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Palin Jumps On Begich-Should-Resign Bandwagon
Looks like Sarah Palin agrees with the Alaska GOP:
The Anchorage Daily News reports:
Gov. Sarah Palin and the head of the Alaska Republican Party said Thursday that Sen. Mark Begich should give his Senate seat up to a special election now that prosecutors have abandoned their case against Ted Stevens. "Alaskans deserve to have a fair election not tainted by some announcement that one of the candidates was convicted fairly of seven felonies, when in fact it wasn't a fair conviction," Palin said in a Thursday interview with the Daily News.
Yesterday, Alaska GOP chair Randy Ruedrich called for Sen. Mark Begich to step down, and for a special election to be called, in light of the Justice Department's decision to drop the charges against Ted Stevens, who Begich, a Democrat, narrowly beat last fall in the U.S. Senate race.
Begich responded with a statement saying he'd be sticking around, thank you very much.
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Josh
Zachary
Stevens is not INNOCENT. There was ample evidence that this man accepted10s of thousands of dollars in "gifts". The fact that the prosecution screwed up does not mean that he did not deserve to be found guilty.
Begich was elected in a fair election and there is no reason for him to resign so that PaPa Bear can come back for more earmarks.
April 3, 2009 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Like it or not, in the eyes of the law, now that the charges have been dropped, Stevens is innocent, is he not?
April 3, 2009 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not at all.
He was "presumed innocent" for the purposes of the trial. He was convicted. The government has decided to drop the charges.
If there is no trial, there is no need for the presumption of innocence. The evidence presented is pretty compelling that he did not report gifts he should have reported, whether or not he engaged in other corrupt activities.
He's clearly not innocent in any sense of the term in this context.
April 3, 2009 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
innocent as in "not found guilty"? let us call it "OJ Simpson kind of innocent".
innocent like "innocent maiden"? you surely jest.
Quite undistputed facts are that Stevens benefited from unreported generosity of a friend in an amount exceeding 100,000 bucks. Or in that ballpark. Which is highly improper, and about which voters should know.
I understand that to prove a crime one has to prove that Stevens was aware of the situation. Which he did not have to be, on the account of being stupid, or clueless, or senile etc. I do not see how any of numerous possible legal defenses would make him arguably qualified to be a Senator.
April 5, 2009 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palin called for him to resign. As usual, she's now trying to get in his good graces again. She is a real chameleon who cannot be trusted!!!
April 3, 2009 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Except she's the hilarious kind of chameleon which is always turning the absolute wrong color for the situation.
April 3, 2009 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Would Steven even run? I'm sure Holder did his due diligence to make sure Stevens didn't just pull something like this.
Which means its NOT Stevens who's behing the "Begich Resign" utter stupidity. This is all a ploy for getting Sarah to the Senate w/o having to challenge a sitting Republican Senator.
April 3, 2009 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure Holder didn't do any such "due diligence". Looking into the political consequences of DoJ decisions was the specialty of the previous administration, and I hope we've moved away from that.
April 3, 2009 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good for Begich.
He appears to have kept his cool and doesn't appear to be worried about what the Republicans want or are trying to invent an issue about.
More Democrats like that are needed in Washington.
It is interesting that after all the Republican claims of voter fraud, and the firing of US Attorneys for failing to bring charges against Democrats in order to affect the outcome of elections, that the Republicans are now complaining about Republiocans bringing charges against a Republican and possibly affecting the outcome of an election.
.
April 3, 2009 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I second that.
The GOP certainly has chutzpah.
If the Democrats could take this kind of in-your-face approach towards, say, Norm Coleman, ole Norm would have been gone a long time ago. I doubt the GOP Noise Machine would have put up with Al Franken losing and dragging that out half a year. They never would have shut up about it. There would be angry mobs and death threats.
Now, one reason Repugs are so brazen is because they are shameless assholes. So Democrats don't necessarily do 'Machiavelli' as well as, say, Caribou Barbie (who one gets the odd sense could slit her own sleeping mother's throat without emotion). But a little more bareknuckles politics is called for, especially when the opponent is a totally ruthless scumbag.
April 3, 2009 10:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
In addition to the BushCo botchery, one of the considerations Holder made was Stevens's age. Holder thought that 85 was too old to start a prison sentence.
Why not apply that standard to Senate seats?
April 3, 2009 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
IIRC, it was Stevens who wanted the trial before the election.
The maverick reformer cozies up to the disgraced, corrupted old fart when she sees a possible avenue to the US Senate. Mavericky! You betcha! Also.
April 3, 2009 10:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is a marvelous irony that the Republicans believe that a case dismissed because of prosecutorial misconduct is equivalent to a declaration of innocence. Aren't these the same guys who think that criminals shouldn't get off because of such "technicalities" as police misconduct and evidence from an illegal search?
April 3, 2009 10:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hypocrisy is the Republican brand.
April 3, 2009 10:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yup, yup, so using their logic, doesn't that mean Bill Ayers is innocent too? IF yes, that means he should sue them for libel, for calling him a terrorist and causing him financial losses from canceled speeches, etc. due to their "distortion" of the facts.
