Saturday, August 16, 2025
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Public safety union backs Dunleavy for governor

STATE’S LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY WANTS A NEW BOSS

The Alaska Public Safety Employees today announced it is endorsing Mike Dunleavy for governor.

It is the only public employee union to endorse the insurgent populist candidacy of a former rural school teacher who has risen to challenge both a sitting governor and a former U.S. senator.

PSEA Local 803 represents Alaska law enforcement personnel in a variety of labor and employment matters at the State and municipal levels. The PSEA membership includes: State Troopers; State Fish and Wildlife Protection Troopers; Airport Police and Fire Officers at the Anchorage and Fairbanks International Airports; Court Service Officers; Deputy Fire Marshals; Police Department Employees of the City and Borough of Juneau; Public Safety Employees of the City of Unalaska; Police Department Employees of the City and Borough of Sitka; Police Department Employees of the City of Fairbanks; Police Department Employees of the City of Ketchikan; Police Department Employees of the City of Soldotna; and Public Safety Employees of the City of Dillingham.

Crime has been a big campaign issue in the governor’s race, with Alaskans feeling under siege by criminals. The rate for violent crimes, including murder, rape, robbery and assault, increased 7 percent in 2017, and property cries, such as car theft and burglary, rose 6 percent year over year. Crime shows no sign of abating in 2018.

Doug Massie, Local 803 DPS chapter president, said “Now more than ever it’s critical we have a governor that puts public safety first. Mike Dunleavy has lived in rural Alaska. Mike Dunleavy knows that until Alaska is safe, we won’t move forward socially and economically. PSEA trusts Mike Dunleavy to put Alaskans’ public safety first.”

Dunleavy said, “There is no greater issue for any governor and any state than public safety. We’re already having discussion about ideas that we can move forward. It’s going to be a partnership to ensure the public safety we need.”

“We’ve got some of the highest crime rates in the country. The individuals behind me are on the front lines, and they need resources and personnel,” Dunleavy said. The first item in the budget process will ve public safety, he said, “because it is job number one.”

“I look forward to working with public safety officers on addressing recruitment and retention problems. We must ensure our officers in harm’s way have the support they need to do their jobs effectively,” he said.

The decision to back Dunleavy happened through polling of the membership and the political action committee that discussed the candidates and their records at length, Massie explained.

“I’ve known him as a senator and had discussions with him years ago — and he is saying the same things now as he did then, and that is you have to stick to your constitutional mandates, like public safety.”

The Anchorage police union endorsed Mark Begich. None of the public safety unions has endorsed Gov. Bill Walker.

Killer on the loose was found sitting outside Walmart

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CLEAN UP ON AISLE 1

On Saturday, Anchorage police received a number of calls from shoppers at Walmart, saying killer Scott Brodine was sitting outside the store. Officers arrived and took him into custody without incident.

Brodine, 50, had walked away from his halfway house, the Clitheroe Center, early Wednesday morning. He was finishing a 90-day drug treatment program, and police said he was not a danger to the community, even on the loose.

But the public might have felt differently, knowing that Brodine had brutally beat to death his roommate in 1993 and was supposed to be serving a 50-year sentence behind bars, not in a halfway house.

The Department of Corrections places inmates into halfway houses to integrate them back into society. Brodine appears to have served 23 years of a 50-year sentence. He is in the Anchorage Correctional Complex as of Oct. 7.

[Read the story of how he killed his roommate in 1993 — and then contested the conviction.]

Kavanaugh vote has damaged Murkowski’s brand

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BY SCOTT HAWKINS
SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

Like many Alaska Republicans, I had high hopes that, in the end, Sen. Lisa Murkowski would do right by Brett Kavanaugh and vote to confirm him. Many if not most of us really thought she would.

After all, she has been a reliable vote on past Republican Supreme Court nominees, most recently in favor of Neil Gorsuch.

I thought to myself, yes, she is often ponderous and indecisive on big, important votes, waiting until the dramatic 11thhour to announce her decision. And yes, the bigger and more important the vote, the more she seems likely to go against the sensibilities of Alaska Republicans.

But surely, she would get this one right. Wouldn’t she?

Surely, she would have the backbone to stand up to the left-wing pressure groups and the millions they spent on Alaska TV and radio ads in recent weeks.

Surely, when not a single shred of corroboration was uncovered by the FBI investigation into Ms. Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations from high school, she would consider that sordid matter closed and join her fellow senators, Jeff Flake and Susan Collins, in supporting an outstanding, high quality nominee.

Surely, she would understand the high stakes for Alaska, for our lands issues, for regulatory overreach, and for the very integrity of our nation’s judicial selection process.

Surely, she would remember that, at the end of the day, she claims to be a Republican.

