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Breaking: Murkowski says no on witnesses, polarization

Suzanne Downing
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20
Breaking: Murkowski says no on witnesses, polarization

Murkowski’s Statement on Senate Impeachment Process Vote

Washington, DC –U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement on the Senate vote regarding additional evidence for the court of impeachment: 

“I worked for a fair, honest, and transparent process, modeled after the Clinton trial, to provide ample time for both sides to present their cases, ask thoughtful questions, and determine whether we need more. 

“The House chose to send articles of impeachment that are rushed and flawed. I carefully considered the need for additional witnesses and documents, to cure the shortcomings of their process, but ultimately decided that I will vote against considering motions to subpoena. 

“Given the partisan nature of this impeachment from the very beginning and throughout, I have come to the conclusion that there will be no fair trial in the Senate. I don’t believe the continuation of this process will change anything. It is sad for me to admit that as an institution the Congress has failed.  

“It has also become clear some of my colleagues intend to further politicize this process, and drag the Supreme Court into the fray, while attacking the Chief Justice. I will not stand for or support that effort. We have already degraded this institution for partisan political benefit, and I will not enable those who wish to pull down another. 

“We are sadly at a low point of division in this country.”

11th hour ads miss mark on Sen. Lisa, as Sen. Alexander says ‘no’ to calling witnesses

Suzanne Downing
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15
11th hour ads miss mark on Sen. Lisa, as Sen. Alexander says ‘no’ to calling witnesses

The progressives were pulling out all the stops on Thursday to have their like-minded Alaskans call the offices of Sen. Lisa Murkowski to demand that she vote in favor of bringing witnesses in the impeachment trial of the president.

That “witness” vote will likely happen on Friday, which is why the pressure built all of a sudden on Murkowski, as well as other Senate Republicans considered moderates, such as Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

The pressure was deflated when Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced on Thursday night that he is a “no” vote on the motion to bring in additional witnesses and further documents for the trial of the president. Without him, the Senate does not have the four votes to bring witnesses, which puts the chamber on track to possibly acquit President Trump by Friday or Saturday. Suddenly, the pressure was off Murkowski.

“There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens; the House managers have proved this with what they call a ‘mountain of overwhelming evidence.’ There is no need to consider further the frivolous second article of impeachment that would remove the president for asserting his constitutional prerogative to protect confidential conversations with his close advisers,’ wrote Sen. Alexander, former governor, former U.S. Secretary of Education, and now senator.

The calls to Murkowski’s office will likely dry up over night. And in any case, most of the calls she has received to date have been from activists outside the state, not her own constituents, Must Read Alaska has learned.

But as much pressure as they were applying, the total intensity is far less than felt by Senate offices during the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court or even Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education.

Insiders say this round of activist pressure has been relatively tame. During the Kavanaugh hearings, women were swarming the offices and activists were chanting, wailing, and getting arrested for their occupation.

The ads aimed at Murkowski this week caught the eye of political analysts on Thursday.

The one above is sponsored by Tom Steyer, a candidate for president, although you’d have to know where to dig to find that information.

Steyer’s “NeedtoImpeach” ad on Facebook is a continuation of a campaign the billionaire started in October of 2017, a cause for which he has spent more than $2 million to promote; it is separate from his campaign for president.

Murkowski had indicated she was interested to hear what witnesses might have to say, and because she signaled her curiosity, the pressure campaign started up again.

The DefendAmericanDemocracy.org ad campaign above is funded by a consortium of left-wing groups that it has spent $132,000 on Facebook ads on impeachment since January of 2019, when it started hammering on the Russia collusion theory. That theory is now ancient history and debunked by nearly everyone, but the group has moved to new charges and new theories.

The Defend American Democracy Facebook ad library can be studied at this link.

Sen. Susan Collins issued a statement saying she will be a vote in support of more witnesses and documents. She is in a tough reelection campaign with Democrats on the attack in her state.

“I believe hearing from certain witnesses would give each side the opportunity to more fully and fairly make their case, resolve any ambiguities, and provide additional clarity. Therefore, I will vote in support of the motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed,” Collins wrote.

Two Republican senators remain to announce — Murkowski and Mitt Romney of Utah, and neither have said what they will do on Friday. Romney has been viewed as a yes vote, but Murkowski said Thursday night that she would need to review her notes and reflect on what she has heard.

