So Markos pointed out this big scandal hurting Republicans in Alaska:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
The Alaska National Guard is facing down some grave allegations: A recruiter trying to give alcohol to high school girls, botched responses to sexual assault complaints, embezzlement, a former porn company owner keeping his job despite military investigators finding that he failed to respond to sexual assault, and whistleblowers terrified to speak out.
The alleged misconduct, detailed in an assessment by the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations and in investigations by local news outlets, is threatening the re-election bid of incumbent Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell (R). The governor, who is commander in chief of the Guard, fired three top officials from the military unit this week. His office has said that he took action each time he was made aware of misconduct, and that he was ultimately misled by his top general.
But Parnell's critics -- including whistleblowers and victims -- claim that his office failed to do enough to respond to allegations of abuse over several years. Local news outlets are now suing the governor's office to get access to internal emails that may show how much Parnell knew about the allegations, and what he did in response.
As an incumbent in a Republican-leaning state, Parnell should be a shoo–in this November. But in HuffPost polling as of Wednesday, Bill Walker, the independent candidate, was leading Parnell by a margin of 3.4 points. Democrats have hammered Parnell over the scandal. And Alaska-based consultant Jim Lottsfeldt, the senior adviser for a super PAC backing Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, told The National Journal that all this scrutiny over the Guard could hurt Parnell's reelection.
Those who are alleging serious misconduct in the Guard say the problems have been going on for years. One woman who has come forward publicly, Melissa Jones, was serving in the Alaska Army National Guard in 2007 when she said that she was drugged and later raped. She reported the alleged assault, but said that her privacy was breached and the case ignored. Jones told The Huffington Post that she is speaking out to call attention to an "ongoing issue" and to "seek justice for the victims that came after me."
Parnell was sworn into office in 2009. Sharon Leighow, a spokesperson for Parnell, said that the office was made aware of allegations of misconduct in the National Guard in 2010. "Every single allegation brought to our office was relayed to the appropriate law enforcement agency," she said, noting that the office met with the top general 41 times over a four-year period to discuss the allegations before he resigned.
But Lt. Col. Ken Blaylock, a whistleblower who served in the Guard until 2012, told HuffPost that if Parnell "actually followed up on the reports, then he would not have had to request the Office of Complex Investigations in 2014." Blaylock said that in the spring of 2010, he drove sexual assault victims to Parnell's office to clue him in to what was going on. "We were basically thanked politely and rushed on our way away," he said. "I never saw any followup from the governor's office whatsoever."
Chaplain Lt. Col. Rick Cavens, who is now retired from his job in the Alaska Air National Guard, also said chaplains from the military unit approached the governor in 2010. "There were emails, there were letters sent, there were conversations with his office," he said. - Huffington Post, 10/22/14
So this scandal is hurting Parnell but it also involves then Alaska Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate, Dan Sullivan (R. AK):
http://www.ktva.com/...
U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan refuses to answer questions about what he knew, or did not know, about alleged sexual assault and fraud in the Alaska National Guard.
Sullivan was Alaska’s attorney general from June 17, 2009 to Dec. 5, 2010. During that time, Gov. Sean Parnell was told about the mishandling and cover-up of sexual assaults and fraud in the Guard.
It’s plausible that Parnell consulted his attorney general about the revelations, but Sullivan won’t confirm or deny that it happened. Sullivan repeatedly reminds voters about his strong military background, yet his campaign manager, Ben Sparks, told KTVA that the problems within the National Guard are not something that Sullivan will talk about. When asked why Sullivan will not talk about the National Guard, Sparks told KTVA that it’s not a story.
Documents received by KTVA show an Alaska National Guard chaplain warned Parnell in October 2010 that things weren’t right in the Guard.
The chaplain says he was joined by two other chaplains on Nov. 18, 2010, for a “20-minute speaker phone conversation with the governor” to express concerns about the handling of sexual assaults and improper use of National Guard money.
“It did not seem that he or his staff desired to drill very deeply into the problems of an organization that reaches into the entire landscape of the Alaska population,” wrote one of the chaplains in a memo received by KTVA.
