Politics in Alaska Part Deux
Alaskan Senator-for-life Ted Stevens faces federal trial this month on charges of corruption. Apparently, in Alaska, that is not a deterrent to a viable candidacy and he will be running in the general election this fall as the incumbent Republican candidate.
I actually noticed this in Girdwood tonight, at the Double Musky restaurant, where I met the fabulous Tania for dinner. The restaurant had a huge “Ted Stevens 2008″ billboard out front. I wondered if it was maybe a joke. (It wasn’t.)
Why in the heck would an 84-year old elected public servant facing federal charges even be running again, much less proceeding to the general election after a solid 63% primary election victory on August 2? (He was indicted just a few days before on July 29.) Now, I suppose, if you want to support Senator Stevens, you could contribute to either his campaign effort or his legal defense fund – or both!
Only in Alaska.
September 10th, 2008
Indictment Guilt
September 10th, 2008
The software didn’t like my mathematical symbols. What I wrote was:
Indictment does not equal Guilt.
September 10th, 2008
Very true. I stand corrected. Not so corrected that I’m going to retract my post though.
Tried and convicted in the *media* != actually convicted.
September 10th, 2008
Elected officials, regardless at what level, who have been in office a long time begin to feel entitled, and to feel that whatever they do is right. It’s the same attitude many people with a lot of money feel.
And sometimes even a newly-elected official can feel the same way. A first-time councilman currently in office here defended an action criticized by a former councilman and mayor by saying “I’m a councilman; I can do whatever I want.”
September 13th, 2008
Indictment doesn’t equal quilt, Bill, but in this case over 200 hours of FBI tapes of Steven’s taking bribes probably does.
The bastard keeps calling me, well his recorded voice anyway, 3 times in the last two weeks. Uncle Teddy has recently discovered the joy of modern technology, i.e. auto dialing. I keep getting automated calls asking me to participate in a “town hall” conference call, where Ted will answer all my questions. Screw him, until he got indicted he wasn’t interested in anything any other Alaskan had to say.
I’ll admit he’s done a lot for Alaska, but it is long past time for this guy to go.
I used to think that term limitations were a bad idea. Then I look at people like Strom Thurman, William Proximire, and Ted Stevens and changed my mind. Two terms, and then you’ve got to go get a real job, that’s my take.