Wouldn’t she? Wouldn’t she?

Nope. She didn’t.

I happened to be in Washington, DC when she voted “no” on advancing Kavanaugh to a full floor vote, and when she made her subsequent Senate floor speech.

Even from that far away, I could feel the emanations of shock and outrage from Alaska Republicans.

A number of friends and colleagues from other states have sent me messages to the effect of, “how could she?”

I really don’t know the answer. By way of explanation, all I can offer is my own observation that the more divisively partisan is the vote, and the further away is her next election, the more likely Sen. Murkowski is to channel her inner Democrat and vote accordingly.

It also appears that Sen. Murkowski was a no vote on Judge Kavanaugh early on.

Why? I can tell by the weakness of the excuse she offered in her floor speech – that Judge Kavanaugh was not temperamentally fit to be on the court. That his emotional self-defense of his character in the face of uncorroborated sexual assault allegations had created “an appearance of impropriety.”

Really? No kidding? She disqualified him because he is human? Because he was less than cerebral and circumspect in the face of the most scurrilous, most vicious, most hurtful, most family-damaging allegations ever to be levied against a Supreme Court nominee?

There is not a speck of evidence to support any of the awful allegations raised against Judge Kavanaugh, in fact there is a lifetime of impeccable behavior that stands in stark opposition.  Moreover, Judge Kavanaugh’s record as a federal judge is stellar, including on many issues of critical importance to Alaska. His intellect is excellent.

So our senior senator had to grasp at straws. With no other straw available to her, she grasped the “temperament” straw, the most subjective and insubstantial straw there is.

The trouble is, that straw is also false. There was no “appearance of impropriety” in Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony. There was only a deeply human appearance of searing pain and indignation.

There is no issue of temperament. Quite to the contrary, Kavanaugh’s entire career has demonstrated a sterling temperament.

The only questions of temperament and fitness for office in this whole disgusting affair lie with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, her fellow Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and our own Sen. Murkowski.

By voting no, Sen. Lisa has demonstrated an unwillingness to stand up to Outside-funded, left-wing pressure groups that make massive media buys in Alaska because they know she is likely to cave in to them.

A lack of political courage. Temperament.

With her no vote she has also endorsed the shenanigans of Sen. Feinstein and her fellow hatchet-wielding Democrats. They gave her the cover she felt she needed, and she promptly ducked underneath it.

Temperament.

On her, the viciously partisan tactics of Feinstein and Company worked, almost guaranteeing they will be used again, even though Murkowski decried the nastiness of the process in her floor speech.

You can’t have it both ways, Senator, denouncing the Democrats’ tactics while rewarding them with your actions.

When I saw the news of Murkowski’s Kavanaugh votes, I was more than outraged.  I was saddened; saddened, because I really like Alaska’s senior senator as a person. She is warm, gracious, and in her best moments she is a statesman and a fierce advocate for Alaska.

But at her worst, like she has been this week and is rather too often, she is maddening and embarrassing.

Sen. Murkowski probably thinks that four years will be plenty of time for her Republican primary voters to forgive and forget her Kavanaugh debacle.

I strongly suspect she is wrong, if she thinks that.  This is a defining, brand-damaging moment for her, one that conservative leaning Alaska super-voters who pay attention will never forget.

I certainly won’t.

Scott Hawkins is an Alaska business owner and a Republican. He was a candidate for governor earlier this year.

Kavanaugh confirmed, in spite of eardrum-splitting shrieking women

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING CHANTS

Over the eruptions of ululating women protesters in the Senate gallery and halls, the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court proceeded 50-48, with just one senator withholding her vote: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Murkowski, the only Republican to ultimately oppose Kavanaugh, voted “present,” declaring that her vote would offset the absence of Sen. Steven Daines of Montana, who was at his daughter’s wedding. He would have voted to confirm, and if Murkowski had voted, it would have been a “no.” But she is technically not a vote.

Murkowski was once a staunch defender of the late Sen. Ted Stevens, who was also wrongly accused, and who vociferously defended his honor against the Department of Justice’s witch hunt against him.

But this time, she would not defend a wrongly accused man — she said Kavanaugh’s efforts to defend his and his family’s honor showed he didn’t have the temperament for the high court.

The shrieking of women shouting “Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “We believe survivors!” could be heard throughout the Hart Office Building as the protesters were eventually arrested and removed after heckling senators and their staffers. They each face the equivalent of a $50 fine for their theatrics.

On social media, the vitriol went even harder left, but the entire hysterical exercise ended up reminding the conservative base of the country of just why they voted against Hillary Clinton for president. It also drove home the point that the Left will use any means to destroy any person who gets in their way.

