By DAN FAGAN
Republican Sen. Lora Reinbold is measured, calm, mild-mannered, and agreeable – said no one ever. Reinbold is a pint-sized fighter. But when she sets her sights on you – watch out – she’s swinging for the knockout.
Reinbold has launched an all-out jihad against fellow conservative and Mat-Su Valley Republican, Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Reinbold has consistently badgered “Big Mike” with over-the-top rhetoric for most of his term. Reinbold has appointed herself as Dunleavy’s chief antagonist and most formidable political threat from the right.
Will she run against him in the primary? As Gov. Sarah Palin used to say, “you betcha!”
On Sunday, Reinbold posted on her Facebook page a post describing the governor’s extension of the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration as socialist.
“It looks like Commission (sic), Commander Crum, and Gov. D hired Dr. Zink to tell a story of why medical tyranny is so important for Alaska via health alerts and mandates,” posted Reinbold.
“Each time I read his (Dunleavy’s) March 11 ‘Disaster Declaration’ I now see it as their way to fear monger, using COVID-19 as their front, to gain immense control over our lives.”
But has Dunleavy really tried to gain “immense control over our lives?”
If anything, his extending the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration frees up health care providers, and does not limit the private sector’s ability to function or even flourish, unlike the unreasonable, harsh, and job-killing restrictions put in place by Anchorage city leaders.
Dunleavy, much like President Donald Trump, has allowed local government leaders to determine how to deal with the spread of the coronavirus.
His emergency declaration extension allows hospitals continued flexibility and the ability to overcome burdensome regulations when treating the virus. It allows for more telehealth instead of in-person visit requirements. The extension also allows hospitals to set up new temporary facilities to house patients if they become overcrowded.
The extension also keeps open the Joint Incident Command Center and keeps federal funds flowing into the state to help with dealing with the virus.
There are also practical benefits to extending the extension. It allows businesses the ability to sell alcohol curbside, so customers don’t need to come inside.
“The new disaster declaration will continue to provide certainty to Alaska’s health care system and Alaskans during this pandemic while avoiding any disruption to the state’s economy,” said Jeff Turner, the governor’s deputy press secretary.
There’s not a single component of Dunleavy’s disaster declaration that hurts the private sector. Yet Reinbold makes it seem like the governor and his team are an Alaska version of Bernie Sanders.
“Sadly, they have unleashed a constitutional, economic, educational, and emotional crisis on Alaskans,” Reinbold posted on Facebook. ”Many of the mandates and health alerts are not only ridiculous, but they are scientifically unsubstantiated, many are unconstitutional and it’s easy to predict, they have created more harm than good.”
Reinbold even went to the extreme of asking if its time for Zink, Crum, and Dunleavy to “step aside.”
Reinbold also called for the governor to “ask God’s forgiveness and forgiveness of Alaskans for the damage done to Alaska and Alaskans.”
To say Reinbold is prone to fits of wildly emotional hysterics is an understatement.
The truth is, Dunleavy has been much more measured in his approach to COVID-19 than most governors. 33 governors have issued statewide face mask mandates. Other governors have limited the size of gatherings including for churches. Dunleavy has done none of that.
The governor does not have the authority to stop the over the top tyranny placed on the private sector by the hard-core Leftists running the city of Anchorage.
Even conservative Assembly member Jamie Allard agrees the governor is not to blame for the assault on the freedoms of Anchorage citizens. Allard has criticized the governor in the past for not speaking out more about the issue. But unlike Reinbold, her criticism ends there.
“Anchorage municipalities extreme mandates and their enforcements have proven ineffective,” writes Allard. “Anchorage should follow Gov. Dunleavy’s lead when he stated Alaska is open for business.”
If Reinbold was really upset about constitutional rights being violated, she should funnel her rage-filled Facebook posts toward the real culprits, the Anchorage Assembly’s liberal majority and mayor.
But that wouldn’t help her in the Republican primary two years from now when she runs against Dunleavy.
Dan Fagan hosts the number one rated morning drive talk show in Alaska on Newsradio 650 KENI. Dan splits his time between Anchorage and New Orleans.
