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March 28, 2024

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No Time for Tuckerman -

Thursday, August 3, 2023

The Quitter Returns! -

Monday, March 21, 2022

Putting the goober in gubernatorial -

Friday, January 28, 2022

Senator Mark Begich Fights for Flight

Alaska is different. It’s said a lot, and it’s true. Things that work in the contiguous 48 states don’t necessarily work here. The lack of understanding by those “Outside” of this phenomenon contributes to Alaskans’ slightly xenophobic, and more than slight libertarian bent. “Get off my tundra, you meddlesome kids.” Nothing defines Alaska quite so much as the gigantic size and small population. We are far flung, and disconnected. When 1500 miles separates two towns, it’s hard to remember you’re supposed to be in the same state. Alaska is larger than many countries, and pretty darn empty when it comes…

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Don Young Darkens the Door and Crosses the Aisle

Yes, the 20 term Congressman for All Alaskans (who voted for him) has decided that he will attend the State of the Union address for only the third time since 1974. Why isn’t he a regular? “Because I’m an old hunter,” he told APRN. “And when you have the president, the vice president, the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Supreme Court, the diplomatic corps, and everybody together under one roof, it always gives me great concern.” Although I appreciate the Congressman’s caution and sentiments, the thought of Don Young holding the…

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Oyster Roundup!

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more and more! (Click titles for links to full stories) Farewell to Alaska’s First First Lady Neva Egan, Alaska’s very first First Lady, died Wednesday night in Juneau at the age of 96. Wife of Governor Bill Egan, she came to Alaska to settle in Valdez as a teacher in 1937. She is survived by her son Dennis Egan (D), State Senator from Juneau and his family. Who Shills for Shell on the Chukchi Sea Shore? Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich today said oil and gas exploration in the Beaufort…

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Murkowski & Begich – A Tale of Two Senators (and some guy from San Francisco)

It was a busy week last week. The giant metal gears in Washington D.C. were busy grinding up the hopes and expectations of those who voted for the President in 2008.  And then, just as suddenly, something hopeful started to happen. Alaska’s story of the last week is one of the more interesting ones. We are the only state in the union that has not had its 2010 Senate election results certified. Joe Miller, who is raising legal challenges to the apparent write-in victory of incumbent Lisa Murkowski, still has several courses of action he can take. We’ll know Tuesday whether…

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Begich on Board with Bernie!

Yesterday, Bernie Sanders distinguished himself and became the hero of frustrated Americans who think that the current plan to deal with the Bush tax cuts fell far short of what it could have been.  Bernie Sanders found the spine of the Democratic Party. Sanders (VT-I) spent eight and a half hours standing at the podium, his voice eventually getting tired, leaning on his hands toward the end, not reading the phone book, but speaking eloquently, passionately, sincerely on behalf of the people, and against the deal struck between the President and congressional Republicans. Sanders was aided in his marathon, by…

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Why Won't Joe Miller Concede? (Answer: It Doesn't Matter)

Alaska’s Democratic Senator Mark Begich made a statement yesterday that was covered in Politico and the Anchorage Daily News, calling for Joe Miller to abandon his legal challenges to the U.S. Senate election that has Lisa Murkowski unofficially declared by herself and the Associated Press as the winner of the race. “It is time for Joe Miller to put Alaska interests ahead of personal ambition and allow the state of Alaska to certify Lisa Murkowski as the winner,” Begich said. “Without both senators, Alaska’s interests will be at risk on critical issues from energy development to job creation and reducing…

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Senator Mark Begich Talks Economy (video)

And now for something completely different… Today Senator Mark Begich (D) gave a speech on the floor of the Senate. He talked about the economy – the private sector, General Motors, optimism, and… “the other side.” Enjoy.

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Time to Storm the Castle! Sullivan's Budget

OK, boys and girls.  The election is (almost) over and now it’s time to redirect our focus just a tad.  It’s kind of like when the dishwasher overflows, and the dog is barking to get in, and someone drops a glass…  Then when you finally get it all sorted out, you look over in the pantry and you see the five year old elbow deep in a bag of chocolate chips, with scared eyes and melted goo all over his face.  He thinks because you haven’t had time to pay attention during all the chaos, that he could just keep…

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Attention Congress: Honoring veterans goes beyond Veterans Day

My thoughts today turn to the special veterans in my life. This year, those thoughts are sadder with the passing in July of a special man, Vietnam Veteran, and dear friend Maurice Bailey. Mo served as leader of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Wasilla Chapter and was founder of the Veteran’s Aviation Outreach, whose primary focus was to help the forgotten vets across the state especially in Rural Alaska. Bailey was also awarded the Alaska Governor’s Veterans Advocacy Award in 2007. From Senator Mark Begich’s comments on Mo’s death: “Mo’s tireless efforts on behalf of rural veterans were instrumental…

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Alaska’s View from the Hill With Senator Mark Begich

Once again Matt Felling of KTVA sits down for a conversation with a member of Alaska’s congressional delegation. This time it’s Senator Mark Begich (D). He remarks about the surprisingly low turnout in Alaska’s election and the large number of Alaskans who remained undecided until the last moment. He’s calling the race for Murkowski. “I think she’ll have a small drop off, maybe 5 percent, maybe 10 percent — what you see is an end result of an election where she still wins.”  He talked about how the money given to Murkowski by Native Corporations had impact, and has some…

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