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Uncle Ted Draws A Challenger
Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) problems continue to multiply. The Democratic mayor of Anchorage Mark Begich will throw his hat in the ring today, and initial polls already show him leading.
From Stevens, you can expect much of what voters have been hearing from Rep. Don Young (R-AK): repeated reminders of how much pork the legendary earmarker has brought back to the state -- and how many millions are still to come.
As a kind of preview of those tributes to the earmark, the senators' office has released a galvanizing series of videos titled "What Are Earmarks?"
To Stevens, the virtue of the earmark is incontestable. In this video, for instance, Stevens proclaims that "I don't think the President was looking at Alaska when he said he wanted to reduce [earmarks by] 50%." Surely not!
Of course, Alaska is long the reigning and undisputed champion of the earmark. A database of this year's spending bills by Taxpayers for Common Sense showed that Alaska (even with two of its three lawmakers under investigation) led the states in earmark spending per capita. $346,073,350 in earmarks for 683,478 residents put that per capita spending at $506.34 -- drubbing the second highest spending state per capita, Hawaii, more than two to one.
You can understand Uncle Ted's chagrin that Alaskans would even consider biting the hand that feeds them.
Comments (6)
Good news..and I love that the challenger is leading already..must piss off ol Uncle Ted ;)
February 27, 2008 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does Don Young have a challenger too?
February 27, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, he has at least three challengers, two Democrats and one Republican so far.
February 27, 2008 10:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dogged by real estate commissions and other non disclosure issue with local property developer company. Who are the players?
1. Same property developers that Ted Stevens owned commercial real estate in Anchorage
2.Same Property developers that Ted Stevens had Federal agencies such as NPS/ MMS/ FAA/ Native Corporation (no bid defense contract winners) move into commercial properties Ted Stevens had a financial interest in.
Business partners running again each other- won't be muck back and forth. TPMers who are dying for muckyness won't get it
February 27, 2008 11:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska is long the reigning and undisputed champion of the earmark.
And properly so!
Why, Alaskans will all tell you that by the act of moving up there they became the sole owners of everything found in the ground. Earmarks are only a small recognition of their generosity in allowing the rest of us to enjoy a little bit of their God-given inheritance.
February 28, 2008 5:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Geez Ellen,
That is a pretty broad brush to paint all of us Alaskans with. I do believe I have an inheritance and I work to ensure that it is here for my kid and his kids. The inheritance is open space, wildlife and intact eco-systems.
Not all of us are pleased with the job that our delegation has been doing. Many of us are like you, and I am hoping a majority, are disgusted. This process of earmarking is wrong and certainly needs a revising. But, I ask you to look around your community and identify how much is built with federal dollars. Airport, roads, infrastructure that makes the economy run. We don't have an infrastructure here. We have many basic needs that haven't been addressed. Many of our villages have water and sewers that are third world. Stevens has done much to solve this issue and many others here. He also has sold out many Alaskans to greedy corporations and is corrupted by the power he has. I have never voted for him.
You can knock the politicians, but please don't lump me in with them.
February 28, 2008 1:11 PM | Reply | Permalink