Five Minutes With Mark Begich
4 02 2009
Here’s a fascinating mini-interview with Alaska’s newest Senator, Democrat Mark Begich. I and many others worked long and hard to put him in the seat occupied for decades by Republican Ted Stevens. Progressive Alaskans are beginning to get a feel for our new and improved congressional delegation, and we like it.
Begich, the only U.S. Senator who does not have a college degree, sat down with Campus Progress and talked about higher education and opportunities for today’s youth.
Campus Progress, part of the Center for American Progress, works to help young people — advocates, activists, journalists, artists — make their voices heard on issues that matter. Through an online magazine and student publications, public events, multimedia projects, and grassroots issue campaigns, Campus Progress acts to empower new progressive leaders nationwide as they develop fresh ideas, communicate in new ways, push policy outcomes in a progressive direction, and build a strong progressive movement.
Anyone who has had the opportunity of working with Mark Begich knows he is smart, savvy, and has endless energy. His focus and drive are truly amazing, and even those who disagree with his politics, recognize that his ability to get things done, and his genuine interest in people are remarkable.
CP: You are the only senator to not attend an institution of higher education in the traditional sense. What were you doing when you were 22? What advice would you give to people who are 22 now and may or may not be enrolled and are starting out in their careers?
MB: I was working at that point for a mayor here in Anchorage and I was also building my own businesses. At 22, I was engaged in helping campaigns. I’d volunteer to participate. I was also a volunteer on several non-profit boards. I thought I could offer some advice, and I got a chance to see how non-profits work, but also contribute my time. Which I thought was a very important thing to do.
Not long after that I ended up chairing the post-secondary education commission for the state of Alaska, as well as the student loan corporation, as well as sitting on the board of regents for the university. So it a very interesting experience that I’ve had.
In my family both [of] my parents were educators, my two sisters are educators, and my sister-in-law is an educator. It is very important to create opportunity and access for young people. People have certain experiences that will dictate where they may have to be in life. [I] took care of the family business and ensured that my mother and my five siblings had an opportunity to go on to higher education.
For the rest of the interview, click HERE.
February 4th, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Thanks for sharing, AKM. May I be the first to congratulate Begich on his support of education through his family, even if he didn’t go to college. Interesting perspective, indeed-
February 4th, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Experience can be a great education, and it sounds like this is the kind of political/campaign experience that has value.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:02 AM
i wonder why he was placed on “education panels/committees” at such a young age when he had no “post secondary education”.
something that just stood out…
however, he seems like a really, really perfect alternative to swwnbn and her like.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:12 AM
“It is very important to create opportunity and access for young people.”
Absolutely. That says it all. MB is clearly on the right track!
February 4th, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Not long after that I ended up chairing the post-secondary education commission for the state of Alaska, as well as the student loan corporation, as well as sitting on the board of regents for the university. So it a very interesting experience that I’ve had.
________________________________________________
I saw that, too, fawnskin, and was taken aback by it. Student loan corporation, maybe- that does not necessarily demand educational experience, just good business/accounting sense. But the Post-secondary Education Commission? Can any AK mudpup address this?
February 4th, 2009 at 11:35 AM
The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education is, basically, the Alaska Student Loan program (http://www.akadvantage.alaska.gov/).
February 4th, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Oops, here’s a linkable link: http://www.akadvantage.alaska.gov/
February 4th, 2009 at 11:37 AM
I can see why you worked so hard for him. He sounds like a very smart guy and he obviously put his family first. I’m impressed.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:38 AM
Sounds to me as if Mark had to take care of business, so that his mother and family had the best of chances in life. What we call a good egg.
And a good father too, judging from his joyful little boy. Who can forget him squealing ‘Obama’! in the senate.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
OT but may be of interest.
Support the PAW Act – End Alaska’s Aerial Hunting Program!
Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: Care2.com
Alaska is truly our nation’s last frontier. It is also the last place in the U.S. where a few hunters still use aircraft to chase and kill wolves. They shoot these animals from the air or chase them to exhaustion before landing and shooting them point blank.
Congress passed a law over thirty five years ago to put an end to aerial hunting. But Alaska is exploiting a loophole in federal law to resume the practice, not only for wolves, but bears as well. Hundreds of scientists have condemned what Alaska is doing, even as other states threaten to follow Alaska’s lead. It’s time to stop aerial hunting once and for all.
Rep. George Miller (CA) has introduced the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act, legislation to close a federal loophole and curb Alaska’s brutal aerial hunting program — and prevent programs like it from spreading to places like the Greater Yellowstone region.