“Fascism almost always comes from the Left,” noted one writer to Must Read Alaska, who quoted President Ronald Reagan: “If fascism ever comes to America, it will come in the name of liberalism.”

Several writers expressed fear that if they express their opinion, they will be hounded and harassed by the militant progressives in Alaska.

Thus, it’s no surprise that Supreme Court officials said Kavanaugh would be sworn in later Saturday in a private ceremony, allowing the new Justice to begin working on Tuesday when the court begins its Fall session. He will likely have heavy security around him for years to come.

Kavanaugh gives the high court a somewhat conservative majority with 5-4, something that was a driving reason for many to vote for Donald Trump for president in 2016. One more justice to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is 85 years old, will lock in a conservative court for a generation. Ginsburg is likely to attempt to remain on the court until the 2020 election to attempt to maintain that fourth liberal vote.

Kavanaugh is Trump’s 69th appointment to the federal bench.

DUNLEAVY ISSUES STATEMENT

Today, gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy released the following statement:
“Judge Kavanaugh is a highly qualified public servant who has dedicated his life to faithfully applying the law as it is written, not as he wishes it to be. With his addition to our nation’s highest court, Alaska gains a powerful ally in the defense of our individual rights, including the right to think for ourselves, to keep and bear arms, and to pursue happiness without government interference.
“Judge Kavanaugh will also be crucial to decisions affecting Alaska’s ability to develop its natural resources. His adherence to the text of the Constitution means he understands the current imbalance between the state and federal government, and the importance of recognizing the federal government’s clear limited and enumerated powers.
“As for the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, the Senate Judiciary Committee did the right thing by taking them seriously. They reviewed the evidence and arrived at a fair conclusion, holding firmly to the bedrock American principle of due process and the presumption of innocence.
“I have faith in Judge Kavanaugh’s strong record of impartiality and commitment to the law.”
Neither Gov. Bill Walker nor Democrat gubernatorial candidate Mark Begich, who both oppose Kavanaugh, issued a statement. However, the chairman of the Alaska Republican Party remarked on Friday that Sen. Murkowski’s opposition to Kavanaugh would come back to haunt her with her base of Republican primary voters.
REACTIONS GET REACTIONARY
The social media post by Alaskan Magdalena Oliveros, above, was responded to by Cindy Spanyers, who said that Sen. Dan Sullivan, (who is a Marine colonel reservist who has served in active duty in war-zone Afghanistan) should be removed, and didn’t look well — “pale and sickly,” she described him.
Spanyers was evidently unconcerned that the senator had just had his appendix removed a few days earlier and yet was showing up for 12-hour days and meeting with dozens of women like Oliveros. Spanyers is an employee of Alaska Public Employees Union, one of the largest public employee unions in the state, which opposed Kavanaugh.
Alaska State Rep. Harriet Drummond, who is part of the Anchorage Indivisible group, chimed in on that discussion by saying she always wants to wipe the “smug grin” off of Sen. Dan Sullivan’s face:
Oliveros had last month organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to make a pinata in the likeness of Judge Kavanaugh, something that could be bashed to pieces by protesters in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office. It “would be so much fun,” she wrote.
In front of Murkowski’s office in Anchorage on Friday, protesters held signs calling Kavanaugh a serial rapist.
This is why conservatives are afraid to speak — the looming sense of violence and personal threats feel very real for anyone with a conservative opinion. But Must Read Alaska has received more than 250 letters from readers who have been angered by Murkowski’s votes on Kavanaugh. Many of the writers state they have sent letters to Alaska’s senior senator to express their disapproval. Few, if any, Kavanaugh supporters from Alaska flew to Washington, D.C., unlike those opposing his confirmation, most of whose trips were funded by liberal pressure groups.

Lisa says she will not vote at all, just be marked present

WHAT SENATOR MURKOWSKI TOLD COLLEAGUES

Buried in her remarks on the Senate floor on Friday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski indicated she will be marked present, but she will not vote at all on Saturday.

In that way, her “non-vote” will neutralize the also “non-vote” of Sen. David Daines of Montana, who will be walking his daughter down he aisle for her wedding during the confirmation vote of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

The transcript of her remarks provided by her office show that she now is against Kavanaugh because of his temperament:

“I’ve come to the floor this evening to share my thoughts on what has been an extraordinarily long, difficult, and truly painful process. As we took up the cloture motion on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court, the process that led us to this vote today has been, in my view, a horrible process. A gut-wrenching process, where good people have been needlessly hurt. Where a woman who never sought the public spotlight, was, I think, cruelly thrust into the brightest of spotlights. A good man, a good man, with sterling academic credentials and unblemished professional record, both as the lawyer, the professional lawyer he was, and judge, and also as a husband and father of two young girls, has been damaged terribly. And as both of these individuals, Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, have been harmed—their families have too. We need to, we must do better by them. We must do better as a Legislative Branch. We have a moral obligation to do better than this.

