There She Goes Again. Palin Gets All Mavericky. (Updated with Thoughts)
7 04 2009 
After the bipartisan Senate smack-down that resulted in the rejection of Tim Grussendorf from the Senate seat left vacant by Kim Elton, the governor briefly tried to get at least something she’d asked for – that the vote of the Democrats rejecting Grussendorf should be public, and not “behind closed doors.” Because using the term “behind closed doors” sounds all nefarious, even when meetings are supposed to be behind closed doors. She was hoping to get part of her way, but no dice. Seven of nine Democratic Senators sent Palin a letter saying, basically, ”Enough already,” and that they were standing firm, and that was that. They also said they were sending a new list of names and needed a pick from the governor soon. And astonishingly, Palin abandoned her plans to appoint Grussendorf altogether.
“I think that effort’s been exhausted,” said Palin’s spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow.
And this is good, because of course, rumors were running rampant that this self-described “conservative Democrat” would either vote with Republicans, tipping the balance of power on important issues, or decide to formally become one, once he was sitting in the seat, and potentially run against Beth Kerttula (the senate’s first pick) in the general election in 2010.
Meanwhile, the Dems went back to the drawing board, and prepared a list of four shiny new names for the governor from which to choose; all qualified, experienced Juneau Democrats that have the full support of the Senators. Any one of them would be just fine, and ready to go immediately. We can imagine the governor sitting in her office, chewing on a pencil, reading the names, then holding the paper between manicured thumb and index finger, and dropping the sheet ceremoniously into the wastepaper basket. Why?
She’s picked a different name. One that is not on the list. She went rogue. She picked Joe Nelson. He is actually a registered Democrat, which on the surface is a step in the right direction. And although he would be stepping into a senate seat never having held elected office, he is married to former Rep. Mary Nelson, also a Democrat, and well-liked. And Joe Nelson is a Native Alaskan, which I’m sure the governor is hoping will restore some good feelings with the Native community after she was firmly denounced by Native organizations for her new Attorney General pick.
Now, forgive me for being a cynic, but if the Senate Democrats have chosen four qualified people, and the governor selects someone who is not one of those people, we need to be immediately suspicious. Why? Because where the governor is concerned, we are rarely proven wrong when we are suspicious, and we are often burned when we are not. It’s basic operant conditioning. If we were a rat in a cage, and the food pellet that came out of ‘chute A’ was always bitter, it wouldn’t take that long to figure it out, and not trust the pellets coming out of that chute.
As it happens, I got a phone call from a friend in Juneau tonight. When I asked about how Juneau residents are feeling about the governor these days, the adjective used was “livid.” Juneau wants Beth Kerttula. They don’t want Tim Grussendorf, and they don’t want Joe Nelson, and they’ve had it up to here (indicating eyeballs) with the governor’s antics. Those in the know are nervous about Nelson for other reasons too. Add to our initial cynicism the following: Joe Nelson is an attorney who used to work for the law firm Simpson, Tillinghast, Sorensen & Longenbaugh. It’s the Simpson part that’s interesting.
E. Budd Simpson devotes a large portion of his practice to serving as the principal outside legal counsel to Sealaska Corporation (one of the twelve Alaska Native regional corporations formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act), which has been a client of his since 1978. Mr. Simpson’s practice includes the timber, banking, resource development, real estate, subsurface, risk management, personnel, state securities regulation, and litigation activities of the corporation.
Joe Nelson happens to be the Director of Sealaska Corporation. Hm.
And Budd Simpson’s wife happens to be none other than Paulette Simpson, prominent Juneau Republican leader, and President of the Alaska Federation of Republican Women. A quick Google search shows her quoted in all kinds of national magazines promoting Sarah Palin during the election. Now this close business relationship doesn’t necessarily mean any particularly close personal relationship. Unless you also know that Joe and Mary Nelson got married….wait for it…..on Bud and Paulette Simpson’s boat! Strange boatfellows indeed.
So what does all this mean? According to my very distressed friend in Juneau, (who actually said he was ready to welcome Frank Murkowski back with open arms, which is really alarming, believe you me), rumors are flying that Nelson may also be a candidate for a switcheroo. I picture that point in Mission Impossible when what’s-his-name played by Martin Landau infiltrates the organization and when it’s all over, he reaches over and peels off his face, revealing his true identity. And in this case, the ‘true identity’ underneath might be entertaining the notion of running for the seat as a Republican against Beth Kerttula in 2010. I have to tell you I was a bit gobsmacked. Maybe I’m still not cynical enough.
