I have been a Republican for 50 years, spending about half of that time in public office. My service included four years in the Alaska House of Representative and 20 in the Senate, during which I served as House majority leader, Senate majority leader, and Senate president. I concluded my time in public office as Republican National Committeeman. As a legislator, I got to know Bill Walker, both as a strong advocate for an LNG project and as a municipal leader.[...]
Political parties change with leaders, times and interests. We all know that Alaska’s Republican Party has had a tumultuous decade. Now Bill Walker has had to step out of his party and join with an articulate, experienced, dedicated long-term Democratic leader, Byron Mallott, in order to bring some sense of balance to years of disjointed leadership.
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Alaska has spent over $1 billion on mega-project dreams in recent years. Some of the projects are mutually exclusive, most of the money is gone and nothing is done. Short-term constituent pressures produce too many yes votes without tough choices. Real leaders will be transparent with the public about the details and make decisions based on objective economic criteria. Alaska needs decisions -- not another decade of plans and another $1 billion in wasted public funds.
Social issues tend to be defining points for single issue voters, but in my decades of political interaction, legislative and gubernatorial campaign promises have had almost no real impact on long-term outcomes. Neither a pro-life governor nor a pro-choice lieutenant governor will trump the federal government and the U.S. Supreme Court on gender, marriage or pregnancy.
Democrats start talking and doing like this in South Carolina and GOPe RINOs will be gone from here in no time flat.
Main deal in this election is getting rid of Mark Begich one last time for good; and I thought photo radar was the last of him in 97, ha. Them filthy politicians have a way of recycling themselves, no matter what they get caught doing. Vic Kohring was even back at it after he did his time in the big house.
I was just naturally going to vote for Parnell, but if Palin says Walker, that's how my family will vote. Ya know, up here, every political is in the oil companies back pocket, even all the dems.
My biggest regret is when Palin resigned from being our Governor; she had much more to accomplish up here and people like her don't come along but every 50 years or so.