April 3, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do over election? How about a do over trail!
April 3, 2009 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
I remember this moronic trollop running as fast as she could away from Stevens during the election. What’s next a do over in the last Presidential election?
April 3, 2009 10:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe just maybe the people of Alaska voted for Begich based on other issues. So based on Palin's infantile logic, Sen. Vitter should resign because he loves diaper play with hookers
April 3, 2009 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is getting way out of hand. Every time a repuglican can't get what he thinks he/she deserves, be it a seat in Congress (3 now) or their budget proposal over the majority, they demand a do-over. Why doesn't someone ask them point blank and in front of the MSM where in the Constitution does it say they are entitled to one?
April 3, 2009 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Has anyone noticed that since her 15 minutes of fame got way overextended, Palin is not aging well... as if too much stress, flying, lying, and trying to keep the whole facade up is eating away at her physically? It says here this does not end well, that the more haggard she looks the more pathetic the eventual denouement.
April 3, 2009 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone can be made to look really good with a full time stylist and a $150,000 wardrobe. Look at pictures before she came on the national scene. She looked the same as she does now.
April 3, 2009 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is the Republican party that they should rule over Alaska and have a Senator's house renovated for free, their governor paid spurious household expenses? The Rapacious Party. Repugnant Party. Pity Party.
Party of Creepy Old Men. The Cacophage Party.
April 3, 2009 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
To paraphrase John Cole at Balloon Juice. Gary Condit says you can suck his balls you Rethuglican hypocrites.
April 3, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you get a look at Palin's expression in the picture? Hmmm.
It is just the same ole' tired republican tactics. Most of them yell that it is a conspiracy by the democrats.
I am really tired of the corruption period. There are a great number of good honest politicians. But, it is true one bad apple can taint the whole bunch. The more corruption, the greater the apathy of the American people.
April 3, 2009 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Has it gone unnoticed? What do Republicans do whenever they DO NOT want to do something?
They screw it up on purpose.
Cases in point:
1. SEC enforcement.
Don't want to do that. We see a reign of almost comical incompetence... or stupidity on purpose as a cover for facilitating Wall Street fraud.
2. Katirna.
Don't want to do that. Rescue and aid poor people (read code for African Americans). Brownie, screw it up and then say you are sorry... sort of.
3. Prosecute Ted.
Don't want to do that. Bush cronies tried their hardest to drag it out and quash it. Then as the clock was running down and the likely hood of an incoming Democrat might aggressively or COMPETENTLY prosecute Ted... the prosecutors screw up to Cox at SEC proportions. Almost comical screw ups... or incompetence on purpose?
Holder did not say there was not evidence to prosecute Ted. He said prosecutors screwed it up so bad he could not prosecute Ted... NOW. Remember prosecutors in contempt of the judge and screwing up constantly?
April 3, 2009 1:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like Don Young's idea
Stevens should run for Governor
April 3, 2009 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly, they're NOT friends with Palin. Don Young wants Stevens to run against Palin if she were to run for re-election as governor.
April 3, 2009 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
By this logic... George Bush should have resigned and we should have gotten a 'do-over' election once it became clear that Iraq had no WMD and wasn't linked to 9/11 (yes, I know that the latter was ALWAYS clear to anyone paying attention- but in the 'court of public opinion' they tried to link it).
April 3, 2009 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oooh... I think we should look for more historical parallels to this 'logic'.
Nixon gets a do-over once the public realizes there is no 'missile gap' with the Soviets.
A Jimmy Carter do-over once it's revealed Reagan's folks payed the Iranians to keep the hostages through the election.
Dukakis gets a do-over when Bush breaks hi 'no new taxes' pledge.
Gee, this is fun.
April 3, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
1) Stevens is as innocent as OJ.
2) Begich can offer to +consider+ another election as soon as the GOP agrees to seat Al Franken.
April 3, 2009 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Stevens is guilty as hell. This "technicality" that he got off on doesn't change that fact but Palin goes by the axiom that 'you gotta catch me first' rather than any right or wrong axiom. The idea of 'integrity' never even enters the picture here.
I only have two words to say to Eric Holder on his actions here on trying to maintain integrity....
"Don Siegleman"
Talk about prosecutors corrupting their power and a total miscarriage of justice where the victim is not guilty of anything and being harshly treated to the point of abuse. Why Stevens when Holder's attention should have been focused on the ex Gov of Alabama (who lost his reelection due to fraud and cheating by repubs) who deserves immediate legal attention. No one "shackled" Stevens and put him in solitary confinement with a gag rule just to be mean. Just to abuse for fun. A corrupt bastard walks due to improper prosecution tactics and an innocent victimized man is jailed for the same reason. Let's see some "real" justice. Free Don Siegleman.
April 3, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
We can hope that is coming soon. But I'm not sure that Siegleman is innocent even though I think he did not get justice.
April 3, 2009 5:43 PM | Reply | Permalink