On Dec. 3, 2010, two days before Sullivan stepped into the role of DNR commissioner, a National Guard chaplain said Parnell had another phone conversation with the three chaplains and a lieutenant colonel from the Army National Guard. Concerns were expressed about a “continued erosion of trust and command climate, intimidation and fear” of the leadership and the mishandling of sexual assaults. - KTVA, 10/22/14
Now Sullivan did have this to say in response:
“As Attorney General I never had any conversations with Governor Parnell about the allegations at the National Guard. The reported allegations of misconduct are extremely troubling and must be addressed. As a Marine, but more importantly as a father, the reported allegations are absolutely unacceptable and have no place in any home, workplace, or inside our Armed Forces.”
“If these allegations had been brought to my attention I would have done everything in my power to get to the bottom of this situation. My number one focus as Attorney General was combating domestic violence and sexual assault, and I will continue working to protect Alaska’s women and children as a United States Senator.”
Ok, but here's something else you need to know about this scandal that doesn't add up:
http://www.ktva.com/...
The governor’s office also confirms that in October 2010, while Sullivan was attorney general, Parnell requested the FBI investigate assault, sexual abuse, misuse of resources, drug trafficking and transporting illegal weapons within the Guard.
“The governor’s Chief of Staff Mike Nizich contacted the FBI in 2010 and made them aware of the allegations,” said Parnell’s press secretary Sharon Leighow.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Parnell says he did not consult Sullivan.
Jim Ayers, who was the chief of staff under Tony Knowles for seven years, says he can’t imagine a situation where the attorney general would be isolated from the discussions of sexual assault and fraud within the Alaska National Guard.
“I cannot fathom a discussion of criminal violence against women being discussed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and not involving the attorney general’s office in the discussion, since that is in fact the attorney general’s primary responsibility, the safety of Alaskan citizens,” Ayers said.
The FBI special agent who conducted the six-week investigation was Kevin Fryslie, who is now an officer with the Anchorage Police Department. Fryslie had not responded for comment as of Thursday night. According to the governor’s office, Agent Fryslie reported back saying: “there was nothing to the allegations.”
“In my experience, any time there is a legal issue of significance … whether it’s in the Legislature or otherwise, the attorney general is brought into the conversation,” said Ayres, who added that there should be a hotline established for victims in the Alaska National Guard to come forward and report a crime.
“Here you have an officer and a chaplain, reporting violence against women … for whatever reason there wasn’t a special prosecutor established or special board of inquiry established right away and now it’s reported that the attorney general wasn’t even notified — it’s just an unbelievable situation,” Ayres said. - KTVA, 10/24/14
Now why would Parnell not consult Sullivan on this case? The state Attorney General is suppose to be involved in a case like this. Luckily, Senator Mark Begich's (D. AK) website points out a few stories related to Sullivan and this scandal like this:
http://www.markbegich.com/...
One Day Before Parnell Met With National Guard Chaplains, He Called His Then-Attorney General, Dan Sullivan
Dec. 2, 2010: Parnell Called Sullivan On His Cell Phone. According to Sullivan’s calendar from the Department of Law, Gov. Parnell called then-Attorney General Sullivan on December 2, 2010 at 12:45PM. The time slot noted “WILL CALL YOU ON YOUR CELL PHONE.” [Department of Law calendar, 12/2/10]
And the press has taken notice of how Parnell and Sullivan handled this case:
http://www.adn.com/...
I am deeply concerned and appalled that the Parnell administration chose not to investigate the sexual assaults that he has known about since 2010. Sexual assault rates have risen steadily during his administration. He stayed silent for four long years while women were victimized in the Alaska National Guard.
What was Dan Sullivan’s role in the decision to ignore these cases since he was attorney general at that time? He should have known; he was the state’s top law enforcer. He owes us an explanation.
This administration, while Dan Sullivan was attorney general, also fought against using local tribal courts in communities like Minto and Kaltag. They litigated in support of wife beaters and men with records of domestic violence.
The bipartisan Indian Law and Order Commission, which is chaired by a Republican who was appointed by George W. Bush, has condemned the Parnell administration’s record on public safety. The commission called Parnell’s approach “colonial” and said that no other gubernatorial administration in America has spent so much time litigating against its own citizens.
