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Alaska Voters Punished Murkowski for Not Being Angry, Hostile Enough

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You primary contention that that "Members of a bitterly divided and hostile Congress are being punished for not being angry and hostile enough." shows that you do not understand what is goign through the minds of voters like me. We are not out to punish anyone because they are not angry like us. We arer out to hold those who represent us accountable for their actions while in office.
Those in power often tell us that we have no one to blame but ourselves. If we do not like what our government is doing we are to express it at the ballot box. I am excited to see that this is what is happening. It appears that those in power are not as excited as I

Mark Tuttle of PA 8:36AM September 02, 2010

You wrote: "I suppose you think the so called "evidence" in prairiepundit and lying tea party propaganda trumps the non-partisan, Ph.D economists at the Commerce Department"
At this point, I'm prepared to go "prairie pundit" especially considering that our current reality is direct result based on the Kensian economic advice from credentialed experts.
Oh, by the way, the liberal left and the Democrat party's finger pointing at Bush is immature and weak. By the way, Steve, you can't drive a car by looking in the rear view mirror.
Obama believed he could drive the care and we, the electorate let him. It's akin to the bartender, giving a blithering drunk car keys to drive sober people home. It's funny because we, the sober people, who ride in the car react in horror and are surprised that our inebriated driver is all over the road. Not only that, but he's in the ditch, plowing into parked cars, going down one way streets, blowing stop signs, and ignoring speed limits.
And Congress like a battalion of keystone cops, haven't a clue. Some of them want to enforce the law, others want to look the other way, other believe the driver is a functioning alcoholic despite this blood alcohol being off the charts, others say the drunk deserves the freedom to drive as he pleases, others say he's not really drunk and that everyone has perception problems, others say the drunk is misunderstood, and others want to go and arrest the bar tender, the beer distributor, or worse, the farmer that grew the hops and barely and charge them for getting our driver drunk.
Bush and his policies, while seemingly unpopular, would at the very least, be a vastly welcome change to the trillions of wasted tax payer dollars and a repeal of Obama's railroaded health care bill.
But really, why blame Bush? Obama thought he could do something better otherwise why run for public office. In fact, he stood in front of his teleprompter and vowed that he would. But now, almost two years/half way through his presidency and he still blames Bush?!
Apparently, Obama or his handlers, failed to learn the greatest lesson in life, a lesson, incidently, that all good fathers teach their young sons: Be accountable and take responsibility for what you do.
Now, "We the People" have two options. We can take your approach, Steve, and blame the person in the rearview mirror OR we can accept our portion of the blame, acknowledge we, the electorate, failed in our due dilligence when we made and emotional purchase and discover it doesn't live up to it's billing. Accept our collective buyer remorse/dissonance with an understanding that there is no return policy and thus we take responsibility and collectively move foreward having keenly learned our lesson and make changes. Of the two options, this option is the mature and responsible thing to do.

david of ID 3:56AM September 02, 2010

There was obviously more at play in this primary than an endorsement from former Governor Palin. While it was an effective tool for bringing attention to Joe Miller's campaign, the truth of the matter is found at the grass roots level in Alaska.
Senator Murkowski, through her stubborn, one sided support of S.881 - Sealaska's Land Grab Bill, betrayed the trust of her voting constituents. Estimates put the population of the eight Southeast Alaska towns that signed on together in opposition to the Senator's special interest legislation at 1200. Everyone in one Southeast community of former Murkowski supporters voted against her this year...everyone. Many of those voters have family living in other parts of Alaska who also felt betrayed. This seemingly small, inconsequential group that was so casually disregarded by the Senator and her staff easily represents the votes she needed to win.
Senator Murkowski could have won this election by doing one simple thing ...sincerely listening to the heartfelt petitions of those living and working in Southeast Alaska whose livelihoods where going to be destroyed by her destructive bill. Betrayal and survival are strong motivators. Senator Murkowski waited too late to realize she needed us, too.

Myla Poelstra of AK 3:50AM September 02, 2010

The political writers draw blanks when Alaskans tell them that Senator Murkowski's defeat had a lot of to do with her support of Senate Bill S 881, known as the Sealaska Land Grab Bill.
It would have privatized 133 square miles of the Tongass National Forest harming a large number of small business persons like commercial fishing boats, lodges, towns, and guides.
Only one political reporter has taken the time to understand how this was a factor which cost her the election by taking away the margin of support for Joe Miller by which he won. He won by the way with 31% of the voters voting.
Please look into S 881 and make sure it is not prepackaged and sold as an Omnibus Lands bill which 56 members of the House have written to Senator Bingaman that they oppose happening.

ma baker of AK 3:43AM September 02, 2010

As a long time Alaskan, I must comment. The media credits Miller's win to the abortion parental consent issue, Palin's endorsement of Mr. Miller, and Lisa's failure to launch a hard-hitting campaign. But for me and many others it was none of the above. Instead it was her sponsorship of S881 - The SEALASKA lands bill and her failure to listen to her constituency regarding the bill. The legislation was crafted behind closed doors with hand-picked individuals that did not represent those most affected. It was a huge give away of a public resource to a private corporation. Only under great pressure did she send a couple of her aids to SE Alaska for "listening" sessions but that's all they were. Listening, with no real action. She came out with a revised bill that in many ways was worse than the original yet she tried to spin it as a great compromise. The public did not buy it. On her own admission she definitely did not realize the level of opposition she would encounter, from traditional Republican groups like the Alaska Outdoor Council and Territorial Sportsmen to many, many residents of Prince of Wales Island - a pro-logging stronghold which is much of what the bill was about. And even though she got the endorsement of United Fishermen of Alaska many SE commercial fishermen were extremely disillusioned with her. Who would've thunk? Well -the voters- and now its history. Let this be a lesson to all politicians - don't get too cozy with private corporations. And don't talk in circles with spin and rhetoric...the public isn't as dumb as you might think.

