Forget Kansas, What The Hell's Wrong With Alaska?

The case being made that the Senate and House election results in Alaska were tampered with looks really credible. Don Young, who hasn't been indicted or convicted yet, confounded every single poll and is about to be declared the winner of Alaska's at-large House seat. The Stevens-Begich race still hasn't been called yet but Stevens-- also confounded all the polls (like every single one)-- is out ahead. As of last night, with 60,000 more votes to count, Stevens was 3,257 votes ahead. Shannyn Moore is more than suspicious:

Four years ago, 313,592 out of 474,740 registered voters in Alaska participated in the election-a 66% turnout. Taking into account 49,000 outstanding ballots, on Tuesday 272,633 out of 495,731 registered Alaskans showed up at the polls; a turnout of 54.9%. That’s a decrease of more than 11% in voter turnout even though passions ran high for and against Barack Obama, as well as for and against Sarah Palin! This year, early voters set a new record. As of last Thursday, with 4 days left to vote early, 15,000 Alaskans showed up-shattering the old record set in 2004 by 28%! Consider the most popular governor in history-and now the most polarizing-was on the Republican ticket. Consider the historic nature of this race; the first African American presidential candidate EVER! The second woman to ever make a presidential ticket; and she’s one of our own. Despite that, we’re supposed to believe that overall participation DECREASED by 11%. Not only that, but this historic election both nationally and for Alaska HAD THE LOWEST ALASKA TURNOUT FOR A PRESIDENTIAL RACE EVER!!! That makes sense.

If Stevens defeats Begich, he will be the first convicted felon to be re-elected to the Senate, a new milestone for the institution. The furthest right member of the Senate, South Carolina's Jim DeMint, is demanding that the Miss McConnell expel Stevens from the Republican caucus... now. What will Dan Inouye say!




UPDATE: PALIN

How could we leave her out of a "What's The Matter With Alaska" post? Well... we're sick of her and her brood and the smarminess of all things Palin. So we'll leave it to David Letterman:

Top Ten New Revelations About Sarah Palin

10. Thinks Fox News may still declare her and John McCain the winner
9. At her wedding instead of "I do," said, "You betcha!"
8. She and Governor Schwarzenegger once exchanged swimsuit-competition posing tips
7. Prepared for campaign by watching Legally Blonde 2
6. Thinks "NAFTA" stands for "Need Another Fifty Thousand for Accessories"
5. Begins every day by reading a passage from the hilarious Late Show Fun Facts book available everywhere
4. She's a person of interest in five unsolved snow machine hit-and-runs
3. Abused position as Governor to get free appetizers at Anchorage Applebee's
2. Already has a new job as Briefcase Babe #12 on Deal Or No Deal
1. Her Secret Service code name was "Huh?"

Top Ten Extras

11. Secretly voted for Obama so she wouldn't have to learn all of that vice-president stuff
12. She's been hired to play Tammy the conniving librarian on Desperate Housewives
13. Saved 30% on her dogsled insurance by switching to Geico
14. Offered McCain the concession speech she gave after losing the Miss Alaska pageant
15. In high school yearbook, was voted "Most Likely to Bring Down a Presidential Campaign"
16. Wishes she'd said, "Thanks but no thanks" on that campaign to nowhere

And remember, it wasn't really about poor dull Sarah and her trashy beautiful family; it was always, always, always about the judgment of the man who thrust her into the national consciousness for his own perceived gain:

More On Alaska's Political Cesspool-- Athough Not About Any Palins This Time

Quick, someone get the lipstick!

Last night I did a quickie poll over at Kos asking who people who most like to lose their congressional seat. Alaska crook-- the original Bridge to Nowhere Man-- was the favorite. And as resistant as I've been to supporting candidates from the Rahm Emanuel wing of the Democratic Party, last night I actually added Young's Democratic opponent, Ethan Berkowitz-- who my friends in Alaska assure me isn't really in Rahm's pocket that much-- to a new ActBlue page. Last week, the last remaining votes from the most remote villages in Alaska were counted and corruption-tainted Don Young, who everyone expects to be facing prison time within the year, managed to win his primary against Sarah Palin's handpicked opponent, Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

This morning, Congressional Quarterly changed their rating on the race to Leans Democrat.

Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young ’s narrow 304-vote margin over a prominent primary challenger provides an exception to a political rule: that re-nominating an incumbent strengthens a party’s chances of holding a seat. Plagued by ethics allegations that cost him heavily in his primary contest with Republican Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, Young enters the brief general election contest trailing Democratic nominee Ethan Berkowitz by a double-digit percentage in the most recent independent poll.

The new Leans Democratic designation on this race means Berkowitz-- a former Democratic leader in the state House and the party’s 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor in the contest against Parnell-- has a tangible edge in his race with Young. But it also means the race remains highly competitive, with a comeback by Young certainly not out of the question.