Please urge your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor to Rep. George Miller’s PAW Act.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:50 AM
InJuneau (11:35:48) :
The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education is, basically, the Alaska Student Loan program
_________________________________
Thanks- that makes sense. Sounds like Begich is a breath of fresh air in Alaskan national politics:-)
February 4th, 2009 at 12:02 PM
we like him. yes, we do
February 4th, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Go Mark! He must know Fran Ulmer pretty well, our chancellor for Univ of Alaska Anchorage. She is another “mover and shaker” and I miss her terribly in Juneau.
http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/iser/people/Fran/index.htm
http://media.www.thenorthernlight.org/media/storage/paper960/news/2008/04/08/AE/Chancellor.Fran.Ulmer.Represents.Uaa.With.Style.Professionalism-3310517.shtml
Ah, to go back in time and smack upside the head the folks who voted Frank Murkowski in as Governor instead of Fran Ulmer. The way I see it, Murkowski “bred and fed” the Palin ambition. He paved the way for her hubris with his own. Fran… well she’s one of my all time heroes and she would have eaten Palin for a tea time snack. She is SMART and has tons of class.
Fran, are you SURE you don’t want to throw your hat in again? PLEASE??
February 4th, 2009 at 12:04 PM
oh, dear.
“we like him. yes, we do”
i sound like Gollum in Lord of the Rings !
We thinks he’s preciousss! AKM
February 4th, 2009 at 12:15 PM
@UK Lady,
I was thinking about his son as well. That was so sweet.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Oh, my pretty.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Hee hee, didn’t realize the second link is mostly about fashion but that’s fitting, too. And did you notice… nowhere is mentioned that to get attention you must pull your hairdo out of a time machine (had a few bolts loose when it delivered), wear ugly vinyl boots and little jackets with buttons that only looked great on Jackie Kennedy. Snark!
February 4th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/01/saradise-lost-book-2-chapter-26-sarah.html
February 4th, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Also a little off topic, but I see in the Anchorage Daily News political blog that Sarah has joined Murkowski and Young in opposing the stimulus. Don’t we have a $1.65 billion budget deficit? Can’t the state use a little federal help?
February 4th, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Sorry, above link, history of Palins Jew hating history.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:59 PM
What a big huge relief (HEAVY SIGH REALLY HEAVY SIGH)
oh, ya, well What I am referring to is that it is good to hear HONEST answers regarding his credentials. And it is amazing that he put his family first and spoke of his family contributing to “education”
I was thinking of Bob Poe as I read that, because his founding the VMI, which is the Village Management Institute-which was (they no longer have this program) a training program that taught business that isnt available to people in Rural communities.
What a nice relief, I appreciate his honesty, but realy emphasizing what real alaskans are about… hard work and dedication. I notice it was about helping the people…. what a nice change.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:43 PM
While I’m a huge fan of higher education, SP has been the poster child for misspent college years. She, in fact, shows that 1. You get out of college what you put into it, 2. It does matter where you go, and 3. Graduating from Boxtop U. doesn’t mean you’re smart, educated, honest, or a thinker.
The $.50 and two boxtops her education is, at most, worth, was misspent on her.
Begich sounds like the kind of person that makes all his experiences learning experiences, and thus gains an education no matter what he’s up to–the kind that will know what’s going on in the Senate very quickly. Good for him!
February 4th, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Mark Begich is a breath of fresh air…… have pretty much watched him grow up here in Anchorage. Great guy, family man, thoughtful, positive….
February 4th, 2009 at 2:04 PM
test
February 4th, 2009 at 2:27 PM
Please remember that Sarah Palin is not representative of all Bible-believing Christians. Anyone can SAY he is a Christian, but Sarah does not ACT as Christians are supposed to act. It continues to dismay me that she (and Bush, among many others) give Christianity such a bad public image. But those who DO walk the walk don’t want publicity for their deeds, so we never hear about them. I have found a good rule of thumb: If one brags about being a Christian, he usually does not act like one.
February 4th, 2009 at 2:34 PM
mt: What a nice relief, I appreciate his honesty, but realy emphasizing what real alaskans are about… hard work and dedication. I notice it was about helping the people…. what a nice change.
……………………………..
YES WE CAN!
(thank you AKM for uplifting news, medicine for the soul)
I’m sure there a loads of good hearted highly intelligent capable people who could be holding office in AK……..find them, support them and vote them in.
February 4th, 2009 at 2:36 PM
@austintx (14:04:00) :
What’cha testing for?
And I agree–Mark B. makes for a wonderful change from the past few years/decades. And the kiddo is CUTE!
February 4th, 2009 at 3:42 PM
It’s aways nice to see a good man rewarded for his hard work. Keep it up Mark.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:57 PM
I just saw that Mark was one of several Democratic senators that were teaming up to cut some of the pork from the stimulus package. He is joined by the 2 lady Senators from Maine, (moderate, sensible Republicans). I say, good for him – I do want some of the package to succeed, but have you seen a list of some of the unecessary stuff in there?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:01 PM
AKM- Its posts like this that make it clear that your dislike for so much of Alaskan politics doesn’t arise from being disagreeable, or contrary, its that so much of Alaskan politics is so far away from the things you DO like and DO believe in and DO support.
nice anonymous blogging …
: )
February 4th, 2009 at 4:45 PM
Sue(14:27:10) :
Excellent point. Being a forthright Christian is about making the world a better place for all, not remaking the world to fit a certain point of view.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:54 PM
@CO almost native Exactly! Christ never tells us to make Christianity a political movement. In fact, the Bible shows us that church and state should be separate. (I know, the Founding Fathers think it was their idea, but it was in the Bible first. : )
February 4th, 2009 at 5:31 PM
Good on you, Mark! Setting aside any desire he may have had for higher education in order to take care of his mother and siblings…and look where he is now!