Senator Sullivan: Shouldn’t the House be the one accused of engaging in cover-up?

Suzanne Downing
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21
Senator Sullivan: Shouldn’t the House be the one accused of engaging in cover-up?

Sen. Dan Sullivan threw a pointed rhetorical dart at Impeachment Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler during the impeachment trial today, asking why the Senate should not base its decision based on the same evidence the House based its impeachment decision on.

The inference is that if the Senate is covering up by not including witnesses, then the House did as well:

“Earlier today, I posed this question during the impeachment proceedings in the Senate: Given that the Senate is now considering the very evidentiary record assembled and voted on by the House, which Chairman Nadler has repeatedly claimed constitutes overwhelming evidence for impeachment, how can the Senate be accused of engaging in, what Mr. Nadler described as, “a cover-up,” if the Senate makes its decision based on the exact same evidentiary record the House did?”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a candidate for president, also had a question today, implying that the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and the Constitution itself is at stake:

“At time when many have lost faith in government, does the fact that the Chief Justice is presiding over an impeachment trial in which GOP senators refuse witnesses or evidence contribute to the loss of legitimacy of the Chief Justice, SCOTUS, & Constitution?” Warren asked.

An audible gasp came from the Senate floor, as Republican senators expressed their disapproval.

WHO declares coronavirus a global health emergency

Suzanne Downing
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3
WHO declares coronavirus a global health emergency

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China is now a global health emergency, says the World Health Organization.

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern is described by WHO as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.”

The Wuhan virus has spread to 23 countries, and has taken 213 lives in the weeks since the outbreak started in Wuhan, a city the size of London in the middle of China. There have been 9,171 confirmed cases, as of Jan. 30, 2020.

“The main reason is not because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries,” said Tedros Adhanom, Director General of WHO. “Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to other countries with weaker health systems, which are ill prepared to deal with it.”

Six cases of the virus have been identified in the U.S. The most recent was of a family member in Chicago who was caring for a coronavirus patient who had returned from a trip to Wuhan during the initial outbreak.

There have been five previous public health emergencies of international concern declared by WHO:

  • 2009 H1N1
  • 2014 polio
  • 2014 Ebola in West Africa
  • 2016 Zika
  • 2019 Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Leaked: FBI investigates Alaska Democratic Party

Suzanne Downing
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9
Leaked: FBI investigates Alaska Democratic Party

IT HAS TO DO WITH DATA

The departure of the Alaska Democratic Party’s longtime data and technology director is shrouded in mystery — a mystery that is requiring law enforcement.

Matt Greene had been with the party through thick and thin since 2014, including the era of former Executive Director Jay Parmley, who came from out of state and brought a lot of “me too” baggage with him from his past positions at a time when Democrats were especially concerned about sexual harassment in their own ranks.

[Read: Jay Parmley leaves AK Democrats for South Carolina]

In a note leaked to Must Read Alaska, the new Executive Director Lindsey Kavanaugh has advised that party officials are being interviewed by the FBI in regard to the “incident” with Greene and suggested an attorney might be a good idea.

The Alaska Democratic Party is seeking a new data director after Greene left the party’s employment on Jan. 10. Originally, the party sought both a data director and a political coordinator, but those two jobs have been rolled into one after no appropriate applicant could be found for the political coordinator position:

“The Alaska Democratic Party (ADP) is looking for a skilled, versatile political professional up to the challenge of being dual-hatted as both the Data Director and Political Coordinator,” the party wrote. “If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you right away! If not, please spread the word far and wide. We’re getting in full battle mode for 2020 and can’t wait to have the full team in place.”

The party turmoil comes at a time when data is going to be a primary concern for the Democrats, as they roll out their first-ever caucus-by-ballot, a private primary that will include mail-in, absentee, and in-person voting, all run by volunteers and the yet-to-be-named data-political coordinator, who will need to hit the ground running; the Democrats’ primary ends April 4, with a big in-person voting exercise across the state.

The ADP has retained the services of a Washington, D.C. political attorney, Neil Reiff, to help it through the situation that brought in the FBI. Reiff is the former Deputy General Counsel of the Democratic National Committee.