Viapops of AK 1:00AM September 02, 2010

I'll worry about your smears if you are not erased, as usual, and you provide link.
Steve the educated. King of the ERASED...
Steve's lie:
"Bill, Stop Lying. Obama isn't stealing a trillion from Medicare. More Tea Party Lies!!"
What I really said:
"Stealing a $ trillion from medicare and other social problems, as well as pushing off numbers to Sates only federal financial help for a few years. Still does not balance obamacare counting 6 years of care in 10 years period."

Bill Hedges of MO 10:39PM September 01, 2010

Nice way to address the BEA report Bill. I suppose you think the so called "evidence" in prairiepundit and lying tea party propaganda trumps the non-partisan, Ph.D economists at the Commerce Department. How pathetic. It's clear that either you never saw the inside of an institution of higher education or you're a deliberate paid shill for the GOP/Tea Party propaganda machine. Either way you're doing more harm than good. How do you expect to solve the unemployment, healthcare, financial crisis we're now in? You obviously favor the very same policies that got us into this mess!! Bush failed Bill. Get over it. The BEA also shows that real revenue growth under Bush was actually NEGATIVE over the eight years he was in office. I'll find the link later. You really need to get a clue. You are listening to the stupidest people imaginable. Too bad!!

steve of IL 9:49PM September 01, 2010

The crown fell in Ma and polls look good. 1922 record breaker possible for new Republicans in Congress. Expect you will have excuse for all your loses. Then and since. And November.
obamacare awaits after next Presidential election to go into full force. Why when GREAT SAVINGS will result. SAVE SO MANY LIVES. Stealing a $ trillion from medicare and other social problems, as well as pushing off numbers to Sates only federal financial help for a few years. Still does not balance obamacare counting 6 years of care in 10 years period.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
"The Massachusetts health care fiasco"
"President Obama said earlier this year that the health-care bill that Congress passed three months ago is "essentially identical" to the Massachusetts universal coverage plan that then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed into law in 2006. No one but Mr. Romney disagrees."
“As events are now unfolding, the Massachusetts plan couldn't be a more damning indictment of ObamaCare. The state's universal health-care prototype is growing more dysfunctional by the day, which is the inevitable result of a health system dominated by politics.”
http://prairiepundit.blogspot.com/2010/07/massachusetts-health-care-fiasco.html
Naturally you dismiss my links but not the evidence. Inability on your part…
In your mind stimulus was a success. Polls like hate near every move barry makes. Of course Republicans make them do it. Not Democrat’s actions. We should have made public vote McCain into office.
Enjoy November. 2 thanksgivings this year.

Bill Hedges of MO 9:32PM September 01, 2010

Its amazing that we want angry and aggressive people in congress instead of intelligent, compassionate, and self aware. Whats wrong with the GOP now is they are the NO party and if you put someone like Miller into office the GOP will have another 18th century outlook on what our country should look like. Obama is cleaning up messes that he didn't create and the GOP has been doing nothing but sceaming doom and gloom for almost 2 strait years. Its time to work together and get rid of party lines.

Rich of AK 9:25PM September 01, 2010

Had Brown faced a strong, hard campaigning and well funded Democratic candidate he would have been trounced. This didn't happen. By the way, when Mitt Romney was governor he signed a state health care bill that was much like Obamacare and its proposed public option. The voters seem to support the idea of health care reform.
Big government isn't so big. Government consumption expenditures seem to be declining since the second quarter of '09 when the stimulus began to spur an output recovery. It has risen significantly this last quarter due to "automatic stabilizers" needed to handle the unemployed and to meet other needs. According to the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis, the stimulus is working. Gross Fixed Non-residential Investment (GFNI) has increased steadily over the first two quarters of this year, by 7.8% in the first quarter and 17.6% in the second quarter after plummeting dramatically since the start of the recession at the end of 2007 and all through 2008 and early 2009. Net exports have also increased dramatically since the turnaround in mid-2009 after declining during Bush's last term. Personal consumption expenditures, particularly for consumer durables, have been stable after a modest recovery last year and GDP growth has been good although the rate of increase has slowed over the past two quarters. The BEA statistics show the stimulus is working. No wonder so many non-partisan economists support the stimulus and confirm its success.
http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/TableView.asp?SelectedTable=1&ViewSeries=NO&Java=no&Request3Place=N&3Place=N&FromView=YES&Freq=Qtr&FirstYear=2008&LastYear=2010&3Place=N&Update=Update&JavaBox=no

steve of IL 8:57PM September 01, 2010