Lisa Murkowski’s Write-In Victory is Totally Haangina-lix
When Lisa Murkowski stood before the beaming hundreds in the lobby of the Dena’ina Center announcing her write-in candidacy, she told a moving story that served as the inspiration she needed to forge ahead.
”I was reminded by a friend of mine from St. Paul Island that there’s no word for impossible in the Aleut language. So for the next 45 days, we’re going to think like Aleuts. There is nothing that is impossible.”
The crowd went wild. Was that a great locker room line, or what?! If the Aleuts don’t believe in the impossible, then why should we? Maybe they know something we don’t. Just because there’s a word for it in English, doesn’t mean it really exists or anything… right?
The Anchorage Daily News just reported:
Oops. The Talking Alaska blog on indigenous Alaska languages noted that there is indeed an Aleut word for impossible: haangina-lix.
There’s definitely an English word for that. I believe it’s “Doh!” Talking Alaska goes on to say:
A quick look at the Aleut Dictionary* reveals the following entry on p. 88:
haangina-lix vi. to be difficult, impossible
Seems like it couldn’t be any clearer: Aleut DOES have a word for “impossible.” Just what this means for Murkowski’s campaign remains to be seen, but perpetuating myths about the lexical deficiencies of Native languages seems no way to start.
While I don’t live in Alaska and really am hoping for the Dems to stay in office. This is my issue with the tea party. They are not middle of the road. DADT and the Dream Act are dead in the water if November elections proves a win for the Queen of Alaska. If these things don’t matter to, vote for the Republican who has no ability to meet in the middle. I really don’t Lisa’s voting record and I can only hope that some of these TP’s are actually lying about their far right agenda. This is the land of say anything to elected. I realize Lisa has been voting with the Repubs but I hope that some Republicans will start to learn that they are replaceable to their party. Vote with your party and be united but if we need to replace you, we will. What great pay-back for their united front. Ousted Republicans should catch a clue and think for themselves. What ever happended to vote for your conscience and stand by the principals that you believe in? If they need to be martyr, so be it.
The problem for moderate R’s is that they really don’t have any ideas of how to govern anymore. They want to deconstruct the social structures and let “private” for profit entities take over. So they vote No to everything. They rally around cries over big government but they cannot explain what their smaller government looks like, so they cut or impose hiring freezes.
Fan in CA,
I don’t think Tea Partier types are the solution. I think they will shut down the govt or attempt to. Unless, their are traders amongst their party. If this is the case, then welcome. I don’t buy all the rhetoric. I love these “elites” who pretend that they are just regular Joe. We should be handing out acting awards instead of handing out votes.
Regarding Palin:
Diane,
This is about money and positioning for the November elections. And of course 2012. If the middle income earners are hurting, who exactly are the Tea Party crowd handing in the cash. They are the crowd who can afford to retire (who can afford to buy their own insurance) and who are glady accepting social security and the likes. Why isn’t this millionaire dollar donation being being aired out???? This is nothing more than securing interests. The core stink bomb of politics.
there… Need a cup of coffee.
Unfortunately for all of us, the Republicans decided back in January of 2009 that they were happily willing to sacrifice our country and all of its citizens in order to eventually reclaim control and power in Washington.
They have voted against and/or obstructed every piece of legislation that could possibly benefit the vast majority of Americans, and are willing to do anything to make the Obama adminstration a failure, even if hurts the very people who voted them into office. They care only for their own careers and for the power that a Republican majority will give them. They do NOT represent their constituents, outside of a tiny number of the very wealthiest and powerful.
Integrity is a foreign concept to them. They have become the epitome of the very worst in politics.
Ah jeez…
Aleut grammy always said “impossible” was possible …
even though she lived liked it wasn’t…
Lisa should pay attention to Mark Twain’s observations:
“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” Mark Twain
Do the Aleuts have a word for Corporastia? Because that our Lisa…. no representation without payolatista.
excuse the grammar and or lack of editing please
Ooh…”perpetuatiing myths about lexical deficiencies”! Thanks, Jeannie, for starting my day RIGHT!
doesn’t this give all the Miller ‘remorse’ voters a second chance?
Yes – but I don’t think there are that many – maybe enough to be the difference between Murkowski and Miller, but not enough to give either McAdams or Murkowski a victory if they split the moderate vote.
thanks! maybe they can ‘advertise’ it that way for AK’s…looking for hope under any rock!