Understanding Anchorage’s economy: Fewer people, flat job scene, the Hilcorp effect

Suzanne Downing
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20
Understanding Anchorage’s economy: Fewer people, flat job scene, the Hilcorp effect

Anchorage has shed 6,000 jobs since 2015, with 300 of those disappearing last year.

At the same time, the city’s unemployment rate for 2019 was 5.1%, the lowest in nearly 20 years.

Those contradictory numbers make sense when one realizes that the labor force has been moving out of Anchorage, in search of better opportunity in the Lower 48, where the economy is roaring. And the unemployment rate only accounts for those who are actively looking for work.

Since 2015, the Anchorage workforce has declined by about 10,000 people (6.3%) to settle at 149,000, close to where it was in 2004.

These are a few of the conclusions of the annual Anchorage Economic Development Council report, offered today during the AEDC’s annual forecast luncheon at the Dena’ina Center. The report, produced by the McDowell Group, is rich in data that covers nearly all segments of the city’s economy. The annual luncheon is popular with civic leaders and this year was no exception — it sold out.

The population of Alaska’s largest city dropped by 2,600 last year, continuing a trend that started with beginning of the recession in 2015. Anchorage is now home to an estimated 291,845 people in July 2019.

The city has lost 3.1 percent of its population in seven years.

The report shows that 370 government jobs, mostly with the University of Alaska Anchorage, were shedded, a 1.3 percent decrease in government employment. That brings overall government employment in Anchorage back to the level it was in 1998, said Bill Popp, president of AEDC.

About 400 retail jobs left Anchorage last year, with the exits of chain stores like Nordstrom and Pier 1.

On the bright side, oil and gas, construction, and professional services stopped the downward job trend.

AEDC expects Anchorage to gain about 100 jobs in 2020. The health care, visitor industry, construction, professional services, and federal (census-related) government work will contribute jobs, while retail and other government work will shrink, and oil and gas jobs may dip as BP Alaska exits and Hilcorp makes those acquired operations leaner.

Although the report doesn’t delve into the cost of city government for the 3.1 percent fewer people, the municipal budget approved in the November of 2019 is $540 million, a whopping 14.5 percent more than the budget approved in 2014 under former Mayor Dan Sullivan.

The entire AEDC report can be read at this link.

Senators stand in respect for Sen. David Wilson’s father

Suzanne Downing
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3
Senators stand in respect for Sen. David Wilson’s father

Sen. David Wilson of Wasilla lost his father this weekend and has flown to Southern California to be with his family as they say their goodbyes. He will be away from the state for about two weeks.

Sen. John Coghill of Fairbanks called for a moment of silence on the Senate floor today, in memory of Wilson’s father and in empathy with the family. Coghill lost his own father, Jack Coghill one year ago on Feb. 19. The elder Coghill, former lieutenant governor of Alaska, was 93.

A few words about MRAK’s ad hoc ‘commenting policy’

Suzanne Downing
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27
A few words about MRAK’s ad hoc ‘commenting policy’

MRAK WEBSITE SURPASSES 8 MILLION VIEWS

If you’ve been around Must Read Alaska for a while, you’re aware the comment sections on stories are a robust platform for a wide range of political views.

MRAK welcomes these comments and tries to get them approved and visible quickly. You deserve that. Your comments are approved all day long, from 7 am until 11 pm. They’re approved over dinner, while waiting in line at the store, while walking around the lake, and just before the lights go out for the night. They’re approved by hand, one at a time.

Earlier this month, Must Read Alaska raced past 8 million views on the thousands of stories posted since May of 2016, MRAK’s website birthday month.

At some point in the next few days, the 30,000th comment will be approved and posted on MRAK. It might be a liberal comment or a conservative one — only time will tell. (We’ll try to catch it as it goes by and highlight it).

Now, a fraction of comments received are not published. MRAK is pretty liberal when it comes to letting people have their say, but not every comment gets through. Usually the ones that are tossed fall into a few categories:

Calling someone a Nazi: Name-calling needs to be kept to a bare minimum at Must Read Alaska. Calling someone a liberal is an apt description, not an insult. Calling someone a “libtard” is funny for a moment, until you realize that it’s not really all that funny. Describing someone as “woke” or a member of the “wokerati” is acceptable. But calling them a fascist is not going to cut it. Calling Sen. Cathy Giessel “Giessel the Weasel” does not contribute to civil discourse, and we may or may not let Shifty Schiff through. MRAK is trying to limit this type of comment. Calling someone a Nazi is going to get your comment bounced. If you see it, then it’s because it slipped by. Send a note.