Both Dan Sullivan and Sean Parnell are campaigning to serve as Alaska’s public officials. Everyone should think long and hard about whether we want these men to serve our state in the coming years; they have already proven they cannot be trusted to protect Alaskans. - Alaska Dispatch News, 9/23/14
Plus Begich points out that Sullivan vowed to make cracking down on sexual assault a top priority as Attorney General:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/...
Sullivan Said Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Had Been Top Focus Of Criminal Division Since He Became Attorney General. DANIEL SULLIVAN, Attorney General, Alaska Department of Law, thanked the committee for expeditiously hearing SB 222 and for the spirit of cooperation that the members have displayed. He reported that sexual assault and domestic violence has been the number one focus in the criminal division since he was appointed to the office last June. [Alaska Legislature, Senate Judiciary Committee, 1/25/10]
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/...
Sullivan Said Protecting Alaskans From Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Would Be Area Of Focus As Attorney General. MR. SULLIVAN explained that as the attorney general, one area he would be focused on would be on protecting Alaskans from criminal behavior such as sexual assault and domestic violence. [Attorney General Confirmation Hearing, House Judiciary Committee, 2/25/10]
http://www.adn.com/...
Sullivan Said He Cares “Deeply About The Serious Problem Of Sexual Assault In Our State And Our Nation’s Military.” Sullivan wrote: “I also care deeply about the serious problem of sexual assault in our state and our nation’s military, which has made recent news headlines. As Alaska’s attorney general, I worked closely with Gov. Parnell, numerous Alaska legislators, and countless other dedicated Alaskans on developing and implementing the “Choose Respect” initiative to address this horrendous social problem. As the father of three daughters, this is a personal issue for me. As the current battalion commander of a Marine Corps reserve ANGLICO unit, I am also deeply involved in training and leading America’s warriors, including having trained hundreds of young Alaska men to be U.S. Marines since 1997. These differing experiences provide me with a unique perspective on how we can forcefully and effectively address the urgent challenge of sexual assaults in our military.” [Anchorage Daily News, Sullivan op-ed, 11/9/13]
http://gov.alaska.gov/...
Sullivan Promised New Sexual Assault Coordinator Would Provide “Guaranteed Follow-Through.” Alaska Department of Law (Attorney General) issued the following news release: “Sullivan noted that the governor’s initiative differs from past efforts to address the problem because of its comprehensive approach, broad-based public education campaign, and guaranteed follow-through with the creation of a coordinator for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and response.” [Dan Sullivan Press Release, 12/3/09]
In fact, Senator Begich and his colleague, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R. AK), took more action on this situation than Sullivan:
http://www.latimes.com/...
Noting that the report found more than 200 reports of discrimination and sexual harassment over just the last year, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) called it “shocking in its documentation of widespread sexual assault, discrimination, retaliation and tolerance of wrongdoing, especially at the highest levels in the Guard.”
In a statement, Begich said that Alaska officials had been hearing reports of sexual assault and harassment since 2011 and that the current investigation was the third into misconduct in the ranks of the Alaska National Guard.
Begich requested one in 2012. His Republican counterpart, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, asked for one soon after. Neither produced “significant findings,” Begich said, because “they were conducted in an ad-hoc manner and often were conducted by the individuals or units accused of improprieties.”
Karina Petersen, a spokeswoman for Murkowski, said by email that the senator was in rural Alaska and hadn’t reviewed the lengthy report in full.
Murkowski “has long been a forceful voice for accountability and transparency in how the Alaska National Guard metes out justice on sexual assault among the ranks,” Petersen said. Guard officials “will be reporting to her office next week for a full debrief of the report – and the long path forward.” - Los Angeles, 9/5/14
And Begich has been pushing for real action:
http://politicalnews.me/...
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, would increase the role of the National Guard Bureau to order investigations into wrongdoing without waiting for a request from a state’s governor or adjutant general.
The measures follow the release of a report by NGB’s Office of Complex investigations that looked into alleged sexual assault and harassment, fraud, reprisals and failure of leadership in the Alaska National Guard. It prompted the resignation of the state’s adjutant general.
Murkowski filed her measure as an amendment to the fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.
Begich’s action, the National Guard Investigations Transparency and Improvement Act of 2014, is stand-alone legislation. It aims to clarify the authority of the NGB chief to initiate investigations in a state even when the governor or adjutant general won’t, or when state and federal laws are in conflict.