Makes me proud to have contributed to his campaign.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:05 PM
Off topic, but another armed Wasilla resident reminding us how superior small-town values are. Sigh.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/678919.html
February 4th, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Off topic, on the subject of “What is Sarah Palin Up To Now?”….
I guess Fred Malek may have found her a national-spotlight gig to keep her busy planning for and hosting: Virginia AG Andrew McDonnell is running for VA governor, and it seems like he feels lucky… “I have been fortunate to get some pretty broad support from some major political leaders,” he said.
Mike Huckabee, the guitar-playing Baptist preacher and former Arkansas governor, will appear with McDonnell in the spring. Govs. Sarah Palin (Alaka), Rick Perry (Tex.), Charlie Crist (Fla.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.) are all expected to host fundraisers for McDonnell, GOP sources said.
Crist and Sanford are among the noisiest obstructionists complaining about the admittedly too-robust stimulus bill, “obstructionists” being those who insist tax cuts and “free enterprise” are the way to go to heal the economy (i.e., business as usual same as the last 8 years).
We already know more than we want to know about both Perry and Palin.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:34 PM
@Sue
SOMEBODY needs to educate Palin then…soon!
February 4th, 2009 at 6:53 PM
@ Lainey
As far as she’s concerned, she knows everything! Remember it’s a born again narcissist we are dealing with. It’s not our job to educate her, she’s beyond hope. It’s our job to stop her, block her, annoy her, oppose her, and expose her!
February 4th, 2009 at 7:00 PM
OT but I was very late to “Palin aka Stapletongue” Responds”. I cannot bring myself to watch the DOW video, just as I could not watch the previous ad. I don’t need to. I have supported the DOW for many years and will continue doing so.
One of my favorite quotes is from a Keewation (Inuit) proverb: “The caribou and the wolf are one they say. The caribou feed the wolf but it is the wolf that keep the caribou strong.”
It continues to appear that Palin has no intellect and, I fear, no soul, only a voracious, driving ambition.
Really, I wonder about her heart:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-04/greetings-from-alaska/
What is an Alaskan heart? Would that be cold? Frozen?
Perhaps AKM could have gone back to our friend William Shakespeare,
“Now the hungry lion roars, and the wolf behowls the moon.”
February 4th, 2009 at 7:58 PM
She didn’t get the memo from her heart that read “the darkness closes in.. and I must sleep now. I forever abandon my real job because I’m too busy just trying to keep from shriveling up.”
February 4th, 2009 at 8:39 PM
Here’s a link to a local public radio news show that discussed wildlife issues, with the Alaska rep for that lunatic fringe DOW group on (wonder if Bible Spice even knew that they have official representation here in AK). I was only able to listen to the first part of it, but one hopes it was enlightening, listen & pass it on:
http://kska.org/category/communityforum/
February 5th, 2009 at 4:25 AM
Paula,
Thanks for your OT about aerial hunting.
I made it into a post!
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-on-wildlife.html
February 5th, 2009 at 6:59 AM
One of my yardsticks in measuring a true political pulic servant, no matter what party, is WHAT they do or did, before and after their political “career.” Did they demonstrate any interest in their communities, by being on non-profit boards, volunteer, or give their time and resources in helping the community before they ran for office. After leaving office, did they move to a sunny climate to play golf and never be seen again, or do they continue to be an influence in community issues? Former Governor Hammond and former Governor Wally Hickel were always involved helping out before and after their terms in office. But where is former Governor Frank Murkowski? I don’t know of anything SP did, maybe with her church… Was she involved non-profits and did she give to charities? I haven’t seen any mention on her resume.
February 5th, 2009 at 9:08 AM
A few years ago, us pennsyltuckians had a choice to make with respect to our federal representation in the US Senate. Running for re-election was neocon nitwit Rick Santorum. He didn’t have a federal conviction against his name, but even a wet piece of plasterboard could have beat him in that race. Fortunately, we got Bob Casey. Fortunately for Alaska, you got Mark Begich. If Begich can think his way thru things, who cares if he has a college degree?
February 5th, 2009 at 9:51 AM
“we like him. yes, we do”
YES!! WE!! DO!! I worked on the campaign in the Interior and had the chance to meet (then) Mayor Begich – very, very impressive and VERY much a compassionate, caring, intelligent man who is going to be dynamite as a Senator!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:43 AM
sauerkraut (09:08:31) :
Running for re-election was neocon nitwit Rick Santorum.
——
OT, but I’ve always loved that ever since Dan Savage had a contest to name an kinda icky substance a few years ago, and the winner was “Santorum”, the no. 1 google hit for “santorum” has been … Well, you know how da google works.