“I spent more time evaluating and considering the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh than I have with any of the previous nominations to the United States Supreme Court that I’ve been privileged to review. I’ve had the opportunity to vote on five Justices prior to this. And I took my time. I was deliberate, thoughtful. Some accused me of being too deliberate, too thoughtful, taking too much time. But this is important to me. It should be important to all of us. And I know that it is important to all of us. And so I studied the record. I sat with Judge Kavanaugh for a lengthy period of time, about an hour and a half, and asked the questions that I had and then did more due diligence. I reviewed the cases and I did my homework. I listened to the concerns that were raised by many in my state on issues that were all over the board. Whether it was a woman’s right to choose, the Affordable Care Act, Executive Authority, deference to the agencies, Native issues—I took considerable time. And when the hearings came, not being on the Judiciary Committee, I paid attention. I followed the testimony of the judge, the very critical questioning from many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. And then when, at the end of the process, or so seemingly what we believed to be the end of the process, there were more questions, I went back to Judge Kavanaugh and had a good conversation with him. And then the allegations that we have been discussing and trying to understand more about came forward and we all moved from focusing on the issues to truly a discussion that none of us ever thought that we would be having when it came to the confirmation process for the highest court in the land.

“And so there was more work to be done. I was one who wanted to make sure that there was a process going forward. And when there were more questions that were raised after the initial process, I was one who joined in asking that the FBI step in and do further review. And so I have been engaged in this lengthy and deliberative process for months now. And I was truly leaning towards supporting Judge Kavanaugh in his nomination as I looked to that record. But we know that in our role of advice and consent, it is not just the record itself. There is more that is attached to it. It is why, when in the state of Alaska, a nomination for a judge goes forward, you rate them not only on their professional competence, what they have demonstrated through their record, but also matters of temperament and demeanor—which are very, very important.

“So, we moved, we shifted that conversation, from so many of the issues I had been focused on to other areas that are also important in evaluating a nominee for the courts. But I listened very carefully to the remarks—the strong, well-articulated remarks—of my colleague and my friend who sits next to me here, Senator Collins. And I found that I agreed with many of the points that she raised on the floor earlier. I do not think that Judge Kavanaugh will be a vote to overturn Roe V. Wade. And I also join with her in saying that I do not think that protections for those with pre-existing conditions will be at risk. And I also do not think that he will be a threat to Alaska Natives. This is an issue that had certainly been raised. But I had extended conversations with the judge on just these issues. And I believe that he recognizes, as he told me, that Alaska Natives are not in that identical place as Native Hawaiians. Alaskan tribes are included on the list of federally recognized tribes and the fact remains that Native Hawaiians are not. This is a distinction. This is a difference. I am one who, in this body, has said I would like to see Native Hawaiians there. And I worked with my friend Senator Akaka when he was in this body to help advance that. I have supported those, but the fact remains that that constitutional status of Alaska Natives in the Indian Commerce Clause are simply not at play with this nomination. I don’t believe that.

“So, the question fairly asked, ‘You say that you think he’s going to be there on issues that matter to Alaskans that you have taken strong positions on.’ The reason I could not support Judge Kavanaugh in the cloture motion the afternoon, is that in my role and my responsibility as one Senator on this floor, I take this obligation that we have in the role of advice and consent as seriously as anything that I am obligated or privileged to be able to vote on. And so I have a very high standard. I have a very high bar for any nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States.

“The Code of Judicial Conduct Rule 1.2 requires that a judge ‘act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.’ And I go back and I look to that. It is pretty high, it is really high, that a judge shall act at all times—not just sometimes when you’re wearing your robe—in a manner that promotes public confidence. Public confidence. Where’s the public confidence?

“So it is high. And even in the face of the worst thing that could happen, a sexual assault allegation; even in the face of an overly and overtly political process, a politicized process; even when one side of this chamber is absolutely dead set on defeating his nomination, from the very get-go, before he was even named; even in these situations, the standard is that a judge must ‘act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.’

“After the hearing that we all watched last week, last Thursday, it became clear to me, or it was becoming clearer that that appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable. And I’ve been deliberating, agonizing about what is fair. Is this too unfair a burden to place on somebody that is dealing with the worst, the most horrific allegations that go to your integrity, that go to everything that you are. And I think we all struggle with how we would respond. But I am reminded there are only nine seats on the bench of the highest court in the land and these seats are occupied by these men and women for their lifetime and so those who seek one of these seats must meet the highest standard in all respects at all times and that is hard.