Please tell me it’s haangina-lix (impossible) for you to vote for Lisa Murkowski because (a) Scott McAdams is the better choice for Alaska, (b) there are more than enough obstructionist Repubs in the Senate already, (c) you have a conscience, (d) you’re progressive, (e) you’re horrified by her campaign’s inability to spell her name, (f) you’re pro-choice, and although Lisa was too, she’s decided that anti-choice women are sexier, or (g) Go to he11, Lease-A-Murkowski.
Of course, you may add whatever you like for (h) through (z) and beyond.
h-z Scott McAdams is the Senator Alaska wants and needs for the next six years. Working hand-in-hand with Senator Begich for Alaska’s best interests. Working in a bi-partisan way, effectively, for the nation’s best interests.
Good listener, politically savvy, solid as a rock, excellent family, ethical to the core.
“Working in a bi-partisan way, effectively, for the nation’s best interests.
Good listener, politically savvy, solid as a rock, excellent family, ethical to the core.”
Boy howdy, he’s gonna be lonely in Washington!!!
Americans are prone to this kind of mistake because so few of us speak a second (or third or fourth) language. Translation is an art, not a science. Someone claims there is no exact match for a word, so it doesn’t exist. But the concept is still expressed in that language with a word that has much the same meaning. The opposite mistake is shown in the frequent example that there are 30 (50, 100 take your pick) words for snow in the Eskimo language. Well, how many words are there in English for water? Ice, snow, stream, ocean, lake, rain, downpour, trickle, ….. These are all words that describe water in one form or another.
“Translation is an art, not a science. ” Amen!!!
As an interpreter for the deaf/sign language teacher, I have to explain this concept on a regular basis. People often ask me what the sign is for a particular word and I usually have to ask them how it’s being used.
For example, there are at least 8 different signs I can think of offhand that could be used for the word ‘run’, depending on the context. In fact, I teach a lesson on this very topic, and my students’ first thought is usually of a person running a race. They always get a big laugh when I show them the picture of a drippy nose (something second graders are all too familiar with!) and they suddenly realize that THAT ‘run’ has a completely different meaning!
It gets even more complicated when interpreting things like music or poetry. Ask me to interpret Dr. Seuss and watch me twitch!
Steam, vapor, sea, liquid Aitch-two-Oh, streamlet, rivulet, runoff, delta, mouth, brook, raindrop, snowflake, snowdrop, storm (rainstorm, snowstorm, thunderstorm, lightning storm), fog, mist, droplet, and that’s just off the top of my head.
Remember the scene in Sophie’s Choice when Sophie complains about all the English words used to describe the same (or a related) concept?
Sometimes translation is word-for-word (coup d’etat, golpe de estado), but not often. Yo hablo espanol (don’t know how to make a tilde, I need to add a little HTML to my languages), eu falo portugues, et je parle un peu de francais (where’s that cedilla?). I can usually understand Italian if it’s not spoken too fast; I’ve joked that I’m learning Latin backwards. Can be polite (but nothing beyond that) in Japanese and Mandarin. Understand a little Yiddish, speak a little less. I don’t have the typical American problem, but recognize it.
http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/rnc_still_payin.php
How do you say “GREED” in the Aleut language?
The NRC just paid palin’s law firm this Sept. $129,000.00 for legal bills incurred while she ran for VP.
Doesn’t she have a pac for that? Is she double dipping ? Didn’t the state also pay for part of her legal bills while Gov.?
I wonder if elected, how Lisa will vote. Will she stay a republican after being so shabbily treated by the republicans? What would her status be on the committee’s that she resigned and/or kicked off of?
If reelected the McConnelites will find a myriad of ways to forgive her the transgressions just as they forgive Diaper Dave Vitter, Toe Tapping Larry Creig and “Walkin the Appalachian Trail” Governor of South Carolina. Already the tea partiers are forgiving Miller for taking fed checks while railing against that very program because it was such a small amount and so long ago. Good grief didn’t Vic Koehring go to prison for as small a bribe as a bag of burgers? And despite the revisionist history Uncle Ted was convicted of bribery by a jury of his peers based on his own taped words to his best friend Bill Allen but Repubs turned out enmasse to vote for him anyway. It doesn’t matter what Lisa does, she will be reinstated because the Repubs have no sense of shame for their hypocrisy. All the more reason to vote your principles by going with Scott McAdams. He can win and will be a member of the majority coalition able to deliver services rather than more drama the day he is sworn in as Senator from Alaska.
well said, Bob….. keep spreading the word!
Well Lisa was on the Today show, live, this morning. Basically she Said she is putting her political career on the line. And it is about the Alaskan people, not the nay Sayers who don’t vote back in DC.
Joe was on tape spewing his national talking points.
Meanwhile Scott on the Talk of Alaska show yesterday was
really nice. His talk of education improvements was uplifting and clearly, the guy has lived the issues.
