Alaska: Political Circus Back in Town

THERE ARE ACTION ALERTS IN THIS POST - PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING

It never ceases to amaze me just how petty Alaskan politics can get sometimes - especially when they smell a chance to stick it to Sarah Palin. This week, the issue is Palin's appointment of anew State Senator to fill the seat vacated by Troopergate ringleader/Obama appointee Kim Elton.

Under law, Palin had to appoint a Democrat - and her appointee then has to be approved by a majority vote the sitting Democratic Senators. Normally, the local party in the vacant district (Juneau, in this case) would forward a list of nominees to the Governor, and one of them would be picked. However, in this case, the Juneau Democrats decided not to submit the traditional three nominations, and put only one name on the list - State Representative and staunch anti-Palinite Beth Kertulla. Palin asked for more names, but the Juneau Dems refused. So, she exercised her right to appoint any Democrat she wished, and instead nominated Tim Grussendorf, who was chief of staff to State Sen. Lyman Hoffman (D-Bethel). Grussendorf is clearly qualified for the post, but now some Democratic Senators are trying to defeat his nomination and try to force a Kertulla pick.

This is ridiculous and petty, and I personally think it's time for the Anti-Palin people to stop behaving like toddlers. So, I figure that I will introduce you to each and every one of the people involved in this and tell you how to contact them - just so that they know we're watching. (All names will be hyperlinked to their profiles at the AK Legislature). There are only 9 Democrats in the Senate (5 needed for majority), so it shouldn't take too long to identify the key players.

I talked to someone familiar with the dynamics of the situation, and it appears that two Dems from Anchorage leading the charge against Grussendorf: Sens. Hollis French (remember him?), Bill Wielechowski, and Johnny Ellis. This could be personal for French, who wants to run for Governor in 2010 and would love to shoot down anything Palin does. On the other hand, most of the non-Anchorage Democrats seem favorably inclined toward Grussendorf. He's almost certain to get a vote from his old boss, Lyman Hoffman, and my source seems to think that he's going to get backing from Sens. Donald Olson (Nome), Joe Thomas (Fairbanks), and Joe Paskvan (Fairbanks). If this is true, Grussendorf only needs one more vote to get in, and we have two swing voters to focus our efforts on. They are:

Sen. Bettye Davis (Anchorage)
Sen. Albert Kookesh (Angoon/SE Alaska)

So, if you want to call or email, I would focus on those two - and then make sure to call the other four who seem to be leaning the right way to encourage them. If you want to call French, Wielechowski, and Ellis...well...have fun. Davis will likely be under pressure from the other two Anchorage Senators, so they will need some pushing, and Kookesh could be our best bet seeing as he doesn't have the Anchorage connection (he's also the one making this post possible - the vote is delayed because his plane is snowed in). Granted, he's from Southeast Alaska, so he could have some loyalty to Kertulla.

I'll be doing my best to publicize this, and I will be posting the final votes here - so you will all know who did the right thing and who caved to the pressure from shadow-Governor French. Tim Grussendorf seems like a decent guy, not to mention a longtime staffer for a Democratic State Senator, so there's no reason he shouldn't be voted in (other than personal animosity toward Palin). Plus, Rep. Kertulla wants to run for the seat in the next election anyway, and one Juneau Democratic official told the Anchorage Daily News "she would beat him (Grussendorf) like a drum." So, if that bravado proves true, then this is not exactly putting a crimp on her career.

It's time for Hollis French and his friends to quit with the pettiness, let Grussendorf in, and get back to the serious work of government. Let's do what we can to see that they do just that.

Apology

To those of you who stop by here every day, I owe you an apology. I have not been maintain this site as I should have, and I will do my best to get back up to speed. Please allow me to explain:

I have been relatively busy offline, as I was in a situation where I had to find a new job very quickly in order to stay here in DC (Luckily, I did accomplish that). This took a decent portion of my time in addition to my current job (which I am still working until mid-April). Furthermore, I have been trying to balance this blog with my status as a contributor to Race 4 2012 (which I hope you all have been reading). Toward the end of last week, I inadvertently touched off a firestorm over there by suggesting Judd Gregg as a VP candidate - which spiraled into a debate on Sen. Gregg's potential presidential prospects, and this idea got a some play in the higher levels of the blogsosphere, so I had to devote some time to it. Plus, R4'12 is presenting me with some interesting dilemmas, as that sites seems to be a very good forum for national-level discussions - which has led me to use The Brickyard for two functions which are rather incompatible - my global politics blogging and the highly localized Alaska blogging that I get involved in as a result of my Palin efforts. So, please bear with me as I try to find the proper balance.

