By LANCE ROBERTS
There have been some interesting developments in the broken Alaskan House minority caucus. This is supposed to be the caucus of the conservatives, but there are only a few holding the line. These developments have culminated in an Alaska Republican party resolution that has set the stage to purge actual conservatives (those who do something, not just those who speak conservatively) from the party. Here is what happened.
The House was debating next year’s budget on the floor. As usual, there were many amendments to be brought up. The conservative ones are usually voted down by the democrat/rino majority, but sometimes to play conservative for their districts some of the libs will vote yes on one and it gets across the line. This year a new liberal scheme emerged from those in the minority who don’t stand strong on conservative principles.
A number of amendments were made by the conservatives that were pro-life, pro-gun and even an anti-vax mandate one. A pair of the faux conservatives did something not seen before, where they voted to table those amendments. This is the way to kill an amendment without letting it get talked about and voted on. Instead of letting the democrats vote against it and take the hit, they did the democrats dirty work for them. After their constituents let loose on them, informed of the travesty by Alaska Right to Life and Alaska Gun Rights, they hamstered an excuse out that they didn’t think “intent” language should be in the budget. Two things on that:
- Intent language has always been in the budget, it’s part of how the legislature directs the money being spent.
- They never removed any of the Democrat’s intent language, they only stopped any conservative intent language from being put in the bill that would have protected life, gun rights and medical freedom.
The bad legislators doubled-down and attacked the most conservative groups in the State because they had let their constituents know about their tactics. One, the most vocal, Kevin McCabe from Big Lake even made a House speech calling a staffer corrupt because they were involved with both groups.
This all then culminated at the 2022 Alaska Republican Party State Convention. A surprise resolution was brought up at the very end with no time to really digest it. It attacked the group Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership (FACL), a large political organization that has passed or removed many, many laws nationwide and helped many good conservatives to be elected. After some lies, the resolution finally got down to saying
“Therefore, be it resolved, that no financial support or party endorsements, from any part of the AKGOP, be given to any candidates who are practitioners of the egregious and divisive activist principles and processes of the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership. “
Let me tell you what the number one principle that FACL teach is: inform constituents of how their officials vote. Yep, that’s all that happened and that’s what they want to stop. They want no one telling their constituents what they are doing in the Juneau bubble. They’ve stated publicly before they are voting with an eye towards elections, NOT to hold up the conservative principles they campaigned on.
So, what does that lead to? Well now we have an incumbent protection program. Since any challenger will want to address the record of his opponent, but that is a FACL technique, the incumbent can try to get his party support stopped. This opens up a new McCarthyism, where you can be targeted because you hold strong to your beliefs and tell people what a legislator is actually doing. It’s also very subjective and ill-defined, and will only intensify divisions within the party.
I’ve been to many FACL classes myself, and find they are the absolute best for actually teaching you how politics works. The responses of those bad legislators are exactly what I was taught they would do when confronted with their votes.
I, myself, will hold more of the classes in Alaska and continue to let people know how their legislators voted, and if that means that I have to lose party support because of my principles then I’ll live with that. At least I’ll be able to live with myself, knowing that I let people know what is really going on. While most reading this aren’t involved with the details, I would just ask you to support the proven conservative candidates who are trying every day to pass good bills and amendments, like the two being targeted directly by this action, David Eastman and Chris Kurka.
Lance Roberts is an engineer who was born and raised in Fairbanks and is a former member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly.
This all only happened because McCabe is jockeying for leadership and needed to get people behind him, so he worked to create a common enemy in Eastman. It rallys the ineffective legislators and gives them someone to blame it on. It also distracts people from the rino’s votes. Bad actors always needs a scapegoat.
Lance needs to be in the Legislature.
Here, here!!
Kurka for Governor. Just say no to RINOs!
I agree 100%
Our founding fathers knew the Bible they understood if any of us takes an oath to our GOD, you best be prepared GOD is perfect we are suppose to be emulate and strive to be perfect. Oath integrity is the only way our country works, it’s not a republican or a democrat it’s oath integrity or an oath breaker. Oath breakers your mocking GOD our country the citizens, it’s not for the cameras your bank accounts so help you GOD for of and by the citizens. Resign your post or give us oath integrity you have been checked turn back to your oath duty’s.