On a national level Scott does have a clear knowledgable grasp of the issues facing the country. On a Alaskan level, gosh I’m kinda proud. Why? Well the sweetie says Scott gets it. And the sweetie has voted repub more often than not. Darn my sweetie anyway! But Scott has his ear. Woot. And it has to do with Scott’s level headed knowledge of Alaskan issues coupled with a desire to provide a public service.
By the way, diffcult and impossible can and usually do result in two different outcomes.
Anyway muddy folks,
Anyway muddy folks it is a beautiful fall morning in north Mat Su.
And the stars. OMG. What a light show!
(so my keyboard has a mind of it’s own… It isn’t my fault I can’t finish a sentence or spell correctly. And I blame my poor English sentence structure on English being a second language for this household.)
How cool it that!
Thanks for the roundup. Pretty much as expected.
Lisa IS putting her political career on the line. I hope for the price she’s going to pay she is able to get the truth out about Miller.
Joe doesn’t have anything besides talking points to spew.
Scott is a really nice guy we should be proud of. He’s in this for the right reason.
Anyone who thinks nothing is impossible should attempt to slam a revolving door.
Ooh, ooh, me, me! Let me try! Just let me borrow Palin’s bare foot!
“So for the next 45 days, we’re going to think like Aleuts. There is nothing that is impossible.”
I am Aleut, Lisa – and first of what is on my not impossible list is Scott Adams for Senator! Second on my not impossible list is Lisa dropping out and endorsing Scott Adams!
What I object to overall about Lisa’s campaign is that much of the strategy to getting the votes she wants is to lay a guilt trip on moderate / progressive voters. “If you don’t vote for me, you’ll end up with Miller! Panic time!” She’ll get rural Alaska, and she’ll get the R votes who can’t stand Miller (and there are lots of those!) but she’s not getting this Non Partisan voter’s support because I don’t do guilt at the polls.
I’m voting FOR Scott, not against Miller. Deal with it.
I’ll go along with your first.
As for your second, no thanks.
It would be a cold day in hell before she endorsed a Dem – esp. since she and Halcro are in a power struggle with the AK GOP. But I can chuckle at the thought!
Moose Pucky lives in rural Alaska. McAdams is Mayor of a rural Alaskan community. He’s understands the needs of rural Alaska, the problems of high energy costs in rural Alaska, the needs of 210 village tribes.
McAdams has lots of support in rural Alaska.
Yes, you are right!
I really, really want to believe this.
Quyana, Moose Pucky.
Some excellent PR in Capital City Weekly here.
Miller vs McAdams debate in Juneau.
http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/092210/new_710776824.shtml
I have some issues with Scott’s offshore drilling stance. That being said, he is right about other countries having less stringent regulations. We scream “not in my backyard” while disregarding the fact that oil companies are merrily polluting away in places where they are not regulated at all. And our Republican/Tea Party candidates seem to be all for de-regulating even here. He is still, by far, the best candidate.
And I would like to know how Miller proposes to improve infrastructure, build roads (to nowhere or not) and explore sustainable energy alternatives without earmarks/help from the feds. Oh—I forgot, he is going to abolish SS, the Dept of Education, Medicare and god knows what other social safety nets and then hand the contracts over to out-of-state corporations (Koch Bros, Pac-Rim) to rape Alaska some more. But what does he care? He’s a carpet-bagger.
A little poll (280 votes so far) on a little diary here:
(Feel free to go to this poll and vote yourself. Perceptions matter.)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/18/897329/-AK-Sen-McAdams-Responds-to-Murkowski-Write-In-Campaign
Poll
Scott McAdams can win the Senate seat in Alaska.
I agree strongly. 83 votes (29%)
Perhaps–if McAdams can get his message out to Alaskans. 164 votes (58%)
No way. It’s going to be Joe Miller. 23 votes (8%)
Nah. Most Alaskans will write in Lisa Murky. 9 votes (3%)
Other (elaborate in comments) 1 vote (0%)
Done.
And some Scott McAdams quotes for those who are sitting on the fence:
“For me this race was never about my opponent. It was about Alaska’s future and the vision for building Alaska’s economy, supporting our seniors, and creating jobs for Alaska families.”
“Washington is not working for Alaska families. The partisan bickering, political grandstanding, and special interest bailouts don’t get results for Alaska. The negative campaign Alaskans endured over the last several months is just more of the same.”
McAdams is focused upon retaining and creating Alaskan jobs and developing Alaska’s energy resources including oil and gas, wind, geothermal and hydro. As U.S. Senator, McAdams will fight for Alaska’s fair share of federal investment and energy royalties and will protect Social Security and fight cuts in Medicare.
