| June 10, 2005 Alaskan in Exile by Neil Zawicki I found a picture of Lisa Murkowski in a box filled with Humpy’s coasters, Air Force unit patches and a pair of Outdoor Research arctic mittens. The picture of Lisa was inside one of the mittens. Every so often, I dig out my Alaska memorabilia, pour some Alaskan Amber into a mason jar, put Steve Bacon in the CD player, and remember those three heady Alaskan years. This time, the Murkowski picture shook a thought loose. It was election night, 2002, and I was at Election Central at the Egan Center, reporting the returns for the Alaska Star. The place was packed with politicians, well-wishers, and half-lit return junkies out to get a glimpse of a real heavy in the Alaska political arena. I switched between racing around on the floor getting quotes and running back to Aaron Selbig’s apartment to relay my quotes to Greg Dart, who was back at the office, writing the story. That night was special in that it was just before Frank had dubbed his daughter senator, and Lisa was in a heated race with Nancy Dahlstrom for State representative. It was pure Alaska. I ran down the alley to Selbig’s apartment, and back again, sometimes with a fresh beer still in hand. Our good friend Paul told me that night that if he had to go in there and talk to those people, he would, “shit his pants instantly.” Indeed. So, I was required to get an interview with Lisa, as she was running against Dahlstrom, an Eagle River person. Lisa won, but then got the nepotistic gift from her dad, and so Dahlstrom ultimately got the job. How ‘bout that? When I finally found Lisa, she was sitting on the edge of a stage, her eyes popping like violent planets. She was wearing a darling pattern dress, I seem to recall, with a pair of pumps that would make Mary Tyler Moore re-think her wardrobe. I sat next to her and introduced myself, and she agreed to talk with me. Just then, Steve Macdonald from one of the jerk-off TV stations up there wedged himself between us. “Excuse me,” he shouted, “I’m with television and we have a live interview and I need to talk to Ms. Murkowski right now.” I looked at Steve, with his idiot face and Ken-Doll suit and ridiculous microphone. Beads of sweat gleamed from his forehead, and I decided I would be damned if I let this exclusive, hard-fought, and certainly important interview be handed off to a stooge who likely knows nothing of the works of Mr. Philo Farnsworth. “I’m talking to her right now,” I said to him, and then he conceded, and backed away. Lisa went flush; I’m sure she hasn’t had two men fighting over her since her glory days at East Timona Baptist University. She gave me a little bundle of buzz-word-catch phrase, overly positive tripe, and then I thanked her for her time. I suppose my point here is that I got paid for all of that. It was a heady time, to be certain, and I feel honored to have participated in the silly carnival that is Alaska politics. Neil Zawicki, exiled Alaskan, is Editor at Large for Insurgent49, a former reporter for the Alaska Star, and winner of the Alaska Press Club's 'Best Columnist' award. He is now living out the rest of his days in an undisclosed location in Oregon. He can be contacted at - neil@insurgent49.com |
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June 3, 2005 May 27, 2005 May 20, 2005 May 13, 2005 May 6, 2005 April 29, 2005 April 21, 2005 April 14, 2005 April 7, 2005 April 1, 2005 - also by this
writer -
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| 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. |
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