It sounds as though she’s lost her mind and is taking a natural disaster as a pandemic to promote herself politically. Kind of a below the belt kind of a punch if you ask me. This reminds me of that saying that goes something like this absolute power corrupts absolutely. It sounds like her authority has gone to her head. Mike is about as far from a socialist as you can get nowadays. Look at his first proposal that Bryce edgeman and the turncoat rhinos lost their minds over before he was forced to appease them. Remember the balanced budget dream, remember when Mike cut all that pork out of the budget? She should have come up with something a little bit more believable.
Greg –
I hold the Governor in high honor for many of his stances. We share a deep faith in God and are both pro life. I certainly don’t want him to step down.
I’m trying how to find peace with freely serving God and my country. The virus is real and is causing great pain to the world. Oaths taken to defend the constitution need to be honored in the midst of this difficult time too. I want to help my twin sister and others in their honorable stance to succeed in this. Some freedoms were given to us by God and others have been hard fought for and I’m not willing to yield them even in adversity.
For now, I need to leave this social platform and ask God how I can honor Him and care about all of His children. I have limited experience with social media and believe I will be more successful in both understanding others and being understood in a different venue.
Just trying to think how Lora Reinbold would look on my building banner but I already have a Dunleavy Banner that has flown in his lst election so at least for now think I will just stick with what has worked before. My Sullivan Banner is down already and my Kathy Henslee signs are either returned or in storage to wait for her next election…
I have called those elections already….
No Dan, she’s right. The mandates are wrong and unconstitutional. It’s good that he isn’t hitting private citizens with most of them but they have definitely hit some businesses hard. (Of course the awful and unnecessary travel mandates are on so I have no chance of traveling now). She may be loud about it all, but she’s right about the unconstitutionality of the mandates.
I agree with Lance but certainly not Dan who attacked my Honorable Senator, Lora Reinbold even though he has helped his radio show. Lora Reinbold is my identical twin sister and I’m so proud of her stance on being true to her oath to defend her beloved Alaskans and our constitution! She is not a snowflake in the midst of facing challenges such as a virus. She wouldn’t take Alaskans freedoms away and forsake her oath and run in fear “just in case …” but instead she lives up to her name and boldly face challenges head instead of believing masqed lies with serious incalculable consequences.
The health care workers such as my oldest sister have contentiously pressed mask wearing so everyone looks sick. It helps some healthcare workers but hurts multitudes of others in many different businesses and families. Alaskans have never been in more distress in the half century plus that I’ve lived here. (To no avail I’ve tried contacting the Governor’s office to share my concerns.) The Governor needs to look out for all Alaskans not only health care workers. My trust in government has never been broken more than since Dunleavy took office. He said he wanted to rebuild our trust in government. I’m on standby wondering when he will begin to fulfill his campaign promise…
ROFL the first line of the piece. Perfect.
Lora is right.
We all know what freedom is and we all can say this last year has shown how quickly that it can be taken from us under the guise of “good for your health”.
A strong immune system, exercise, vitamins, fresh air and nutrition have always been your body’s best defense…not covering your breathing holes with a mask.
Worrying about how your family or business will be affected by the next round of mandates or lock-down is not the Liberty our forefathers had in mind.
Dunleavy will face additional pressure under the Biden administration to “comply” with their mandatory masking & vaccination program.
The path Dunleavy chooses will determine whether or not he serves another term…right now with the extended “emergency declaration” and mandatory testing at airports, it does not look like he will get the Conservative support next election.
One wonders what People’s Crusader Reinbold will do if Biden and Friends take control and start tying federal revenue sharing to strict enforcement by states of Biden’s China flu mandates.
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A Reinbold Rant might be fun to watch, goodness knows we could use a laugh.
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What, for that matter, will non-Bidenistas do?
While I don’t disagree completely with Dan Fagen’s opinion piece, his ongoing fued with Lora Reinbold is well known to his listeners and makes this reader what his end game is.
Lora is widely known as a fierce conservative who will not back down on her principles.
Believing that Governor Dunleavy has cowered before beauracrats, unions, liberals and the phoney republican majority, she has chosen this beach to defend. Not an altogether bad beach, but, probably the wrong one in the long run.
I would much rather Lora aim her ire and conservative arrows for Lisa Murkowski. Lisa is a full blown RINO, not supporting of a president whi has been very good for Alaska. Dunleavy is trying as best he can to trim a bloated budget and keep the PFD alive for the people of Alaska.
It is a mess but I am sticking with Big Mike.