Roaring applause from me and my house! Thank you, Lance, for defending Governor candidate Christopher Kurka and Representative David Eastman! They and you are true Conservatives and Patriots! It was very dirty of some people at the Alaska Republican Convention to try to cram rules in at the last minute to keep Kurka and Eastman from getting financial support from the Republican Party for their campaigns. So the majority of Republicans pull stunts like that and gang up on and bully 2 representatives for shining the light on their voting records and their hostility towards pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-medical freedom verbiage. Words matter! We’re not stupid. Those amendments Kurka and Eastman introduced can make a difference for medical freedom, life, and gun rights, and that’s why the majority is tabling them. We see them now. What Kurka and Eastman are doing is exposing the darkness of the other Republicans by exposing their fruits, and that’s what has the Good Ole Boy Republicans gnashing their teeth at them. Sarah Palin was right, and what Kurka and Eastman are doing is working! Alaskans – get the word out to everyone you know that is pro-life, pro-gun, and pro-medical freedom! Vote for Chris Kurka for Governor and David Eastman is our guy for State Representative or whatever else he wants to do!
Mr. Roberts, as one who was at the ARP Convention, I must strongly disagree with your column. The proponents of FACL at the convention wanted something with teeth, some way to PUNISH those who did not adhere to their definition of “conservative” – something that would stifle free speech and create another binding caucus. David Eastman would not have approved, and probably not Chris Kurka. Nazism has no place in the Republican Party, not anywhere in politics, and certainly not in anything resembling Christianity. “But FACL is all about free speech” – NOT… it’s all about stifling free speech that disagrees with them and however they define conservativism. Politics is far more nuanced than defining ones friends and allies by the alt-right only. In the Bush, the highest ethic is RESPECT. FACL respects no one – they’re all about the battle and “martyrdom” for the cause and pointing to their “victimhood” as evidence of their rightness. This is anathema to the Bush and their tactics will result in the perpetuation of the dominance of the d’rats in the Bush – and at just such a time as this when the Bush is ready to vote for Republicans this is a serious betrayal of the ARP and the conservative cause. Love your neighbor as yourself.
so much BS.
Righteousness is not a “cause”
it is principled leadership.
Our legislator is tasked with providing laws and budgets to meet our State Constitution. Continual FACL promoted amendments that clearly violate our State Constitution is not good governance. Those politicians promoting unconstitutional laws need to be thrown out by the voters.
Apparently, our entire legislature needs to learn how to debate civilly and effectively.
The AK GOP as a whole is only slightly right of the progressives. It should be nuked to the ground and replaced with a genuine Conservative Party
Thank you Lance, I really didn’t understand what is going on with this. These faux republicans are despicable
The extremists on the left and the extremists on the right have a lot more in common with each other than they do with the vast majority of people in between the fringe extremists. This state and this country are center right, having a small vocal minority from either side demand everyone follow their chosen ideology is un-American.
Sorry – 47 amendments, 19 intent language only in ONE day is ridiculous. Each amendment costs about $2500. What a waste! This is used so they can wag their finger and lecture, but do absolutely nothing.
The bullying, heavy handed nature, forced caucus… you will do what I say or else tactic … has to STOP.
We have different legislators for different districts for a reason. We expect our legislators to think for themselves. To work individually but also as a teammate – but the binding caucus days are OVER.
FACL is nonsense – Its abusive – it’s bad for our party. We don’t need one or two legislators (Kurka and Eastman) telling the entire state what to do. Especially when all they do is let bills collect dust, refusing to move them out of committee.
Their narcissistic ways need to be stopped!
Mr. Roberts, I posted a thoughtful response to Mrs. McCabe’s article in regards to the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership. After reading your entry, it is apropos to post the response here (with minor changes) for the benefit of your clientele. (No pun intended.)
The service that the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership provides is based upon meeting the desires of willing, public “servants” to groom and maintain the “intelligence” of those members of our society who hardly read and who can barely write–those too ignorant or lazy to do their own thinking, those who feel no humiliation in being cultivated!
FACL has found a niche in our society to make a few dollars. I find as much fault with the foundation’s entrepreneurial spirit as I do the spirit of local hookers working the lucrative, street corners–they are all out to serve some “social need.” And the “needy” apparently have the disposable income to afford their “lavish life styles” and feel no compunction in spending money to meet their desires!
The foundation is just another “provider,” and from a purely transactional standpoint they are no different than the hookers or, for that matter, any of the barbecued turkey leg vendors: they all are working the “market!”
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