“Mr. President, we are at a time when many in this country have lost faith in the Executive Branch, and it’s not just with this administration. We saw much of that in the last as well. And here in Congress, many around the country have just given up on us, they’ve just completely said, ‘we’ve had enough.’ But I maintain that the public still views, I still view, that there is some small shred of hope that remains with our judiciary. This judiciary that must be perceived as independent, as nonpartisan, as fair and balanced, in order for our form of government to function. And it’s that hope, it’s that hope that I seek to maintain. And I think that’s why I have demanded such a high standard to maintain or regain that public confidence, because it is so critical that we have that public confidence in at least one of our three branches of government.

“Mr. President, I think we saw from the vote earlier today, we’ve seen from statements from several of our colleagues that it does appear that Judge Kavanaugh will be seated on the Supreme Court, without my vote. It is my hope, it is truly my hope that Judge Kavanaugh will share that same hope in rebuilding, maintaining a level of public confidence, that he will strive for that ideal every day. It’s my hope that he will be that neutral arbiter, the umpire who only calls the balls and the strikes, that he will be that force for stability. I believe that Judge Kavanaugh is a good man. He’s a good man. He’s clearly a learned judge, but in my conscience, because that’s how I have to vote at the end of the day, with my conscience, I could not conclude that he is the right person for the court at this time. And this has been agonizing for me with this decision. It is as hard a choice, probably as close a call as any that I can ever remember. And I hope, I hope and I pray that we don’t find ourselves in this situation again. But I’m worried. I am really worried that this becomes the new normal, where we find new and even more creative ways to tear one another down. That good people are just going to say, ‘Forget it. It’s not worth it.’ I’m looking at some of the comments that are being made, the statements that are being made against me, against my good friend, my dear friend from Maine. The hateful, the aggressive, the truly, truly awful manner which with so many are acting now is got to end. This is not who we are. This is not who we should be. This is not who we raise our children to be.

“So, as we move forward in this very difficult time I think for this body and for this country I want to urge us to a place where we are able to engage in that civil discourse which is what the Senate is supposed to be all about, that we are able to show respect for one another’s views and differences, and that when a hard vote is taken, that there is a level of respect for the decision that each of us makes. And there’s another thing that I do hope, and again, I’ll refer to my friend from Maine, and I will note, if there has been a silver lining in these bitter, bitter weeks, which quite honestly remains to be seen, I do think what we have seen is a recognition by both sides, a recognition by both sides that we must do more to protect and prevent sexual assault and to help the victims of these assaults. There has been a national discussion. There has been an outpouring of discussion, conversation, fears, tears, frustration, and rage. There’s an emotion that really has been unleashed in these recent weeks, and these are discussions that we need to have as a country. We need to have these as a country. We need to bring these survivors to a place where they feel that they can heal. But until you come out of the shadow and do so without shame, it’s pretty hard to heal.

“I have met with so many survivors and I know that every single one of us has. And I’ve heard from colleagues as they have shared with me that they have been truly surprised, many stunned by what they are learning as the prevalence of this unfortunately in our society today. In Alaska, and the presiding officer knows in your state, the levels of sexual assault that we see within our Native American and our Alaska Native communities, the rates are incredibly devastating. It is not something that we say we’ll get to tomorrow. We’ve heard those voices. We’ve heard those voices, and I hope that we have all learned something, that we owe it to the victims of sexual assault to do more and to do better and to do it now with them.

“Mr. President I’m going to close and thank you, but I truly hope that we can be at that place where we can move forward in a manner that shows greater respect, greater comity.

“We owe it to the people of America to return to a less rancorous process. In the spirit of that comity, and again while I voted no on cloture today, and I will be a no tomorrow. I will, in the final tally, be asked to be recorded as present, and I do this because a friend, a colleague of ours is in Montana this evening and tomorrow at just about the same hour that we’re going to be voting, he’s going to be walking his daughter down the aisle and he won’t be present to vote, and so I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend. It will not change the outcome of the vote, but I do hope that it reminds us that we can take very small, very small steps to be gracious with one another and maybe those small, gracious steps can lead to more.

“But, I know that is hard as these matters are that we deal with. We’re humans, we have family that we love. We don’t spend near enough time with them and making sure that we can do one small thing to make that family a little bit better is a better way for tomorrow.

“With that Mr. President, I yield the floor, and thank you.”

What Lisa told reporters

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AND SUSAN COLLINS EXPLAINS WHY SHE IS A YES VOTE

In the Senate today, Maine Sen. Susan Collins has indicated she is a “yes” vote on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Her decision is in stark contrast to the one made earlier today by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Collins said the Senate must not abandon the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

“Our Supreme Court confirmation process has been in steady decline for more than 30 years,” Collins said. “One can only hope the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom.”

