As we have moved around over the decades, I have been "represented" in Congress by Dick Cheney (Wyoming), Bob Dole (Kansas), and now by Ted Stevens, Lisa Murkowski, and Don Young (Alaska). Is it any wonder I'm a Democrat? These people are such arrogant idiots that I don't even want to hear them talk, let alone have people think that they are saying something I would ever support. Don Young set me off this morning, with articles in both the
Fairbanks Daily News Miner and the
Anchorage Daily News.
He's running this year against
Diane Benson, and his campaign strategy is basically to avoid saying anything, because every time he opens his mouth, he sticks his foot in it. Some examples--
From the Fairbanks article--
"Don Young predicts there will be no Republican congressional seats lost this election."
"Young said this campaign is similar to those he has run in the past, and his aim is to meet people, not to satisfy the media's expectations, especially those of the Daily News, which he calls the "Daily Screw."
"I'm not running the campaign for the Daily Screw," Young said. "My job is to hear people, find out what's on their minds."
From the Anchorage paper--
"His campaign didn't respond to a request to comment for this story."
"Rolling Stone magazine calls it "The Worst Congress Ever" and ranked Young as the nation's third worst congressman, out of 435, for stuffing the transportation spending bill with so much pork last year.
Young hasn't commented on the Rolling Stone article, but says routinely that Alaska is a young state that needs a lot of infrastructure. He has said he is proud to get as much money for his constituents as possible."
He tried to simultaneously campaign at the recent Alaska Federation of Natives conference while avoiding a debate with Ms. Benson by claiming that ethics rules precluded him from political campaigning while he was travelling in his official capacity as a congressman. Then, saying, "I shouldn't do this--" he did it anyway--made a campaign pitch out of his address, so the AFN decided to allow Ms Benson to speak in rebuttal.
Just one more damned thing about the Republican congress indicating that ethics are for others.
Anyway, raving aside, and finally getting to my point. It looks like this is another congressional seat that's coming into reasonable range for a takeover. I wish her well. I'm sure I don't need to encourage Alaska Kossacks to vote for a Dem or against a Republican, but I would so like to be represented by someone that I can agree with, at least a little bit, and at least once in a while.