Young has represented Alaska in the House as a statewide office-holder for 35 years. He dominated most of his elections in the Republican-leaning state, as his seniority helped him work in concert with Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens to steer billions of dollars in federal funds to their home state. But after decades of political security, both Stevens and Young find themselves this year at serious risk of losing their seats-- in large part because both have longstanding ties to executives with Veco, an Alaska-based oil services company that is at the center of a sweeping state political corruption scandal.

Stevens is actually in more legal jeopardy than Young. He was indicted in July on federal charges of failing to report substantial gifts, including a major renovation to his Alaska home, that allegedly were provided by Veco officials. He faces a trial in Washington, D.C., scheduled to begin on Sept. 24 that, depending on its outcome, could make or break his hopes of overcoming his strong Democratic opponent, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, in a contest CQ Politics also rates as Leans Democratic.

Young-- despite news reports that Veco executives assisted his campaign fundraising efforts and questions raised about his efforts to obtain federal funding for a road project in Florida that might have benefited another campaign contributor-- has not been charged with wrongdoing.

Yet many more Alaskans appear to maintain affection for Stevens, who after 40 years in office is the longest-serving Republican senator in the nation’s history, than for Young, who has a rough-hewn and often confrontational manner that has left a trail of hard feelings among some Alaskans.

“Young is a very, very considerable underdog at this point,” Anchorage pollster Ivan Moore told CQ Politics. Moore noted that polls throughout the year have shown Young becoming steadily more vulnerable for re-election.

If you'd like to donate to Ethan Berkowitz' campaign, please visit The Impeachers, an ActBlue page dedicated to raising campaign funds for Democrats challenging the most vulnerable Bill Clinton tormentors (like Don Young).


As for Rolling Stone dubbing Don Young "Mr. Pork," let's not lose sight of the fact that Young may be one of the worst, but he's far from the only corrupt Republican slime bucket. In fact, one Republican who denounces Young's Bridge To Nowhere earmarks almost every single day has some answering to do about earmarks himself:

Alaska: Political Corruption Has Been Mostly A Republican Passtime, But Given The Opportunity, Ethan Berkowitz Will Change All That

Alaska has been a pretty red state for a pretty long time. In 2000 no one asked for a recount; Gore won only 28% of the vote. Kerry didn't do much better even after 4 years of Bush misrule; Kerry wound up with 36%. Last time Ted Stevens ran for Senate he spent $2.3 million dollars on his race (as opposed to $1,049 that the Democrat spent) and took 78% of the vote, about the same margin he had one 6 years before. In 2006 Alaskans started pulling back from the one-party state theirs had become. Diane Benson held Alaska's one member of the House, Don Young, to a 57% win (down from 2004's 71% and 2002's 75%). Still, the data published by the Hays Research Group today is hardly what anyone was expecting.

Obama... 45%
McCain... 40%
Nader...... 2%

If you don't know about the rampant corruption that has come to define the Alaska Republican Party in the last few years, you must be new to DWT (Welcome!) Yesterday, though, Bloomberg looked at the current corruption scandal in terms of Ted Steven's chances of political survival. Stevens lost his first bid for the Senate but was appointed to the job when Democratic Senator Bob Bartlett died in 1968. The Republican Governor, Walter Hickel, made the appointment. Yesterday Hickel told Bloomberg that Stevens "has served Alaska for 40 years, but his time is over."

Stevens's indictment last month on federal charges of failing to disclose more than $250,000 he received from Veco Corp., an Anchorage-based oil-services contractor, is the latest-- and the biggest-- crest in a wave of ethical controversies that has swamped Alaska's Republican politicians.

The scandals were spawned by the confluence of one-party dominance and soaring oil and gas prices in this energy-rich state, said Gerald McBeath, a political scientist at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

"This has to do with big money, big corporations trying to influence public policy,'' McBeath said. "There was a lot of money awash in Alaska. Veco was a very powerful organization in state politics. It had tentacles that reached out and touched everybody.''

To date, eight Alaskans have been convicted or pleaded guilty in connection with a four-year federal corruption probe. They include three state legislators, the chief of staff to former Governor Frank Murkowski, and two former Veco executives. The most recent guilty plea was entered yesterday.

The state's congressman, Don Young, is also under investigation, though he hasn't been charged.

Separately, Alaska's junior senator, Lisa Murkowski, was the target of an ethics complaint by a watchdog group last year over a land deal. Even Governor Sarah Palin, elected in 2006 on a clean-up-the-mess platform, is facing a legislative probe over a personnel case.

Fact of the matter is, the deep corruption in Alaska politics has been making national headlines now for over two years. The FBI and U.S. Department of Justice have indicted, convicted, plea bargained with, convicted, sentenced and imprisoned several high ranking legislators, lobbyists and oil company executives. Steven's is fighting his indictment, and his trial may be ending just days before the November elections. As Bloomberg indicates, others are arrested, indicted or plea copping almost weekly.