Anyway, I will be posting more in the morning, and this blog is not going anywhere. I hope that you are all still listening and ready to have some good discussions.

Netanyahu Finally Gets His Coalition

Well, it looks like Benjamin Netanyahu will finally be able to take over as Israel's Prime Minister, as he has finally coerced the left-wing Labor Party into joining his coalition government (he had enough seats before, but he wanted to have a broader, non-ideological government).

However, the deal may come with a price, as a large chunk of the Labor Party was hellbent against leader Ehud Barak's plan to join the coalition. If that divide grows, the party which once dominated Israeli politics could shatter - formally marking the end of the Labor era.

Northern Exposure: Kim Elton

Okay, raise your hand if you remember last year’s brouhaha regarding Sarah Palin charging the state of Alaska $17,000 in per diem so that she could live in her Wasilla home while the governor's mansion underwent renovations. I’m guessing that most of your hands went up (or would have, if we were actually in a room together). Well, one of the main people pushing that story was then-State Senator Kim Elton – who has since received a cushy presidential appointment as the Department of the Interior’s Director of Alaska Affairs. However, it now appears that Sen. Elton was himself charging the state even more in per diem. Not only that, it appears that unlike Palin – who was actually billling the state for legitimate expenses - Elton seems to have been abusing the process.

I have a source in Alaska who did some digging through the “Alaska Legislature 2008 Salary and Business Expense Report” – put out by the state’s Legislative Affairs Agency - and it’s truly amazing what was going on. According to my source, Elton charged the state a grand total of $20,681.25 in per diem for the year 2008 – several thousand dollars more than Gov. Palin. That comes out to $122.25 per day through the normal legislative session between January 15 and April 15. Then he charged $160.50 per day for two of the year’s four special sessions (30 days each). So, just on these facts alone, the man is far more “guilty” than the Governor when it comes to per diem.

But then again, travel and lodging costs a lot for legislators in Alaska. It’s a big state, and legislators from far-flung corners of the Great White North have to move to the remote capital of Juneau for the 90-day legislative session. So, for the most part, it is acceptable for these people to collect per diem for their services. It must have been horribly expensive for Sen. Elton, considering that he represents a town of only a few thousand people that is accessible only by boat. It must have cost an arm and a leg for him to get to work from his home town of Juneau!

Yes, you read that correctly. While he was ragging on Sarah Palin for expensing her commutes to Wasilla, Kim Elton was ripping off thousands of dollars from the State of Alaska. While what he did it perfectly legal, I fail to see why he needed more than $20,000 in food and lodging expenses to pay for the quick drive from his house to the Capitol Building. I might also add that, while I only have numbers from last year, Elton charged per diem every year during his decade in the State Senate. Palin, on the other hand, actually charged far less per diem than the previous two governors, who billed the state to live in hotels and rent apartments in Anchorage.

Now, this might seem like a regional story, but in this case, Palin's per diem became a national issue. So, if Kim Elton wanted to ensure that the world found out all about Sarah Palin's use of state funds, then it’s only fair that we examine Elton's own use (and abuse) of said funds– especially since the man seems to have been handsomely rewarded for his efforts against Gov. Palin (he was head of the Legislative Council that "handled" the "Troopergate" mess). Then again, his new job may also be due to his close relationship with Pete Rouse - a former co-worker who served as chief of staff to a young senator named Barack Obama.

People who live in glass houses….

Scottish Muslims Offer to Guard Synagogue

Reading this story really brightened my day. Last week, a Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation in Edinburgh, Scotland was vandalized in an anti-Semitic attack - but it might have been a blessing in disguise, as it sparked a rather remarkable act of interfaith solidarity.

Yesterday, The Scotsman newspaper reported that Ken Imrie, chairman of the Scottish Islamic Association, sent a letter to the synagogue's rabbi in which they not only expressed their "revulsion and horror" at the attack, but put their money where their mouth was. Here's an excerpt:

"We trust you have adequate security arrangements in place, in line with places of worship across the country. If not, such is our strength of feeling on this matter, we would wish to physically guard the synagogue ourselves."

