2006 February 17, 2006 February 10, 2006 February 3, 2006 January 27, 2006 January 20, 2006 January 13, 2006 January 6, 2006 December 30, 2005 December 23, 2005 December 16, 2005 December 10, 2005 December 2, 2005 November 25, 2005 November 18, 2005 November 11, 2005 November 4, 2005 October 28, 2005 October 21, 2005 October 14, 2005 October 7, 2005 September 30, 2005 September 23, 2005 September 16, 2005 September 9, 2005 September 2, 2005 August 26, 2005 August 19, 2005 August 12, 2005 August 5, 2005 July 29, 2005 July 22, 2005 July 15, 2005 July 8, 2005 July 1, 2005 June 24, 2005 June 17, 2005 June 10, 2005 June 3, 2005 May 27, 2005 May 20, 2005 May 13, 2005 May 6, 2005 April 28, 2005 April 21, 2005 April 14, 2005 April 7, 2005 April 1, 2005 |
||||||||
| Copyright 2005
Insurgent Media.
All rights reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
|||||||||