So now, the ball is back in the court of the Senate Democrats. They’ve probably gotten the message by now that the governor really doesn’t care what they think, nor what they think is best for their party, or the constituents of Juneau. She doesn’t want to play ball, and has indicated that by thumbing her nose at the whole process. The next step, I can imagine, is the governor going around and affixing sticky notes to the foreheads of the Senate Democrats that say, “Hi, I’m irrelevant.”
Rich Listowski, a state Democratic Party central committee member from Juneau, said Nelson hasn’t been active in the party. “As a member of the central committee I would urge the senators to vote this nomination down in favor of the more experienced candidates who have run areawide in Juneau and have won elections,” Listowski said after hearing of the pick.
So, the bottom line is, whether you’re a pragmatist, a conspiracy theorist, or a good old fashioned cynic, you’ll agree that this appointment is a bad idea. Democrats need to stand firm and make their own choices for this seat. Once again we can be sure that pressure will be applied to our so-far principled Democratic Senators. Words of encouragement and support are always helpful to keep those spines straight and do what’s right for the people of Juneau. That’s what this is all supposed to be about, right?
UPDATED THOUGHTS: I’ve received a few emails on this topic, and thought that the post warranted some additions. The ins and outs of Juneau politics deserve a blog just for them. (Any takers?) And here’s another round of fears and speculation regarding the potential Nelson appointment from an email I received this morning:
If appointed to the Senate, Joe would have to step down from his post at the University of Alaska Southeast. State employees cannot also be legislators.
Could this be a backdoor attempt to help shutdown UAS if Joe is admissions director, gets the appointment and has to resign and they have also lost Tish Satre Griffin to retirement this summer?
This may be a way of trying to force appointment of more development friendly administrators to the University of Alaska system.
I think the thing we need to take away from all this is the fact that the trust has been severed between the governor and the people of Juneau. Everyone, regardless of how they personally feel about the applicant (which is mostly positive), it is Palin’s motives that are brought into question. At this point, she could have nominated Mother Teresa, and we’d be wondering why. It’s a shame. And it goes to show why it is so important for the Democrats in the Senate to hold firm, and play by the very rules that were good enough for the governor when making Republican appointments.
And this appointment could come very soon. So, if you need a reminder, here are those emails:
Sen. Johnny Ellis, Anchorage (Sen. District L)
E-mail: Senator_Johnny_Ellis@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Bettye Davis, Anchorage (Sen. District K)
E-mail: Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Hollis French, Anchorage (Sen. District M)
E-mail: Senator_Hollis_French@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, Bethel (Sen. District S)
E-mail: Senator_Lyman_Hoffman@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Albert Kookesh, Angoon (Sen. District C)
E-mail: Senator_Albert_Kookesh@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Donny Olson, Golovin (Sen. District T)
E-mail: Senator_Donny_Olson@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Joe Paskvan, Fairbanks (Sen. District E)
E-mail: Senator_Joe_Paskvan@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Joe Thomas, Fairbanks (Sen. District D)
E-mail: Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, Anchorage (Sen. District J)
E-mail: Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us
April 7th, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Zyggy – No – never Mavericky.
Palin seems to have achieved her success using a recipe filled with
lies, divisiveness, deception, greed, and by publicly pandering a non-existant record of success in each position she held. Had McCain not chosen to expose her to the world, there is a very good chance she would be a viable GOP candidate today. So, as an Alaskan, I am grateful that pandora’s box has been opened for Alaskans – what you see these days, is what you get, thank goodness spring is here.
April 7th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Oh, I love what Shannyn Moore had to say on this.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:04 PM
mlaiuppa- I’m tired of screeaming at the screen- @147 your post says exactly what I think on this issue.
NoToPalintology- @148- Thank you for answering. Might the damage be contained. Good outlook, spring is here.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Speaking as a female non-Alaskan, this just takes my breath away !
I find it remarkable that a Governor of a State in the ‘Land of the Free’ is behaving in such a way.
But then I remember, it’s Palin.
To paraphrase a Brit ad (for Marks & Spencer) – “It’s not just politics, it’s Alaskan politics.”
April 7th, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Jo, here’s my first comment that was reported as “abusive” this morning. “Having read all the threads that have been hidden this morning for ‘abuse,’ it seems that SarahPAC, TeamSarah, and Conservatives4Palin are very busy trying to squelch the First Amendment rights of the rest of us. You people should be ashamed.”