LISA MURKOWSKI, AS TRANSCRIBED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES

Senator Lisa Murkowski’s statement to reporters this morning following her “no” vote on the cloture — the proceeding to the floor with the confirmation vote of Brett Kavanaugh:

I did not come to a decision on this until walking onto the floor this morning. I have been wrestling to really try to know what is fair and what is right, and the truth is, that none of this has been fair.

This hasn’t been fair to the judge, but I also recognize that we need to have institutions that are viewed as fair and if people who are victims, people who feel that there is no fairness in our system of government, particularly in our courts, then you’ve gone down a path that is not good and right for this country. And so I have been wrestling with whether or not this was about qualifications of a good man or is this bigger than the nomination.

And I believe we’re dealing with issues right now that are bigger than the nominee and how we ensure fairness and how our legislative and judicial branch can continue to be respected. This is what I have been wrestling with, and so I made the — took the very difficult vote that I did.

I believe Brett Kavanaugh’s a good man. It just may be that in my view he’s not the right man for the court at this time. So I have taken my vote here this morning, I’m going to go back to my office and write a floor statement that is more fulsome and have the opportunity to have that.

But this has truly been the most difficult evaluation of a decision that I have ever had to make, and I’ve made some interesting ones in my career. But I value and respect where my colleagues have come down from in their support for the judge, and I think we’re at a place where we need to begin thinking about the credibility and integrity of our institutions.

Lisa lets Alaska down

ANCHORAGE DAILY PLANET

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski says it is time to consider “the credibility and integrity of our institutions” and indicates she will be – and who really is surprised? – a ‘no” on the final confirmation vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

While admitting to reporters, “I believe Brett Kavanaugh is a good man. I believe he is a good man,” she added, “It just might be, in my view, he is not the right man for the court at this time.”

Murkowski today was the lone Republican “no” on advancing his nomination for a final vote, and her action flew in the face of her past procedural votes on other difficult issues to allow votes by the full Senate. Just not in this case.

Sadly, her decision follows in the wake of one of the most unfair, vicious, orchestrated Democratic smears in the Senate’s history. She appears to have joined with Democrats in deciding to vote against a “good man” accused of uncorroborated, unsubstantiated, unproved sexual assaults that simply cannot be proved – despite an FBI investigation.

We are unsure how her voting “no” under those circumstance does much for the “credibility and integrity” of the Senate. In fact, she and the Democrats have reduced that institution to not much more than a Third-World kangaroo court.

What Murkowsi is likely to do tomorrow during the full vote, is, in effect, say it is OK to deny a man or woman a federal post if they are accused of baseless or unprovable claims from more than three decades ago; that due process and the concept of innocent until proved guilty mean nothing; that obviously concocted accounts should be accepted on faith, especially if from tearful women.

She and the Democrats have done no less than make a mockery of the confirmation process.

We suspect the real reason behind Murkowski’s procedural vote – and will be the reason behind her confirmation vote tomorrow – is abortion rights, which she wholeheartedly supports. The Left fears Kavanaugh would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. We agree it is an important issue – one that should have been settled politically rather than by the high court – but it is far down the list of what is important to most Alaskans. There are many other issues that affect the state and its future.

Kavanaugh could tip the court to the right for a generation on issues such as resource extraction, economic development, gun rights, federal overreach and bureaucratic roadblocks. Those are all issues that often reach the high court, where a conservative outlook would benefit Alaska. None of  that apparently mattered as Murkowski considered the “credibility and integrity of our institutions.”

There is no other way to say it: Murkowski has let down Alaska.

Kavanaugh vote: No today means no tomorrow for Sen. Murkowski

MUST READ ALASKA READERS RESPOND WITH DISMAY

In an historic vote today, the U.S. Senate advanced the name of Brett Kavanaugh to the floor for a vote this Saturday afternoon.

But Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined the “no” votes on the cloture, which brings the confirmation to the floor, and on CNN this morning she is quoted saying Kavanaugh “is not the right man for the court at this time.”

Dozens of readers of Must Read Alaska have written to this publication already this morning expressing their disappointment. Here are a sampling of the notes received:

“I am so sorry I ever voted for her and even on her write-in election. She will never get my support again. I figure it is all about the native vote and that she will run again. Bad news for Alaska in the form of getting any national support for Alaska!”

“I, for one, emailed both of our Senators after the cloture vote to express disappointment in Senator Murlowski’s “No” vote on cloture, and to urge both of them to vote ‘Yes’ on confirmation.  I initially voted for Lisa, but I don’t think I can support the re-election of a turncoat who is seduced buy the ‘Dark Side.'”

“I’ve donated to Lisa and voted for her the last few times.  I’m ready for a strong conservative Senator. I won’t vote for her again. She is too wishy-washy. If a strong conservative runs for the seat, someone sane (not Joe Miller, Sorry) I will work on their campaign and I will donate as much as I can to their campaign. If she pulled out of the primary I still couldn’t vote for her at this point. I will do what I can to make sure that is not my only option.”