Dunleavy really won me over on his even-handed approach on the COVID-19 front. I’m now drifting toward the idea that Covid-19 is having a similar fatality to a nasty version of the flu. Take precautions and stop hiding in your bunker.
Somewhere around January 20th, 2021, we’ll see just how hypocritical the lockdown crowd actually are. They’ll gather en masse in DC for the next Presidential inauguration. If it’s Biden, then we’ll be witnessing one of the biggest hypocrites in history, unless that is, he opts for a virtual inauguration from his basement (don’t hold your breath, lol).
Start the petitions now:
No super-spreader inaugurations President-Elect Biden, it must be virtual. Our lives matter.
Biden should be blitzed with this point. His ego would never survive a virtual inauguration.
It really doesn’t take much to figure out what socialism is.
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It really doesn’t take much to figure out what passes constitutional muster in America.
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It’s really pathetic that we have so many people who claim to be conservative but have no idea what it means, since that also doesn’t take much to figure out what it means.
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Choosing to be ignorant doesn’t make you conservative, it makes you ignorant by choice.
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Covid is real, this pandemic is actually happening and isn’t a hoax or conspiracy. Sure politicians are taking advantage of this pandemic, but that’s what politicians do…they make hay wherever and whenever they can.
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If Reinbold runs against Dunleavy on the platform that covid is a hoax in two years she will be laughed out of the state. We are just getting started with this one. History tells us how pandemics play out, a cursory review might be helpful for some.
I’ll be voting for Reinbold, no debate whatsoever. Sad to find out, Dunleavy is and continues to be a tool. We need someone who will do what they swear to do when they take an oath to defend the US and AK Constitutions.
I agree.
She sounds right to me. I’d actually go as far to say that her impassioned declaration of such puts her up in my book. I’m sick of conservative politicians being expected to act a certain bland, spineless way that ends up biting us in the butt. I want people with actual values they’re willing to stand for representing us, even if it means they’re not the “norm”.
Dunleavy has been far kinder to us than other states, but you could say that the unconstitutional mandates he put in emboldened the MoA to act as they did. I’ll be keeping an eye on Lora from now on.
I’m sick of ‘conservative politicians’ acting spineless, once they get elected, as well (Lisa Murkowski). But – “people with actual values they’re willing to stand for” to represent us? She’s a politician. Politicians will say anything we want to hear, in order to get elected. Do they often keep their election “promises”? Not in my experience. I prefer non-politicians in office, like President Trump, who KEPT his promises. (Sorry, I digressed off your point.) Just saying, don’t believe all the pre-election words of these people. They are often hiding the truth of their motives. Just my opinion.
Any politician or leader who supports warfare against defenseless, unborn children is leading people in the wrong direction. Let’s elect ones who will rightly lead.
What happened to my comments supporting my twin sister and honorable Senator Lora Reinbold?They were posted for a few minutes and then unposted. Is this website censored? Please be tough enough to repost my initial response.
Lisa
I’m working through the comments, Lisa. I have not gotten to it yet. There are another 77 to go in this batch. – sd
Thank you for the update Suzanne. I see the comments are back up.
I think it’s wonderful that you support your siblings. But her actions speak volumes. I wonder do you trust Bryce Edgmon?
I honestly don’t know much about Bryce Edgmon so I can’t answer your question.
The first part of your statement is true, I typically support my sister, Senator Lora Reinbold.
However, I do NOT support the position my oldest sister has regarding pushing facial coverings. The numerous people I’ve spoken to who wear face coverings say makes them feel sick. Since they were falsely and illegally “mandated” whatever that means, our numbers have gone up. So for some unknown reason, they push face coverings more. Illogical, cruel and ridiculous. If one wants to wear a face covering fine but don’t force your fears on us. Fearful people should be the ones who get curb side service and stay home. The rest of us should get back to being adventurous! Life is never totally safe ie driving has no guarantees. Keep precautions reasonable and normal: Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough.
I’m thankful the American Frontline Doctors face the facts and don’t push oxygen deprivation coverings.
Hopefully this nonsense will be over soon. I’m hoping to see my fellow Alaskan’s smiling faces again soon!
Seeing more smiles will truly help all of us feel better! 🙂
Dunleavy proves stupidity is more infectious than COVID.
Needs a tin foil hat.