TYPING IN ALL CAPS: Those overly capitalized comments are increasingly just going into the digital round bin, because who has time to retype them all? Not this editor, and not with 30,000 comments to edit. Many times the MRAK editor will be approving comments from a smartphone from “Somewhere in Alaska,” and the excessive use of capitalization is just TOO MUCH WORK TO FIX.

Adding links: Some writers like to include a link to another source, and these are allowed in extremely limited instances. If we know the writer, and trust they are not linking people to malware, it may go through. But usually, MRAK just doesn’t want to take the risk of malware on this site.

Insulting pen names: While the creativity is appreciated, some pen names (“Dumbleavy” are just rude. You may use a pen name, such as “Ben Colder,” (one of MRAK’s favorites) or “Liberal Folliculitus” (which we translate to mean “hair-on-fire”), bring a giggle to readers. You may also use your true name.

Grammatical disasters: Your MRAK editor wants you to look smart. If there are too many typos to fix, she’ll spare you the embarrassment and toss your comment. You can always try again.

Pure troll: Some commenters are just so unpleasant that MRAK’s editor thinks they simply got lost and belong on a different website. We’re trying to keep things civil here. For example, if you say MRAK‘s editor is a stupid-head, into the round bin you go.

OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why do my comments not appear immediately? All comments are screened, and most are accepted for publication.

Why did you edit my comment? Comments may be lightly edited to create a more civil discourse, or for spelling or grammar. MRAK’s editor cannot get to every grammatical error, but she does a bit of tidying up. Don’t expect her to fix everything in your comment, just the worst errors.

Why did my comment disappear? It was there a minute ago. This is a mystery. It must have something to do with the WordPress software. We have no idea why comments just go “poof” sometimes, but it’s a question that has come up more than once.

Other questions? Ask here and we’ll try to answer them in the comments below. And thank you for reading!

Breaking: Recall petition stayed for now

Suzanne Downing
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15
Breaking: Recall petition stayed for now

JUDGE AARSETH: NO, YES, AND NOW NO AGAIN

Judge Eric Aarseth ruled today that the Recall Dunleavy petition won’t be printed and distributed by Feb. 10, opposite his originally ruling on the matter on Jan. 10.

In court this morning, it was apparent Aarseth was concerned about making a mess of the recall petition process. He had already thrown out one of the “charges” made by the Recall Dunleavy committee — the charge that the governor had somehow obstructed the Legislature from doing its job.

Aarseth perhaps didn’t want to put the cart before the horse since the Supreme Court may throw out other charges made by the group — that the governor is incompetent, for instance, or that he broke the law because he didn’t appoint a judge in time.

If people are allowed to sign a petition, and then some of those charges are cancelled by the Supreme Court, it could create a bigger mess.

The former attorney general for Gov. Bill Walker didn’t like that decision. Jahna Lindemuth argued in court that the Supreme Court on the Stand for Salmon measure struck some of the petition language and did not require signatures to be regathered. As as aside, Must Read Alaska readers will recall that as attorney general, Lindemuth had helped the radical environmentalists draft the “Stand for Salmon” ballot measure, rewriting it to make it constitutional.

Of course, the argument she made concerned initiatives, not recalls, and rules are different. Initiatives are required to appear on a regular ballot, while recalls often go to a special election. Thus, there is no harm in terms of missing an important deadline.

That Stand for Salmon petition was then approved by the courts and the matter made it to the ballot, where it was defeated. If she could do it as attorney general, then the court could rewrite a petition to make it legal, after it had been signed, she seemed to be saying.

But having people sign a petition and then changing that petition is problematic, and it appeared that Aarseth was unwilling to take the chance that such a ruling would attract a messy appeal, one that could possibly be taken to federal court system and the U.S. Supreme Court: “Can a government change a petition after people have signed it?”

The Gov. Dunleavy camp might be celebrating a rare victory, but it will likely be short-lived, as the Recall Dunleavy Committee, with Lindemuth and Scott Kendall as their legal team, will appeal this decision to the Alaska Supreme Court, hoping the court allows the petitions to be circulated for signatures before the state’s high court takes up the case of the validity of the recall effort.

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