I’m such a mean girl.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Maybe we need to follow the example of some brilliant South Carolinians, this is great:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/07/sanfordville-south-caroli_n_183905.html
April 7th, 2009 at 1:59 PM
so in other words, there will be an additional cost attachted to this SPECIAL ELECTION [were it to happen]?
who get the blame for this…which reminds me GiNo wants all the credit for what goes right, and none of the blame for things tha don’t turn outto her liking…She’s the gov, I’m so tired of her seperating the out come her job responsiblities!
April 7th, 2009 at 3:14 PM
On Updated Comments:
Could this be a backdoor attempt to help shutdown UAS if Joe is admissions director, gets the appointment and has to resign and they have also lost Tish Satre Griffin to retirement this summer?
This may be a way of trying to force appointment of more development friendly administrators to the University of Alaska system.
======================
I don’t really understand this logic. Nelson and Satre Griffen are mid-level administration at UAS and I cannot see how the losing either or both would shut down UAS or change the supposedly anti-development leanings of the UA system. UAS getting shutdown is a potential but for very different reasons (size, potential loss of accreditation, etc.) but not the loss mid-level administration. UAS is perfectly capable of functioning without various levels of administrators, its largest school has been without a Dean since last fall and lost its Associate Dean earlier this semester.
April 7th, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Can someone please tell me. Is she a puppet getting advice on “Dictatorship 101″ from others or is she able/capable of thinking(?)/plotting these moves up all by herself?
April 7th, 2009 at 4:19 PM
GlobalVillage Says:
“Can someone please tell me. Is she a puppet getting advice on “Dictatorship 101″ from others or is she able/capable of thinking(?)/plotting these moves up all by herself?”
I think she’s an aggessive checkers player and a bad chess player, who thinks she is a good chess player.
These are probably mostly her plots, or more often snits, but she’s no chess player. She can’t see beyond what she wants to happen, to the unintended consequences that come four, five, or more chess moves later.
So she keeps getting blind sided by her own lack of foresight and blaming her failure to see complications and negative fall out on others.
And as AKM and many have said she (and Meg and McCain and Jindel, and Duhbya) don’t do their homework but since other people do, they are continuously stepping in their own Moose messes.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:47 PM
@130 Andree McLeod Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Sauerkraut: I DO expect the juneau delegation (3 members) to do what they are constitutionally mandated and obliged to do to protect the jobs in Juneau. You can count me as one strong supporter of keeping the capital in Juneau. That includes keeping jobs in Juneau.
If I was a Juneau legislator I would keep a sitting governor in line. In this case I would provide incentives and disincentives to Palin and her administration by using the power of the purse. I would work with my colleagues in the legislature to make sure they know how important losing $6 million/month is to the Juneau economy. I wouldn’t let a sitting governor (and Palin at that) get away with what she’s doing and I would protect the jobs that were leaving Juneau…not just whine about it.
If only…..
———————–
Ms Mc Leod-
) things and haven’t caught up with everything here today- I am SO glad you are here .
While I disagree with you about some ( well maybe many
For folks , who are not Alaskans , the divide between rural and urban Alaska , here bush and Anchorage Dems is of great importance. The issues are different and rural Alaska can easily be outvoted.
Juneau occupies a strange place in the mix on several counts.
There are a number of things which are missing in talking about Juneau and the reference to capitol move and capital creep together just named one of the elephants in the room.
Having lived with all the Juneau arguments for so long, I have to disagree with castigating Mr Elton and Ms Kertulla on this. AT THIS POINT, they HAVE reflected the mixed bag o attitudes which their constituents have on this subject.
So many folks here just keep quiet and hope the subject goes away, others think a road -to-nowhere will solve the problem, others act selfishly and have alienated other Southeast neighbors, and still others, like me and you Ms Mc Leod, want to duke it out -right out in the open, in the legislatuere, in our public place of business.
All that being said- I have no interest in Mr Nelson occupying the Senate seat but will live with it if it happens.
He MAY be a great new add locally to Dem party voice but I would prefer to meet him through the Rep house first.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Well- hmmm, I think we really want to duke it out in the legislature as “legislatuere”
is a bit too toney for Alaska politics…
April 7th, 2009 at 5:08 PM
I live in Juneau, and I want a senator. I really do. However, I don’t want someone that Sarah picked. I want someone JUNEAU picked. Obviously, we’re not going to have an election (can we look into having one held?; that might even make me get registered here), so the next best thing is someone the Juneau Democratic Party picked.
