Palin & Ruedrich Call for the Resignation of Senator Begich.
3 04 2009
Something strange has happened. I feel like Alice when she slipped into Looking Glass World. At first, everything seemed to look the same for Alice, but the farther she got, the more obvious it was that she had entered another dimension where nonsense was the norm.
I have entered such a world, apparently. It wasn’t talking chess pieces that tipped me off, either. It was this. (looks around and whispers to you so nobody hears) I agree with Don Young. Keep that under your hat, because, frankly it’s pretty disturbing. It feels like some kind of sign that the end is near.
First, some background. We all know that charges against former Senator Ted Stevens were dropped. Seven felony convictions. Poof! They were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct by the George Bush Department of Justice. Now mind you, this doesn’t mean Stevens is innocent. It just means they were incompetent.
So now what? (Here’s where the mirror gets all gauzy, and we start to slip into Looking Glass World) Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich issues a statement that says, in effect: We think that IF Alaskans had known five months ago that the prosecuting attorneys were bad enough to get the case thrown out, that people PROBABLY would have voted for Stevens instead of Begich. So, if we knew THEN what we know NOW, we probably never would have elected Begich. There fore, we should ask this sitting U.S. Senator to RESIGN, and we should have a special election to fill his seat.
Hearing this, I had a “palms on face” moment, which seems to be happening with increasing frequency these days. It was one of those moments when I knew that some out of state friend was going to ask me, “What is wrong with you people?” And I would have to say, “I know….I know.” But what can I say. It’s Randy Ruedrich, and you just never can tell with him.
But then, a little while later, who joined in the delusional cry for Begich’s head? Oh, you guessed it. Sarah Palin. Yup, the woman who wants to lead your country in 2012, just called for the resignation of a sitting senator from her own state because, if we could turn back time, and also gain the ability to see into the future, things might have been different. Sounds good to her.
If we’re playing by those rules, I can think of several elected officials in the state that might be ousted and forced to run again to defend their seats in a special election. If we only knew then what we know now.
Palin’s call came after a reporter at the Fairbanks News Miner emailed her a copy of a statementby Alaska Republican Party Chairman Randy Ruedrich calling for Begich to step down.
Asked for her response, Palin simply wrote back: “I absolutely agree.”
When the reporter wrote back to confirm that Palin meant she’d like to see Begich resign in order to hold a special election, the governor responded: “Yes.”
In an email to POLITICO, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton confirmed the governor’s position. “She absolutely agrees that there should be a special election,” Stapleton wrote. “Stepping down to hold the special election would be the right thing to do.”
Doesn’t Meg Stapleton work for SarahPAC now? She’s not supposed to be speaking for the governor about state business is she? Ohhhhhh….(smacks forehead)….it’s Looking Glass World. I forgot.
“In light of the good news yesterday, I am sure many of us wish we could turn the clock back to last November,” said Begich’s Senate colleague, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “Unfortunately, that is not an option.”
Rep. Don Young told Fox News Channel after Wednesday’s announcement by Holder that although he thought Stevens “would have have won hands-down. I would say by 70 percent had the Justice Department investigation not figured into his re-election campaign.
“The seated senator there, Mark Begich, will be in the Senate, he will do a good job,” Young said in the Fox interview. “It’s just sad that Alaskans were frankly hoodwinked into malfeasance of office work by the Justice Department itself.”
The bold, italicizes parts I agree with. OK, before people start turning into sheep, and I see a bunch of bizarre insects and talking flowers, I gotta get out of this place.
At least those Alaskans who support Senator Murkowski and Rep. Don Young can, in this instance, consider themselves part of the “Non-deranged Wing of the Republican party.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 AM
There is the distinct possibility Ted Stevens could run for Gov in 2010. Palin is assuming that if she joins the revote chorus he won’t.
We could use a Governor so I am endorsing Ted for Gov 2010!