NGAUS supports the Begich bill.
“We need to know where, when, and why the response to sexual trauma offenses is inadequate at different levels of command with the Guard and within civilian law enforcement before we can tailor solutions,” said Pete Duffy, the NGAUS legislative director. - Political News, 10/24/14
And in Alaska, sexual assault is a serious issue:
http://www.latimes.com/...
The statistics paint a dismal picture here: Alaska leads the country in the rate of forcible rape, three times the national average. It has the highest rate of men killing women. It is among the top states for domestic violence.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Alaska No. 3 in the nation — after Oklahoma and Nevada — for the percentage of women who have endured "rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner." In Alaska, 44.2% of women have been victimized in their lifetime, compared with 32.9% in California and 32.3% in New York.
Nearly 60% of all women in Alaska have been victims of rape or domestic violence or both in their lifetimes, according to a study by the Justice Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage, whose researchers say the results could be conservative.
Last week the Alaska chapter of the National Organization for Women cautioned residents to vote online or by absentee ballot if they "live in hostile environments where, for safety, they avoid discussing or engaging in political matters." Translation: Even democracy can be dangerous for battering victims.
"Our rates of violence are so high up here that anyone who is considering running has to have a stance on the issue or there's no hope for them," said Amanda Price, executive director of Standing Together Against Rape, an Anchorage-based advocacy and victim services group. "It has not been this front and center before."
"The National Guard scandal has drawn some attention and required candidates to have a stance and a plan on how to minimize violence against women," Price said. - Los Angeles Times, 10/21/14
A lot is at stake here in this race and it looks like rural Alaska is the territory that's going to decide this race:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Russian fur traders came to Alaska's St. Paul Island, about 300 miles west of the Alaskan mainland and about 500 miles from Russia's easternmost coast, in the late 18th century. They enslaved the Aleut people, who lived in Siberia and on nearby islands, to hunt the fur seals that populate the island by the thousands. That is the only reason that this volcanic, treeless scrap of tundra in the middle of the Bering Sea became a permanent home for humans.
It was brought under U.S. control in 1870. Now about 500 people live on St. Paul, an island so small that it takes only 30 minutes to drive across it. And it is out there, at the edge of the world, where Democratic control of the U.S. Senate might turn.
Alaska is one of the standard-bearers of the 2014 midterms: a Democratic incumbent, Sen. Mark Begich, in a historically red state, relying on a robust and finely tuned ground game to carry him to what the polls would say is an unlikely victory. According to TPM's PollTracker average, Begich currently trails Republican challenger Dan Sullivan, 47.6 percent to 44.6 percent.
So as in other key battleground states like Colorado, Democrats are relying on a get-out-the-vote effort that they've been building for years to make up for their current deficit in the polling. That means they have to turn out those Democratic voters whom the polling and the history show often skip non-presidential election years.
This is where Bill Briggs and people like him come in. Briggs (pictured above left with fellow volunteer Lauren Divine, right, and local resident Jiggs Bourdokofsky, center) is the Begich campaign's volunteer on the ground on St. Paul Island. He is one of the hundreds of such volunteers who dot the far-flung Alaskan landscape. If what the Begich campaign says about its ground game is right, the election will turn on what Briggs and his counterparts in various native villages, fishing outposts, and isolated communities hundreds of miles apart from each other are able to accomplish.
St. Paul Island epitomizes Democrats' midterm drop-off problem, Briggs told TPM in a phone interview (he needed advance notice so he could stand in the right spot for reception). The numbers are stark. About 400 people voted in the 2012 election -- and the heavily native electorate votes almost entirely Democratic, according to Briggs -- but only 90 voted in the 2010 midterms.
When you remember that Begich won his 2008 election by less than 4,000 votes, it is no exaggeration to say that those 300 votes in St. Paul Island could swing this year's race -- and by extension, Senate control. Early voting starts Monday in Alaska, including in St. Paul, and there are 130 new early voting locations across the state; the election will be officially underway.
"I tell people that this election literally could come down to 300 votes on St. Paul Island that could save the Senate. I tell people that," said Briggs, 58, a Washington state native who moved to St. Paul for a fishing job. "Pointing out the horrible turnout in 2010 compared to 2012 really opens people's eyes, though. 'You're kidding!'"
