By ALEX GIMARC
Alaskans for LISA is pro-Lisa Murkowski Super PAC currently running ads attacking Kelly Tshibaka for wanting to shut down by-mail birth control pills, something Tshibaka vehemently denies.
The only thing in question regarding birth control is distribution of morning-after pills by mail and without prescription. Essentially, those drugs induce a miscarriage, complete with blood and passage of the fetus. Miscarriages typically lead to a hospital visit. Proponents of artificial ones aren’t mentioning this little fact. Perhaps they should. It’s interesting Alaskans for LISA chose this particular avenue of attack, doing their level best to misrepresent what Tshibaka has been saying.
Regardless of your position on the abortion wars, which at least this group of Lisa Murkowski supporters have determined to be the hill upon which they have chosen to die, I find it instructive to look at who is actually involved, and most importantly, to follow the money.
Alaska Public Media on July 21 ran a piece about the deep pockets in support of Lisa’s reelection. Alaskans for LISA raised $2.4 million, $1.5 million from Ken Griffin of Illinois. The billionaire is ranked as one of the world’s 50 richest individuals, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is believed to be worth $28.9 billion.
Outside money. Hedge fund money. Dark money. I thought Ballot Measure 2 was supposed to stop that.
If you take a look at its FEC filings, Alaskans for LISA is headed by Lisa’s former Chief of Staff Michael Pawlowski.
The address is even more interesting: 510 L Street, Suite 610, Anchorage. Remember that address. It is important.
What else is at 510 L Street? We have the Anchorage official office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, just down the hall in Suite 600. We also have the corporate office of Cashion Gilmore & Lindemuth, where Scott Kendall is proudly listed as a member in Suite 601. Kendall wrote an opinion piece in the ADN cheerleading passage of Ballot Measure 2 and the brave new world of jungle primaries and ranked choice voting. He is known as the BM2 author and prime mover behind the political group that used Outside dark money to convince Alaskans to pass Ballot Measure 2.
It’s interesting that Murkowski’s legal representative in 2010 and her former chief of staff are still involved in things that arguably will directly impact her reelection, and that their offices are in the same building, on the same floor, within spitting distance of one another.
Whatever you may think about Lisa Murkowski, and depending on who you are, the swampiness of all this is breathtaking.
Also breathtaking is Alaskans for LISA’s funding from the Chicago hedge fund billionaire.
Those of us involved in the Cook Inlet salmon wars have long noted the apparent close, bordering on incestuous relationship between ADF&G Commercial Fish office in Soldotna and the United Cook Inlet Drift Association, sharing the same building at 43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Suite B Soldotna.
You don’t share close proximity with other fellow travelers unless it provides some advantage to individual or shared goals. We see it in the Cook Inlet salmon wars. Are we seeing the same sort of thing in support of Murkowski’s 2022 reelection?
While I am sure everything is being done to the letter of the law, it is the swampiness gives me pause. And it is the swampiness after 21 years in Washington DC that ought to be the most important reason of all to vote against Murkowski. For if giving herself over to the swamp has resulted in no benefit to Alaska, what good is she?
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and information technology professional.