We really need more people like this in the world. Kudos to the Scottish Islamic Association and Ken Imrie for their selfless act of generosity and courage. Personally, I hope that the Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation takes them up on their offer - as letting these people actually guard the synagogue would be a tremendous statement against religious bigotry.

Palin Rejects Stimulus Money!

Well, out favorite Governor is at it again. Today, she rejected a full 45% of the money available to Alaska under the so-called stimulus package. As someone who has followed the Governor for a long time, I know that this is classic Sarah - and it really reminds me of the times she slashed huge sums out of the state budget and slowed the growth of government in Alaska.

One thing you may not have seen in the national media is Sarah's full statement on the subject, but video is available from KTUU News in Anchorage, and I really wanted to show it to you. This is our proof that Sarah is back in "serious executive" mode, and for my two cents, it means that the Sarah Palin we remember from before the VP run is back and better than ever.

Brickyard Profile: Baby's First Coup

I've had an epiphany of sort about my writing...I really, really like to profile people who I find intriguing. Hence, I think it's time to formalize this process, start using trademark graphics (see below) and make the "Brickyard Profile" a regular feature of this site. Please give me some feedback on the comments in the comments section (good, bad, ugly), and maybe even suggest individuals (foreign or domestic) who you think could be highlighted. So, without further ado, here's our first "official" Brickyard profile - meet Andry Rajoelina.

To put it lightly, Andry Rajoelina doesn't look old enough to lead a revolution. Heck, he doesn't look old enough to shave. He is a little older than he appears, but at 34, the baby-faced former DJ still has six years until he can constitutionally become President of Madagascar. However, if one thing has become clear over the last few weeks, it's that Andry Rajoelina need not be troubled by petty laws and regulations - so it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that he did in fact become Madagascar's President yesterday. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly achieve his impressive feat legally.

Instead, Rajoelina's rise to power resulted from what could arguably be described as the biggest temper tantrum in recent memory. The mess started last month, when now-former president Marc Ravalomanana abruptly fired Rajoelina from his elected office as Mayor of Antannanarivo (the nation's capital). He had every right to be upset, and even to fight his dismissal, but few people would have envisioned what he did next. Instead of merely protesting his dismissal, Rajoelina launched a revolution. He told his followers that President Ravolomanana was a dictator, and that he was misspending public funds - and then on Monday he declared himself president of a new government.

With Rajoelina's people in the streets, and the military siding with the opposition, President Ravalomanana holed up in one of the presidential palaces. His supporters gathered outside and prepared for a confrontation, but Ravalomanana saw the writing on the wall (and the fact that the army had taken control of the main presidential palace) and offered hold a referendum on national leadership. Rajoelina did not think that an election was needed to determine the will of the people, so he refused the offer. Left with no options, the president resigned yesterday and handed power to the military, who immediately handed the presidency to Rajoelina. The takeover was complete

Some might call this a revolution, but I think it's a run-of-the-mill military coup. Rajoelina did not take power through his massive street protests (though they helped); he took power because the military decided to turn on President Ravalomanana. Andry Rajoelina may have rode a wave of popularity, but that does not change the fact that he is not only unelected, but constitutionally disqualified from the office he now holds. Far from exhibiting the traits of a democratic hero, he is showing the trademarks of a a budding egomaniac dictator. Luckily, he has promised elections in two years, but something tells me he will win easily (and probably unfairly) and go on to become the unchallenged leader of an undemocratic Madagascar.

Considering his age, charisma, and organizational ability, this man has the potential to lead his country for a very long time. Combine that with his excessive ego, his inexperience, and the fact Madagascar is already an extremely poor country - and it becomes clear that Andry Rajoelina has the potential to become the next Robert Mugabe if he wants to. However, before we get into any doomsday scenarios for Madagascar, we have to see if the boy king even stays in power. After all, the military turned on Ravalomanana, and they can just as easily turn on his successor.

Will Rajoelina become a major force, or will the world's youngest coup leader become the youngest person to be ousted in a coup? Only time will tell, but regardless of what happens Andry Rajoelina is definitely a man to watch.