Maybe Joe Nelson is a great guy — I know nothing about his positions, and neither the ADN or the Empire is telling me what he believes. But, really, even if he agreed with me on everything, I still would not support him, because he’s not someone the JDP picked.
What Sarah doesn’t realize (and apparently never will) is that politics is a matter of give and take. The JDP submitted Kerttula, Sarah no likey, so she asked for other nominations. I suppose that’s acceptable, but Grussendorf obviously was not. So, in the spirit of compromise, they submitted other names. Sarah needs to pick one of those names, and I’m perfectly willing for Juneau to not have a bleeping senator until Sarah picks one of those names. I don’t frigging care how long that takes.
Though, really, I’m not surprised by any of this. As soon as Gruss was nominated, I called up my parents about it. (I can’t discuss this at work, since I work for the state under a Palin appointee (the horror stories I could tell you about her).) After being properly appalled (good parents) and determining that the Senate had veto power, they were sure Palin would just continue to nominate whomever she wanted until the end of the session. And, lo, it is so.
The Senate bloody well better (wo)man it up and reject Nelson and frakking give Juneau who we want, not who Sarah wants. Sarah never even comes to Juneau — she doesn’t know whom we want.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:16 PM
(Sorry, I felt the need to rant in my last post.) I just wanted to add: My point is, I don’t want this to turn into a game of rejecting someone just because they were nominated by someone I don’t like. However, that’s what this has turned into, and I’m willing to accept it. I feel like the Senate needs to teach Sarah a lesson that she can’t just do what she wants. I don’t think she’s going to learn, and I’m sure the Senate democrats will get a lot of negative publicity for rejecting Nelson, but [curse word], it’s the principle of the thing.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:23 PM
Marnie.
Thank you for your insight. There’s no second guessing which piece SP considers herself to be – white queen, no doubt. Let us hope for the sake of everyone in Alaska, that those pesky pawns on the other side of the board, band together and outsmart their opposing queen.
April 7th, 2009 at 5:32 PM
150 mlaiuppa Says:
April 7th, 2009 at 12:38 PM
Just like a two year old that needs his hands slapped because he cannot reason enough to keep them away from the stove, Palin needs to get slapped until she finally follows the rules.
“Joe who? Sorry, not on the list. *slap* Try again.”
*******************************
Instead of a *slap* , how about a loud hockey buzzer ??
April 7th, 2009 at 7:35 PM
Not sure why this turned into the “ask Andree McLeod” thread. Seems odd since she is neither a democrat nor a Juneau resident…. Anyhoo, I’ve lived in Juneau 20+ years & keep myself very well informed on the civic/political issues locally, statewide & nationally. I am undeclared because I vote issues not people. My first reaction to this next pick by Palin was “Who the heck is Joe Nelson? I asked co-workers (all longtime Juneauites) the same question… nobody knew anything about him. Even people who worked at CBJ for many years didn’t know who he is. Granted, he may be a nice, educated guy but seriously, at this point, who can trust Palin’s motives with this one? Not only is she “thumbing her nose” as AKM points out, she is basically wielding her other digit (middle finger) toward Kertulla, the Juneau Dem. party, & mostly the Juneau citizens & double-dog daring the Senate Dems to vote THIS one down. To Palin I say “Grow-up!”, to the Senate I say, stand firm & do the right thing for Juneau. Too much is at stake for us to continue being unrepresented. I know of the others on the list given to the Gov. They all have experience & I can accept any of them as my senator. Pick one of them & let us get on with the business at hand. Stop the games.
April 8th, 2009 at 4:07 AM
Have any of you written, e-mailed or called your Gov. and request she select someone off the latest list?
Can anyone there get a campaign going quickly, like, viral quickly, today?
Obviously it will take more than just Mudflats-reading Juneau citizens to make a dent, but perhaps her (or her office) hearing from you will actually do some good.
Document everything you do. Follow up. And turn details over to the press for a juicy story if she doesn’t listen to you.
Just call me Pollyanna!
April 8th, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Common sense and fairplay does not enter into this debate, is she going to do just what SHE wants…you betcha!
She’ll make the rules up as she goes along, the soap opera will continue.
April 9th, 2009 at 12:53 PM
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