“I have so many thoughts about Murkowski I just can’t seem to verbalize all of them. Even yesterday she said she was undecided. But she needs the Native corporation vote to win. With a significant portion of the Native community coming out against Kavanaugh (Walker/Mallott saying Kavanaugh will kill tribal sovereignty, Tlingit Haida coming out against as well) I felt she was going to vote no. Then with Hillary Morgan and company traveling to DC I think that was the icing on the cake. Native Corp and ACLU paying to send people and the face to face seems to take precedence over our emails and calls and of course the silent majority. If you didn’t see it, Newt Gingrich had a great blog on what is happening in our country with the Kavanaugh nomination. Check it out. Love your blog. Have a great day.”

“If Judge Kavanaugh is not confirmed, will ANY decent person ever come forward to be on the Supreme Court?  What the left has done to this country and the rule of law is shameful.  (that is the nicest thing I can say).”

“My statement and question; I’m really tired of Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Schumer is more a republican than her.  What are the chances of starting a recall on her senatorship?”

“Suzanne: I hope you are passing these comments on to Lisa. I don’t know if Lisa is running for reelection or not, but either way she is in Washington to represent us Alaskans not herself. I am sure the majority of Alaskans favor Kavanaugh so she should vote that way. I don’t know how a person can defend against a charge when they don’t know where or when it was supposed to have happened. the judge has led a honorable adult life and is an excellent jurist. He should be confirmed.”

“Suzanne, my name is [redacted by editor]. Lisa, I have voted for you and your father since 1979 I feel I am part of the silent majority I would really like to see you vote for Judge Kavanaugh please ignore the special interest money that is pounding your door it is not who is Alaska. Thank you.”

“We now have 30 hours to get our voices heard from Alaska! If we don’t vote for a solid constitutionalist, we are doing our people here a great disservice. The problems we face as a state regarding sexual abuse will worse if we don’t have the rule of law re-enforced all the way to the Supreme Court. We as a nation must fall into a mob rule mentality as sway every way the wind blows. We must uphold our Constitution. Encourage all your readers to send this message to Murkowski!”
“I’ve tried numerous times to call Lisa Murkowski and have not been able to directly contact her office during 2018.  Instead, several e-mails have been sent to support her in backing Kavanaugh. She doesn’t want to hear from conservatives. Trump won’t want to hear from Lisa if she votes “NO” on Kavanaugh. She in no way represents the Alaskans of the Republican Party. She is a turncoat, bought and paid for by special interest groups representing the Democrat Party and their intimidating ways.”
“It’s time we asked Lisa to step down or begin her recall. The absurdity on display the last few weeks is unparalleled in my lifetime. The left has conjured up fake allegations and fake testimony, refuted now by literally every purported “witness” of the time and their key complainant has now perjured herself in several key parts of her testimony; that discovered only by the incredible work of some fine investigative journalists. Beyond that, on a large scale, the left has resorted to invoking mass hysteria and incredible violence against our legislatures, their families and anyone who disagrees with their charade.
“Yet in the face of it all our foolish senator spends half of her day in conference with sexual assault survivors under the banner of the Kavanaugh nomination; which by its very nature suggests that through this now blatantly obvious charade, Lisa must believe an assault actually took place. At this time it is clear to any discerning reader that this nomination has absolutely nothing to do with sexual assault because there is only evidence that it never happened and that the accuser is a fraud. This is not a case of a judge with a dark past asking for forgiveness and permission to move on. This is a case where a fine servant and his family have been viscously slandered, threatened and nearly destroyed by a fraudulent charge as part of an 11th hour partisan hit. That being the case, Lisa has shown such a historical lack of judgement that it is time for the Alaska GOP to recall her. I will support in any way I can any recall effort or primary challenger for as long as Lisa holds any office office. She should acknowledge she no longer represents her constituents and step down after the new year.
“Please do not post my comments publicly, at least not with my name attached. We are no longer free to express ideas in this country. The left has been fairly successful at destroying businesses and thus the lives of anyone they disagree with and I’m sure the left in Alaska is no different. I don’t want to subject my friends and coworkers to protestors, boycotts and violence.”
“It has been disappointing to see Senator Murkowski cave to left-leaning voters. For years I have defended her in my household and have written her over and over.  Wish she would thoughtfully read what Kavanaugh has written; not just rely on her staff summary and her left leaning DC friends. If she does not plan to run again why does she feel compelled to give in to Alaska Natives and ACLU? I was never molested, but a friend I have known for  50+ years and who was molested as a teen.  She scoffed at the whole Dr Ford fiasco. Dr. Ford is not the strong woman she is depicted.  She has another agenda. Maybe money? Just saying.”