You might think that in Alaska, with so much attention being drawn toward these Republican crooks' ties to lobbyists, questionable campaign financing scams, and corporate influence, the people there would want the cleanest possible office holders in every seat up for grabs. Well, Alaska Republicans are so corrupt, they still will vote Ted Stevens in as their man in the August 26 statewide primary.

And on the Democratic Party primary ticket, one race has a progressive candidate who wants to "clean house," up against an old-school party hack, backed by the top executives of the Carlyle Group, the law firm that represented Exxon in the Exxon Valdez Supreme Court case, several backers of former Alaska Governor Frank Murkowki's campaigns and policies, national-level tobacco company lobbyists, crooked Chicago political hack Rahm Emanuel and his neo-con PAC, and the much discredited DCCC's "Red to Blue" program.

Diane Benson-- her campaign is profiled here by progressive Alaska Democratic Party activist Phil Munger-- is up against former State Representative Ethan Berkowitz.

Berkowitz, a close ally of former Alaska Governor, Tony Knowles, one of Alaska's least effective chief executives, served ten undistinguished years in the state legislature, eight of them as minority leader.

He claims he fought hard for union rights. But when he went in, Alaska's teachers were among the best paid in the United States. When he left, they were ranked sixteenth in pay.

When he went in, teachers and other employees had a well-endowed, defined benefit retirement plan. When he left, teachers' benefits had eroded to what they call "tier three" up there, which is Alaskan for a lousy 401K plan, like the one at McDonalds.

When Ethan Berkowitz went in to the Alaska legislature, Big Oil ran the place. When he left, except for the work of the FBI, they still did.

Berkowitz had been given detailed information, much of the same used by the FBI in 2006, back as early as 2004, by Alaska muckraker Ray Metcalfe. Metcalfe claims he hand-delivered packets full of incriminating information to Berkowitz. Berkowitz, in answering questions by Democratic Party activist Munger in January, said that he was paralyzed from acting upon it within the legislature, because of House rules.

In his campaigns for the Alaska State House, Berkowitz was sought after with donations by VECO, the company behind the Alaska GOP Corrupt Bastards Club. He was among the top Democratic Party recipients of donations from Bill Weimar, the privatized corrections mogul who bargained a plea with the Feds on August 11. He routinely received more donations from lobbyists than any other Democrat in the Alaska state house. (Does that make him part of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party?)

And now, along with the help he's getting from Emanuel's PAC and Red to Blue, Berkowitz has started his own 2008 Republican-lite "Corrupt Bastards Club." Here's a partial list:

The Anchorage Daily News wrote a report on the 15 highest paid lobbyists in the state of Alaska in 2006. Ethan Berkowitz has received money from a third of them between his 2006 and 2008 campaigns.

Berkowitz receives money from many of the same Lobbyists who have given money to Ted Stevens and Don Young. (2008 and 2006)

Berkowitz has received money from the president of a lobbyist group whose website claims they “have experience persuading Congressman to make their clients needs priority.” (2008)

Berkowitz has received money from lawyers who work at the law firm which represented Exxon during the Exxon Valdez spill. ( Multiple Patton Boggs lawyers in 2008)

Berkowitz has been given money by lobbyist who represent Big Tobacco companies, Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds.

One of Berkowitz's lobbyist friends, GOP stalwart, Robert Evans, never gives to Democrats, unless it is to Berkowitz. He gave the Alaska GOP $10,000 in the past three years.

Berkowitz has been given money by a lobbyist who represents Wal-Mart, which is now making a big play to own a stake of the more corrupt elements in the Democratic caucus.

Berkowitz, while taking money from Emanuel, the Tom DeLay of the Democratic Party, claims, rather incongruously, he will stand up to him, the second he takes his oath of office in Washington, D.C. Remember, this is the same Ethan Berkowitz who, in 2004 and 2005 did nothing with the information that could have saved Alaskans billions in revenues lost to big oil.

Berkowitz's medical care platform calls for tweaking what he calls an otherwise healthy system to maximize benefits. His lack of interest in genuine campaign finance reform is no surprise, given the cast of sordid characters who think he is the face of the Democratic Party for the 21st Century. God help us all if he is!

Our friends at Democrats.com are doing yeoman's work in both Alaska and the Lower 48 to raise consciousness-- and funds-- so that Diane Benson can get her message out and help make change in Alaska not just about exchanging one corrupt political hack for another corrupt political hack. Give Ethan Berkowitz a decade or two and he'll be approaching a Don Young level of corruption. If you want to help take the corruption out of Congress, helping Diane Benson to win this race is as good a place to start as any.


UPDATE: DIANE BENSON

Democrats.com has the most extensive story on Diane's campaign thus far. It's a great follow-up to Katrina Vanden Heuvel's Nation feature on Diane last week, Make Way For the Trucker.