Today, Alaska is closer to a resolution. After months of campaigning, early voting, election day and two weeks of wondering since that day, we found out who won the US Senate race. Maybe. Because with close races, there's bound to be a recount, though I do have faith in our voting system.
The contenders, in case you've been sequestered for the last year were: an incumbent, convicted felon, octogenarian (I have nothing against people in their 80s. My parents are in their 80s. But neither of them should be starting a six-year term in the Senate) who wishes he could spend more time with the grandkids; and the current two-term Anchorage mayor. Tonight, the local paper declared Mayor Mark Begich the winner.
Besides hoping for a new senator, I've been hoping I can hold my head high when I next visit the Lower-48. I mean, it was hard enough explaining Governor Palin to my sensible Midwest siblings. How would I have begun to explain Alaska politics had Stevens won? Just look at the numbers: he got 147,004 votes, while 150,728 went to Begich. Not a huge margin, but a win nonetheless. There are a few more out-of-state mail-in votes to be counted, but I think it's over.
It's a sad end to a long career and I even hope that Stevens skips the appeal and just asks W for a pardon. Isn't that what the last days of a presidency are for? Now the lesson for us all: don't accept gifts you don't want and be diligent with your paperwork.
Now, on to biking topics!
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
go ahead and ask
The excitement and decisiveness of Barack Obama's win on Tuesday was tempered locally by the continuing strangeness of Alaskan politics. I know, this blog is supposed to be about biking, so, yes, I did bike to the polls on Tuesday, then into work. Where I spent the early part of the afternoon alternating between working and hitting the "refresh" at NPR's election map before we hooked up a t.v. and started watching the coverage as it unfolded, flipping from NBC to PBS to Comedy Central. Later, we joined friends to watch more numbers come in.
So much has been said in the last couple days, what can I add but my voice with others around the nation to celebrate this victory. I'm happy about what it says about our country, that we can transcend a history of painful racial divisions to elect a man for the ideas he brings and (to use the words of Dr. King) for "the content of his character." I add my tears of joy to those of people from all backgrounds because now I feel we are united more than ever before. It is truly beautiful.
But, while watching the national returns lifted our hopes, the local results brought on a sense of frustration and disappointment. For those of you in the Lower-48 and the rest of the world, this whole Senate race isn't over yet. There are tens of thousands of early votes to count. There's still a chance that Mark Begich will unseat Stevens. And if he doesn't, I imagine you can chalk up a win for the Republicans after Stevens resigns and the special election puts our now world-famous governor into a Beltway position in the US Senate. (That's my unhappy prediction, shared by many others here.) Count every vote, I say, until we know who wins this race!
So much has been said in the last couple days, what can I add but my voice with others around the nation to celebrate this victory. I'm happy about what it says about our country, that we can transcend a history of painful racial divisions to elect a man for the ideas he brings and (to use the words of Dr. King) for "the content of his character." I add my tears of joy to those of people from all backgrounds because now I feel we are united more than ever before. It is truly beautiful.
But, while watching the national returns lifted our hopes, the local results brought on a sense of frustration and disappointment. For those of you in the Lower-48 and the rest of the world, this whole Senate race isn't over yet. There are tens of thousands of early votes to count. There's still a chance that Mark Begich will unseat Stevens. And if he doesn't, I imagine you can chalk up a win for the Republicans after Stevens resigns and the special election puts our now world-famous governor into a Beltway position in the US Senate. (That's my unhappy prediction, shared by many others here.) Count every vote, I say, until we know who wins this race!
Monday, November 3, 2008
evolution of a vote
Early this past February, as I made my way to the Super Tuesday Alaska Democratic Caucus, I wasn't sure who I would support in this election. I parked my car almost a mile from Begich Middle School and began walking past the cars that lined the road, all on their way to caucus. It was the longest traffic jam I've ever seen in Anchorage. Inside the school, things were even more chaotic.
In the small gymnasium it was find your precinct, take a card, wait a long time, then disperse to your designated classroom. For my precinct, almost half of us couldn't fit in the room! While I was excited about the process and the enthusiastic turnout, I left the school without casting a vote and feeling dismayed that I had missed the speeches that should have swayed my vote.
Later that month, as I headed off to a trip overseas, I took Barack Obama's book Dreams from my Father. I didn't have much time to read it until the end of the trip when I stayed with my parents for a week in Wisconsin. I kept remembering the optimism of a shopkeeper in Rome telling me that, based on astrology and my earth sign, this was a good year for me and this was also a good year for Obama. (I haven't really evaluated my year, but his has been going pretty well.)
As candidates left the race, I would remove their bookmarks from my browser and pretty soon with my increased familiarity with Obama's background and positions, I was ready to jump in with my support. Watching and reading his speeches helped solidify my views. I trust him.
Finally, with the election tomorrow, I'm ready to head to my polling place (I like to vote on Election Day). Then after work we'll get together with friends in what we hope will be a great celebration for Obama and for some of our statewide candidates - please, please, please. We may even head to Election Central to take in the atmosphere if things look like they're going our way.
But, I still wonder about people who haven't made up their minds; who say they don't know enough about the candidates and their positions. My goodness, if they have access to a library, bookstore or a computer; if they're willing to read some of the analysis from a multitude of sources, they should be able to figure this out. Let's hope they make the best choice on Tuesday. Of course that's code for: I hope they vote for Obama!
In the small gymnasium it was find your precinct, take a card, wait a long time, then disperse to your designated classroom. For my precinct, almost half of us couldn't fit in the room! While I was excited about the process and the enthusiastic turnout, I left the school without casting a vote and feeling dismayed that I had missed the speeches that should have swayed my vote.
Later that month, as I headed off to a trip overseas, I took Barack Obama's book Dreams from my Father. I didn't have much time to read it until the end of the trip when I stayed with my parents for a week in Wisconsin. I kept remembering the optimism of a shopkeeper in Rome telling me that, based on astrology and my earth sign, this was a good year for me and this was also a good year for Obama. (I haven't really evaluated my year, but his has been going pretty well.)
As candidates left the race, I would remove their bookmarks from my browser and pretty soon with my increased familiarity with Obama's background and positions, I was ready to jump in with my support. Watching and reading his speeches helped solidify my views. I trust him.
Finally, with the election tomorrow, I'm ready to head to my polling place (I like to vote on Election Day). Then after work we'll get together with friends in what we hope will be a great celebration for Obama and for some of our statewide candidates - please, please, please. We may even head to Election Central to take in the atmosphere if things look like they're going our way.
But, I still wonder about people who haven't made up their minds; who say they don't know enough about the candidates and their positions. My goodness, if they have access to a library, bookstore or a computer; if they're willing to read some of the analysis from a multitude of sources, they should be able to figure this out. Let's hope they make the best choice on Tuesday. Of course that's code for: I hope they vote for Obama!
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