Rolling with the CDC (arm of the New World Order) guidelines got Dunleavy off the recall hook, but placed himself in the same camp as Ethan Berkowitz and Global-Left. It worked for avoiding the recall, but gets no points from freedom loving Alaskans. Not as bad as what Anchorage is doing doesn’t cut it. This is a war for our nations survival, not a fight against COVID, which can’t be won with masks, social distancing, and lock downs. Now Dunleavy extends the so-called emergency, which grants him the power to continue what we don’t need or want. He’s playing with fire, and he will get burned…
Get this guy a case of tin foil hats.
I felt she was 100% in alignment and on point with how I and many other Alaskans feel. Frankly, I don’t get the snarkiness. Jihad, invoking Sarah Palin as if that’s a flaw (alot of us are very fond of Gov. Palin), and suggesting funneling feelings towards Anchorage as if that’s the only assault on conservatism. She is a state senator from Matsu and has every reason to criticize a sitting governor. Especially if he is listening to the wrong people and putting forth unconstitutional mandates (at a minimum in principle). If you really feel this way then you are not a conservative, Fagan.
“His emergency declaration extension allows hospitals continued flexibility and the ability to overcome burdensome regulations when treating the virus. It allows for more telehealth instead of in-person visit requirements. The extension also allows hospitals to set up new temporary facilities to house patients if they become overcrowded”
Seriously Dan, do you honestly believe this? Burdensome regulations? What? Not allowing a father to see his daughter? Not allowing a patient into the hospital with a family member? We leave our loved ones to die by themselves? Really? We know what best practices are and this is not one of them.
Super disappointed in your view =-( Ok, telehealth- really? Wow, doctors take an oath and they need to see the patient over a screen? This is best practices? What about all the people who are not getting care because of this craziness? Feed the fear! Do we need to waste more money on temporary hospitals? Seriously? Have you looked at the AK Airlines Center?
Mistakes are made every day, but this is totally ridiculous. How long will Americans be paying for these horrible decisions. In fact doctors have been ordered to not use certain machines, like respiratory doctors- machines are locked up. I have seen a respiratory doctor share this and Candace Owens tell a specific story which happened about a month ago. She could have died from an asthma attack because of these great covid rules! Please see response in Alaskans For Constitutional Rights.
I have to agree with FR. Dunleavy may not act as we think he should, but his emergency declarations keep the medical help coming into this state. We may not wholly agree on how he does it, but with many of the burdensome regulations demand his better choices..
I sadly have to agree 100% with Reinbold. Under Dunleavy’s unconstitutional mandates our rights to assemble, travel and pursue happiness were strangled, and continue to be so. His mandates continue to perpetuate the fear-mongering that makes people miserably afraid of this no-longer-novel virus, they enable the insane asylum that is the Anchorage Assembly, and in fact give aid and comfort to every tinpot wanna-be sanitary dictator at every level of bureaucracy.
As for the statement, “There’s not a single component of Dunleavy’s disaster declaration that hurts the private sector,” it is impossible to argue that his mandates did NOT hurt the tourism, hospitality and fishing industries. Not to mention setting up the racket of $250 tests at the airport, which is enriching *someone* and further restricts people’s freedom to travel freely. Deputy press secretary Turner’s suggestion that the newest order will “provide certainty … while avoiding any disruption to the state’s economy” is a whopper right up there with the Orwellian insistence that, somehow, “staying apart keeps us together.”
And how ridiculous is it that hospitals can’t function if we’re not in a state of emergency? If the regulations are that burdensome, change the regulations! We’ve had nearly 10 MONTHS to adjust, for crying out loud.
And the suggestion that we need an emergency order restricting our rights so that alcohol can be sold curbside??? REALLYY?!?!?
The fact that Dunleavy has not been as blatantly wicked as some other governors is entirely beside the point when deciding if his actions were correct or not. Dunleavy’s mandates were a direct assault on our constitutional freedoms. I don’t care if he was given these powers by a misguided and panic-stricken legislature. He took an oath to defend the constitutions of the US and Alaska, and instead of imposing mandates, he should have taken steps to defend us from attempts to squash our rights. Take a look at how Gov. Kristi Noem, a real leader, handled it!
There are very many of us who wholeheartedly agree that not only is it NOT extreme, but it is PAST TIME that Zink and Crum “step aside.” The damage they’ve done to this state’s communities in inestimable. And while Anchorage’s problems were not created by Dunleavy, if the governor can’t rouse himself to somehow defend those rights he swore to uphold, he should step aside as well.