Even as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pours $60 million into the data-driven Bannock Street project, designed to get Democratic voters to the polls instead of skipping the midterms as they characteristically have, Begich's operation stands out, perhaps in large part because of the degree of difficulty in what is by far the biggest state geographically.
As the Washington Post reported earlier this month, the Begich campaign has 16 field offices and 90 paid staffers. They also have hundreds of volunteers like Briggs, who range from Barrow, the northernmost city in the United States, to Savoonga, another tiny village on St. Lawrence Island, about 400 miles north of St. Paul in the Bering Sea.
"We've contacted every potential voter in rural Alaska. Every voter in Alaska who might not be politically active, but thinks Mark Begich is a good guy has been contacted by our field operation," Max Croes, Begich's communications director, told TPM. "It has been a crazy undertaking. It's never been done before." - TPM, 10/20/14
Alaska Natives are also a big part of rural Alaska and Sullivan is trying to dupe them into voting for him over Begich:
http://www.alaskapublic.org/...
Less than three weeks before election day, Friday’s visit marks Sullivan’s first to the Y-K Delta in over a year of campaigning. The rhetoric, however, between the two campaigns has already reached a shrill pitch on rural issues. Sullivan alleges that incumbent Senator Mark Begich has been saying that he has the Native Vote.
“Locked up”
A statement that Begich spokesperson Max Croes says his boss has never made. It’s ugly on both sides: the Begich campaign has positioned Sullivan as an adversary to subsistence users, tribes, and rural Alaska. Sullivan, however, is quick to defend his rural cred.
“But I have very deep ties with the Alaska Native community that go much deeper than my opponent’s, because they’re family. My daughters are Alaska Native girls, and my wife is Alaska Native. And we’re going around the state with a great leadership team. I’m very proud to have some of the most prominent Alaska Native Leaders and rural leaders in the state, from all parts of the state, supporting the Sullivan campaign,” said Sullivan.
Begich, has said repeatedly that this race will be decided in rural Alaska and has opened 16 field offices. That presence was apparent at a Bethel Chamber of Commerce lunch, where Democratic staff sat in the back and a tracker with a national group working to elect democratic candidates, videotaped Sullivan’s every word, looking for a slip up or material to be used in ads. - Alaska Public Media, 10/23/14
And Begich is fighting hard to make sure Alaska Natives return him to the Senate:
http://www.newsobserver.com/...
Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich and Republican challenger Dan Sullivan squared off during a forum at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Anchorage. AFN is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska.
Both talked about their work in supporting Natives and rural Alaska. Sullivan, a former Alaska attorney general and natural resources commissioner, also noted his family; his wife is Alaska Native and his mother-in-law, Mary Jane Fate, is prominent in the Native community.
The crowd was engaged, cheering the candidates and even booing during a yes or no question on whether the candidates supported development of the Pebble Mine project. Begich said no. Sullivan, who has said he supports allowing the project to go through the permitting process, said, "I support the process for all economic" before being cut off by the moderator and members of the crowd booing.
In addressing attendees earlier in the day, Begich, who is in a hotly contested fight, said he "always" has been with the Alaska Native community. "Now I need you with me," he said.
During the forum, Begich sought to draw distinctions with Sullivan on subsistence, calling it a fundamental right. Democrats have characterized Sullivan as having an anti-subsistence record, noting an appeal he filed as attorney general in a long-running subsistence case initially brought by the Athabascan elder Katie John.
Sullivan said the appeal wasn't a personal case against John but about state, rather than federal control, over Alaska's rivers. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year decided not to hear the state's continued appeal. Sullivan said he respected that decision.
John died last year.
Begich also noted his position on committees like Appropriations, on which he sits with Alaska's senior senator, Republican Lisa Murkowski. He said two senators of the same party from a state have never served together on the committee.
"So if I lose this race, we lose 50 percent of our voting power on Appropriations," he said. "That would be a mistake." - News Observer, 10/24/14
It's very clear that ground game is what's going to help Begich win this race. Click here to donate and get involved with his campaign:
http://www.markbegich.com/
And click here to donate to the Bill Walker (I. AK) & Byron Mallott (D. AK) ticket:
http://www.walkerforalaska.com/