Sorry, not sorry: Rasmussen decides PongGate needs more publicity legs

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Perhaps Sen. Lora Reinbold is getting too much attention. While House Finance members are wrestling with billions of dollars of state spending decisions, and a session that appears to be primed to move into a Special Session in June, House Rep. Sara Rasmussen wants to make sure the public sees her mug.

Not just any mug, but the specialty beverage mug with the words: “PantsGate” and “PongGate.”

During the Finance meeting on Monday, Rasmussen displayed her new mug prominently for the legislative cameras.

To make sure no one missed it, she then posed on the Capitol stairwell with her mug, again, with the words showing for the camera, and a “busy mom” message.

Rasmussen, who has been the center of controversy since arriving in Juneau this year, is using her past stumbles as a publicity stunt in the Capitol.

The mug refers to a joke that Rep. Zack Fields had made about Rasmussen’s body on the House floor, a joke that is now part of the official record of Alaska history.

That was the PantsGate part, in reference to Fields saying he was buying her a pair of sweatpants to cover up what he perceives as a traffic hazard: Her body.

After that incident in February, Rasmussen gave an emotional statement on the House floor about needing to be respected for her intellect and that she wants to be a role model for all people, including her children.

[Read: Fields apologizes, Rasmussen chokes back tears over sexist remarks]

The PongGate part of the mug refers to a beer party she and others legislators had on Capitol grounds, during which they invited select members of the public, and left a big mess for janitors.

[Read: Pong gate: Capitol party central update]

[Read: Beer pong, leg wrestling, and a terse memo from Legislative Affairs to clean up]

After her participation in the party, she gave an apology on the House floor for her bad judgment, but also said it was no big deal.

It appears it was all theater.

Former legislators, and some current ones, say they feel Rasmussen is disrespecting the institution and advised that she should not add “MugGate 04-23-6-2021” to the list of embarrassments that are associated with her service to the people of Alaska.

20 COMMENTS

  1. Children, all children. The state wallows in budgetary impasse and all the children do is play games and brag about their dysfunction. You know, Nero was not that bad of Emperor and just got a bad rap compared to these people.

  2. Shouldn’t it more properly be a beer stein? Somewhere around there in the capitol there’s probably a Corrupt Bastards Club hat for her to wear to go with her mug.

  3. She probably purchased that custom mug using some of that excess(ive) per-diem money that they are all now drawing because they couldn’t get the job done in the voter mandated 90 day session (even though they seem to have time to party like it’s 1989)… but don’t you average AK residents even dare to ask for a full (per statute) PFD… because we (the state) just can’t afford it…

  4. Rep. Rasmussen now needs to donate to Must Read Alaska for publicizing this dumb publicity stunt for herself.

  5. It was enough liberals had enough of Fields sexism forcing an apology out of him while Janitors and security tapes caught the group’s evil. The public humilation on them, their spouse, and children is Fair enough, since they never been disciplined, since the beginning of territory days the peoples never wanted nor expected Drunks to lead over the last frontier.
    No wonder Alaska has sexual assualt and addiction problems when people remember the legislators did besides attend committees they are drunks themselves!

  6. It appears that children, not adults have been elected to office. They are not really ready to take seriously their responsibility nor their apologies. I would pray their constituencies have learned a lesson from this!!

  7. For ALL your childish antics and the stalling … Why don’t you use your energies to getting back to the budget and legislation at hand.. Since You have gone pass the 90 day session, you need to suck it up and get back to work.
    We are getting sick of your RINO activities. You are not supporting your constituents that voted you in.. RINO!!.

  8. Looks like she’s seeking a divorce… These are not the antics of someone who wants to stay married, and they are not the antics of anyone who wants to look like a leader, let alone an adult. Shut up and get to work – show your constituents that it was worth their time to have voted for you.

  9. I hope Alaska remembers our young people have not been taught to love the country or the Constitution. It’s not possible for them to have the strength of character needed to serve. Has the person handled the maintenance of family responsibility for years? Juneau is the wrong choice for a capitol.

  10. The Governor needs to call a special session in the Valley, this time hold it in the open at Wasilla Lake so we can drive by and throw tomatoes and rotten eggs at them as we drive by. Maybe then it would get through their over inflated egos what we really think of them…………………ALL of THEM minus Lora Reinbold.

  11. So is this the sophomoric waste of time you assign your staff to, Sara? Taking pictures of you being ignorant. How much did it cost the taxpayers for a state worker to take your picture, instead of doing something meaningful for the citizens of Alaska, who pay them?

  12. The Beach Boys said it best: “Fun-fun-fun……….. until hubby takes offense at your mistakes, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah…….” #3strikesandyouareout #andhubbycallsthelawyer

  13. This nerdy-looking Zack seems to revel that he can be a pretend jock and get away with sexist comments because he is a nerdy-looking Democrat. Operative word: pretend.

  14. When Republican men objectify attractive women they are called…..predators. When Democrat men do it they are called ……. friends.
    Guys like Fields can Indian leg-wrestle with Rasmussen during off hours because that’s what friends are for.

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