There is one little line in this article which I think explains it all: the emergency order “keeps federal funds flowing into the state.”
Follow the money.
I agree.
Me too.
The biggest threat Dunleavy faces is not from the backlash of his emergency declaration, but from the Legislature that’s yet to be sworn in. And from the looks of it, there’s still an uncertainty of which way the conservative winds will blow. Will there still be the “binding caucus rule?” Will there be a shift amongst the RINO conservatives to once again stymie the Governor’s push to balance the State budget?
All variables outlined above are possible and if not taken carefully with a full grain of salt, the CCP virus mandates/lockdowns will seem like child’s play against the never-ending push for power with Alaska’s Democratic party. Just sayin …
How about printing a real story of freedom being taken away from a individual like a disabled Jewish man and a vetren was attacked in Caswell lakes and he defended himself with a firearm did not point it at anyone but the other guy shaved head and long beard and almost 10years younger gets away with throwing a rock through his back window hitting his service dog but the disabled man gets charged for 2 aggravated assault in the 3rd degree and is locked up in goose Creek prison for a month leaving him without proper medical care left in a wheelchair and denied his religious materials and then upon his release loses his home put on a GPS tracking never committed a real serious crime his entire life only 1speeding ticket in 1999 and a ticket for a tag light being out in 2005 put the state thinks he is a great threat to society why won’t this story be told especially on this vetrens day as he is a US army veteran do we or don’t we care about this kind of man who is also a ordained minister please tell me that people care about theses things because I don’t know if our freedom loving community really cares about this kind of person.
He lost me.
His reluctance to get involved in a fight for the people is deplorable.
Now the military has put a mandate on their serfs. No eating or drinking off base only on base for 30 days.
Remove all military discounts now.
What seems to be missing in this article is the governor’s capitulation to a nationwide takeover by a radical socialist agenda. This movement is seizing power throughout our once great country, through covid mandates. It remains to be seen, how they will use our bellies up, as we show the coming president that Alaskans don’t think critically, or value our God-given rights. I would guess that Senator Reinbold thinks our rights are the hill that
we need to die on if necessary
For gosh sakes, Danny, you need to step back and give Lora credit for passionately expecting consistent conservatism from Big Mike rather than the squishy, milquetoast acquiescence that we’d observed when he failed to have the renegade legislators who’d refused to convene in Wasilla arrested, when he caved in and backed away from slashing the budget as he’d proposed, when he went silent on paying full dividends as well as the amounts we’d been cheated out of by the Walker cabal, and when he failed to demonstrate the same sort of backbone that we’ve seen Florida’s Governor DeSantis show with this Covid nonsense.
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You might not like her style as much as you’ve enjoyed the styles of lefties Berkowitz and Palin, both of whom you’ve repeatedly expressed admiration for, but you have to admit that she’s been nothing less than resolute in standing by conservative principles.
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Moreover in looking down the road, it’s imperative that Team R get some succession planning underway immediately for several key seats and we need a Governor who’s willing to reach across the aisle to break some noses rather than to some shake hands and try to meet delusional, intransigent parasites in the “middle” which keeps moving further to the left.
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I’d gladly support Lora in a run at the Governor’s office given what I’ve seen from Mr. Dunleavy every bit as much as I’d support Mike Shower or Shelly Hughes in runs at higher office.
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With no disrespect intended toward the current Governor at all who’s clearly a likeable fellow with good intentions, we need better and more serious fighters on our team.
Yes! Well said.
Agreed
I am with Lora, to heck with AWOL Mike! I will never vote for him again.
She’s a good one:)
Still think Joe was right.
Just so all of you know, there are a whole bunch of Republicans that agree with the Governor than you might want to think. He just survived a recall and has the highest rating of any politician in AK. Coming from someone who isn’t known for playing well with others.
I agree..
Judy many are in Juneau to play but Senator Reinbold is NOT one of them. She is there to fulfill her oath to the constitution – a very serious commitment!!
Do you support…comm…comm….common core? Every student must answer the same way to be right. Parents nor teachers get to assess most tests: they are secretive and private yet have a large impact on a student’s future. Where is creativity and variance for individual thought and freedom of opinion? Also, didn’t Dunleavy pay you $75,000 for education improvement contract per an article by Jeff Landfield on August 13, 2019? Who thinks there has been improvement in education this last year?
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