“Thank you for your news and input. I have written to Lisa and Dan to support Kavanaugh.  I believe the allowance of such a “witch hunt” and abuse of our most basic rights is beyond anything we have seen and should be slammed right now!

“I have lived here for many years, with several teaching in rural AK, and am well aware of the rampant domestic and sexual abuse!  I say to Lisa and Dan to allow this “show” TRULY TAKES AWAY FROM THE VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD IN OUR OWN BACKYARD THAT POSSIBLY MAY MEAN LIFE OR DEATH.  The little girl in Kotzebue may be here today if we would only pay more attention to the real issue AND NOT make a political movement from such a dire situation.  Shame on Lisa, she needs to leave her position and get back to the real world and hopefully do GOOD for the citizens of AK.”

“My husband and I are very unhappy with Senator Murkowski’s “no” vote in regards to Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation.  We will not be voting for her if she chooses to run again. Thank you for your news updates.”
“I agree Lisa is done. I for one will help defeat her in her next election.”
“Keep calling Sen Murkowski. Don’t stop. The more the better. Its a new vote tomorrow. If she still votes no we know where we are.”
“A No vote for Judge Kavanaugh is a no Vote for Lisa !!!!!”
“…And she is not the right senator for Alaska.”
“If Alaska’s senior senator does not have the integrity or judgement to ultimately vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh, then Alaskans need to replace her.  While I have never been a fan of hers from the moment her daddy appointed her to the Senate, at least I found her to have some redeeming political positions.  However, to succumb to the hard left progressive democrat’s intimidation, unsubstantiated claims, win-at-all-cost and personal destruction tactics will reflect a total lack of character and judgement as a person, let alone as a US Senator.  This is truly a watershed moment for Sen. Murkowski’s character.  I hope and pray for her sake as well as family of Judge Kavanaugh and the future of this nation that she will not willing partake in the purely evil politics that the democrats have unleashed in the past couple of weeks.  Her decision is about much more than just run of the mill politics.  We will all know a great deal more about her character or lack thereof tomorrow as well as those who would defend her.”

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Treadwell endorses Dunleavy, while Walker has Christmas in October

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CAMPAIGNING 101 AS THEY MAKE THE FINAL TURN ON THE RACE TRACK

In Fairbanks today, former gubernatorial candidate Mead Treadwell endorsed Mike Dunleavy for governor.

Treadwell, a former lieutenant governor, ran earlier this year because he felt there needed to be a more well-known name on the Republican ticket than a public school teacher from Koyuk.

But he had only six weeks to make the case to voters and his campaign fell short. Like Scott Hawkins, who also ran for governor as a Republican and withdrew for health reasons, Treadwell endorsed the nominee who has since unified the Republican base.

Meanwhile, incumbent governor Bill Walker is rolling out something nearly every other day in October: So far, he has announced plans to give raises to public safety employees, pledged funding for tourism marketing, and on Thursday he rolled out a plan for lower worker compensation rates for businesses.

By the time Alaska Federation of Natives has its convention later this month, there are likely to be a dozen more lures in the water for Walker’s re-election. There will be something for fishing stakeholders, and something for the construction community, something for health care.

These aren’t current deliverables but they are enticements Walker is making to group after stakeholder group as he tries to gain on Mark Begich, who is now in second place for governor, according to the polls.

It can only mean the election is 32 days away.

Walker was called out at one of his own press conferences by the mainstream media for using the funding promises as a campaign event. He dodged the question.

In 2014, Walker promised he would not cut the dividend, would not raise taxes and would cut the budget by 16 percent.

“I can’t believe that the Governor’s Office puts out this misleading statement of the cause and effect,” reported one business owner who needed to remain anonymous.  “Worker compensation rates are down because injuries are down, not because of the so-called ‘reform’ bill.

“NCCI proposed the rate reduction and it’s because claims are down, no other reason.  Claims are down because Alaska employers work hard on safety and return to work. One other cause and effect that is fact is that insurers are putting pressure on medical providers by offering out-of-state treatment and medical providers in-state are finally starting to be more reasonable; and the medical fee schedule pushed through a couple of years ago. Commissioner Drygas taking credit for premium trends is concerning. The careful wording keeps it just this side of the truth. Barely.”

Both Walker and Mark Begich have significant radio and digital ads playing that are attacking Mike Dunleavy, while Dunleavy, the former public school teacher from Koyuk and Kotzebue, has remained “standing tall” above the fray, spending his days meeting with everyday Alaskans.

All pollsters agree that he is the likely winner on Nov. 6. The shots on him will keep coming right up to Election Day.