Posted on 11/05/2008 3:04:54 AM PST by lewisglad
Right Pundits is calling a surprising winner in the Alaska Senate race, incumbent Senator Ted Stevens over Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. Stevens leads by enough votes in today’s count to overcome any deviation from the absentee ballots which are yet to be counted.
To outsiders in the lower 48 states, we have difficulty understanding the result. How can a convicted felon be reelected to office in a year which favors Democrats? The guy was just found guilty of corruption, lying about seven provisions of the Ethics in Government Act. No brainer.
The answer is Sarah Palin. So while liberals in the media savaged her, Alaskans flocked to the polls to vote for their native daughter and John McCain on November 4th. They like their governor and they are angry at Democrats for savaging their leader.
They took out their wrath on Mark Begich. She had undeniable coattails, and Ted Stevens was the beneficiary of them to the chagrin of Democrats in Alaska and everywhere.
It is unclear if Ted Stevens will be able to serve in the Senate. Unless the conviction is overturned on appeal, he faces certain expulsion from the partisan Democrat Senate. If he cannot serve, Sarah Palin will ironically appoint his successor, enacting another pound of flesh on the Democrats. Politics is so interesting.
As I say, since there are no more rules, I’d like Sarah to nominate me to replace Stevens. Since senators live in Washington anyway, who cares if I’m from Ohio?
Somehow I don't think Ben Stevens would cut it.
I don't think he'll serve one day of his new term in the Senate. There are will be enough Republicans including Mitch McConnel who will go along with DemocRATS to refuse to seat him in the Senate. After Murkowski appointed his own daughter to fill the vacancy caused by his election as Governor of Alaska, the laws have been changed to not allow the governor to fill vacancies in US Senate seats but have a special election.
It was stupid the first time you said it.
I’d like Sarah to nominate me to replace Stevens. Since senators live in Washington anyway, who cares if I’m from Ohio?
Alaskans care.
A question for anyone who knows:
If Stevens is re-elected and then is expelled or forced to resign from the Senate, does Sarah get to appoint his successor? Or is there a special election?
Alaska gets it! Mark and his hollyweird buddies lost!
Sarah could appoint herself as sitting US Senator, although I think she would probably like to run for the office and win.
Bad idea. A governor in Minnesota (Lowell Anderson) did that back in the 70's: he resigned, and his Lt. Governor succeeded him -- then appointed him to the Senate.
In the next election, the resulting outrage swept the opposite party into the Governor office and both Senate seats.
Todd Palin for interim senator and Sarah for the full six year term.
We voted for Stevens to save the seat for the Governor to appoint another conservative Republican. We wished that he would have resigned, but he didn’t. We just got tired of doing the right thing and then being punished for it.
If Stevens is pardoned it is like having a crime expunged from your record .
That might be the explanation, but if I were an Alaska voter, my explanation would be a little more calculated. Stevens is not going to make it thru 6 years. Palin will appoint his successor, and whoever it is will be a conservative Republican—possibly Palin herself.
But could that stop the power mad Rats from censuring him under Senate procedure?
He needs to resign and Sarah can take is seat in a special election, this will keep her in the spotlight for the next four years.
The best part of the whole election night was seeing Stevens win.
God bless Sarah Palin!
“Bush can give him a pardon on the way out just to shove it in the Rat’s faces.”
Right, and give the Republicans a big black eye. We don’t need to further degrade our reputation.
Ah, Murkowski, the “gift” that keeps on giving.
I would guess that if Alaska would elect Ted Stevens, they would have no problem voting in a new Republican Senator in a special election.
And for filibuster purposes, it doesn’t matter if you have a senator, it just matters that they other side doesn’t. You don’t need any votes, the other side needs 60.
“That might be the explanation, but if I were an Alaska voter, my explanation would be a little more calculated. Stevens is not going to make it thru 6 years. Palin will appoint his successor, and whoever it is will be a conservative Republican—possibly Palin herself.”
John Fund said on Fox and Friends today he thinks they did just that. He says he believes they voted “for the seat not the man”. Interesting.
Alaskans didn’t vote for Ted Stevens - they voted for a Republican. They want a Republican representing them in the Senate. They’ll get one whether or not Stevens is expelled or resigns.
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