Vote for the guy. He will do better than either of the other two.
Gunalcheesh!
There is no doubt he is in this for the right reasons, and he has the right ideas. I believe he will run a positive campaign, and that is refreshing.
The only question he has to answer for the voters is this: Does he have the political know-how and capital to get the job done once he is elected?
Scott’s strategy of letting Lisa expose Joe while he stays upbeat and on message is solid.
To answer your question, valley_independent: It doesn’t matter whether he has the know-how or not. Senators, whether brand spanking new or in office for decades, have STAFF. The staff are trained professionals, who read all the legislation and outline it for the Senator, keep data on what constituents are calling/writing/emailing about, keep track of which bills are coming up for a vote and when, etc. etc. etc.
As for the political capital, I think a Democratic win from Alaska (Alaska!!) would give Scott all the capital he’d need.
Und zere is no German vord for “fluffy!”
Because otters are smooth and silky?
Does anybody know whether or not Joe Miller accepted/cashed the checks from the state of Alaska from the Alaska Permanent Fund? It came to about $32,000 by the end of 2008, correct?
Of course he did! The $32,000 figure comes from the year 2008 when Alaskans received the energy “refund” (which is an entire story in itself) and does not include the PFD funds from that year. The PDF funds for his family of 10 that year would have been $20,690 in addition to that.
I donated my energy refund to the Obama campaign.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/us/politics/04alaska.html
“Because Mr. Miller is married and has eight children, his family is eligible to receive 10 dividend checks each year from the Alaska Permanent Fund, an account that pays dividends from state oil revenues to residents of Alaska. The amount changes yearly and is often between $1,000 and $2,000. In 2008, the last full year Ms. Palin was governor, she pushed through a one-time increase to $3,269. That would have meant more than $32,000 for Mr. Miller’s family.”
The $32,000 figure did include the permanent fund; $3,269 was the total check in 2008, of which $1,200 came from the energy refund, so the actual permanent fund total was $2,069:
http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/dividendamounts/index.aspx
Sorry, you are right! I hate it when I goof on numbers.
In my understanding of English, there is a lot of space -and grades of possibility- between “it is difficult” and “it is impossible”.
In my understanding of Alaskan politics, nothing much surprises me anymore. If Joe Miller can win a primary, why shouldn’t Lisa Murkowski win a write-in? Why aren’t more people outraged that they Alaskans are stereotyped as illiterates?
In any case, I am glad that Alaska is so full of surprises, and that truly nothing is impossible. Otherwise, I would have very little hope for our man Scott McAdams.
Pls cut “they” in 2nd paragraph. Thanks.
Misconception that Alaska harbors dum dums. It is the cornball Gov that garners the idea.
I have heard about Alaska’s beauty and personally know some super smart Democrats that live there. There are goof balls in every corner of the world. Don’t sweat it Alaska. We love you!!!
Because if a friend says it, it must be true. I’m sure this same friend thought she could win a write-in campaign as well.
Off topic a tad but have you mudpups read this article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/us/23recall.html?_r=1&hp) in the NYT? If I were living in Anchorage I’d wonder why this hasn’t happened there.
This recall thing has been suggested in Anchorage ever since our sitting Mayor took office.
The tea baggers are yelling their heads off about big govt., but I wonder just what programs they are willing to give-up when it comes to the programs they are on. Military–soc sec–farm programs–unemployment funds—-and the list goes on. All they know is yell yell yell and go to hell!!!!! All the while their leaders stuff their pockets with money , money,, and more money.
If I heard correctly—-the ding-bat in Deleware has received more money from out of State .
A good friend of mine from Turlock, California, reminded me that there is no phrase for, “Oops, I screwed up,” in the Republican language.
LOL
But at least 219 ways to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
(And, for Jon Stewart fans, 657 ways to say, “Squirrel!!!”)
Heh! That’s a grin-generator.
POLITICO Breaking News
————————————————-
Senate Republicans have decided not to strip Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) of her top position on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. But the Senate Republican Conference has voted to install Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to serve as the vice chairman position of the conference — a leadership position Murkowski resigned last week.
For more information… http://www.politico.com
Is “haangina-lix” similar to “haangina-chads?”…..’Cause the haangina-chads didn’t work out so well for Al Gore in 2000. Just sayin’…
could be…
caught a glimpse of palin on greta…trashing murkowski. isn’t she always trashing somebody? bill maher was right about palin, along with millions of others, to say she is one really mean girl. sad that her occasional ‘happiness’ is fake b/c she’s mostly hunting for opportunity to crush somebody.