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 AM
If Begich wants me to go up there and open a can of woopash on those two strangelings, I’d be more than happy to do so. Or, in the alternative, I can stand at the curb and flip those two strange birds the bird.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Just for the record, the Justice Department may have screwed up the prosecution due to legal misbehavior, but the facts clearly showed that the accused, Ted Stevens, was engaged in political corruption. Frankly, Stevens got himself a gift from God. He and his supporters should be eternally grateful that the DOJ malfeasance saved his wrinkly old butt from the horny looks of imprisoned convicts.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 AM
sjk from the belly of the plane Says:
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Sarah KNEW they shared a bedroom! I guess she thought they were “studying”…
Yep, studying “anatomy” and “sex ed”. The only parts of the class they didn’t ditch.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:14 PM
148
Democrat G Says:
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 AM
WHO IS FILING THE ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST MEG IF IT IS POSSIBLE?
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Not possible, as not a gov. employee. She works for the GINOPAC.
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149
The Rubber Room Hotel Says:
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 AM
Has Caribou Barbie been grazing in psychedelic mushrooms?
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Made me snort very inappropriately for work. Good thing everyone else has gone home.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:30 PM
I am almost embarrassed to be from AK! Our governor is am ambarrassment
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:56 PM
@ Crabby patty. The Gov’s office referred me to Meg (gave me her phone number) when I asked for clarification of the Gov’s press statement (to Newsminer) yesterday.
I called the AG’s office about it today. They had me call the Ethics office. Ethics office told me that Meg was not a state employee. They told me I could call the Omsbudsman if I wanted to file a complaint.
So the Gov’s office is (officially) telling me to contact a “non-state” employed spokesperson (who works for her PAC) to clarify a press statement made by the Gov. But no one at Ethics knows if this is wrong?
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Phooey to DQWAPT!
What the DOJ did was state that the conduct of the prosecutors crossed the line. What the Rethug chorus has failed to comprehend is that while the trial was suspect, it doesn’t mean that the voluminous evidence and documentation was suspect.
All it states is that because of the decisions/presentation by DOJ, the trial was bad, it doesn’t even come close to saying that had a proper DOJ prosecution been done with the information gathered that the result would not have been the same – conviction. All that is firmly known is that funny business – by Rethugs no less – was apparent.
Not sure if there is room to re-indict/re-try, but somehow the overwhelming stench of “freebie-i-tis” would have been enough for a substantial number of voters to be turned off by Stevens.
April 3rd, 2009 at 1:37 PM
[...] Sarah Palin responds to the suggestion that Senator Begich should resign and make way for a special election, as it is [...]
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 PM
I was listening to the Diane Rehm show (http://wamu.org/programs/dr/) today. She asked her guests [Jim Angle, FOX News Channel; Eugene Robinson, Washington Post columnist; Jerry Seib, executive Washington editor, "The Wall Street Journal"] about the odds of Senator Begich resigning. They all started laughing and one said “on a scale of 1 to 100, minus 50.” I nearly spewed my coffee all over the computer monitor.
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:36 PM
I wish the legislature would put Governor in Name Only in the corner and speak some “unity” back into our State. I do have to chuckle, however, I vision Stevens running around the state with the PalinLimbaugh monkey on his back.
[Perhaps Ted is making a "cameo" appearance in the Days of the Palin's Lives Soap Opera, now that her national ratings have gone into the gutter.]
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 PM
And other Bloggers continue to comment……
http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/04/sarah-palin-is-terrible-governor-part.html
April 4th, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Yes, GINO is qualified to say what a “fair election” consists of…. after her performance on the campaign trail??? Accusing Obama of being a terrorist was a fine example of running a fair election where the electorate got to vote on the facts only. LOL
It is obvious that there is something odd about her. She IS truely embarrassing !!
April 4th, 2009 at 3:14 PM
the justice system is evidently more garbled than ever right now; they should simplify the law as much as possible for the sake of average people