The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The Night They Drove Old Murky Down

Posted on | September 1, 2010 | 50 Comments

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Front page of the local paper:

“Murkowski concedes” not “Miller wins.” It’s about her, you see? And notice how, by delaying her concession until the absentees were counted, Murkowski cheated Miller’s supporters out of their chance to celebrate together on Primary Night.

A volunteer at Joe Miller campaign HQ checks Ace of Spades HQ.

TV news satellite trucks parked in front of Murkowski HQ.

Murkowski HQ was next to a mattress store in a shopping center.

Murky concedes. If you’ll look, you’ll see my cell phone on the round table. I’d put it on speaker and placed it there so that Melissa Clouthier could listen to the speech live.

Several of us convened afterwards at the Moose’s Tooth Pub, a popular local restaurant, and talked about the campaign. That was after I’d already filed my story for The American Spectator:

Miller’s victory was a vindication for a lot of people who have grown tired of seeing the GOP act as accomplices to the remorseless expansion of federal power. The campaign succeeded in large measure because the Tea Party movement has turned long-simmering conservative discontent with big-government Republicanism into an organized national force. Ever since the 2008 TARP bailout of Wall Street — for which Murkowski voted — more and more GOP voters have joined the insurgency that helped fuel the Miller campaign in accomplishing a rare thing: The defeat of an incumbent senator in a Republican primary. . . .

Read the whole thing. Yesterday, somebody asked me, “What do you think of Alaska?” I answered, “I haven’t seen Alaska. I’ve seen an airport, a taxi, a motel, another taxi, a campaign headquarters, a government office, a restaurant and another campaign headquarters.”

And it was exhausting. I don’t know exactly how many hours of sleep I’ve had since Sunday — when I decided to buy a one-way plane ticket here — but it hasn’t been enough.

So I’m making an executive decision to get some sleep today.

After spending my first night in a cheap motel by the airport, now I’m in a better hotel. The checkout time is noon local time (4 p.m. ET) but I’m going to need a lot more sleep than that. If readers will hit the tip jar to help fund another night’s stay here, I’d appreciate it.

Once I’ve gotten some sleep, I’ll think about booking a flight back home and then . . . well, I understand that Delaware is lovely this time of year.

UPDATE: “Just a flaming skull in an oversized pudding cup. Not a thing wrong with that.”

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Alaska, Election, Joe Miller

SOS: Sissypuss, Obama, And Skippy

Posted on | September 1, 2010 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

Sissypuss was all set to review the POTUS prime-timer, and then Stacy blew town for Alaska.
Fortunately, Stacy’s goth twin Skippy was in between rehearsals with “Lips Can’t Go”, his Alien Sex Fiend tribute band, and was thus available, and they got together in the basement, along with some catnip and pudding, and took in the speech. Our staff may not be pretty, but who else works for these kinds of wages?

Read more

Category: Barack Obama, Sissypuss the Blog Kitty

Allahpundit, It Was Blatantly Obvious To Even The Most Casual Observer

Posted on | September 1, 2010 | 63 Comments

by Smitty

Allahpundit may be losing his touch, as he cannot come up with a metaphor for this:

The helicopter represents the Ruling Class, leaving the man with the Sword of the Constitution and the hot chick on the ground to represent the Tea Party. The vehicle is the November elecion, the last chance to do anything about the Ruling Class, before the Tea Party is vaquished. The helo gets taken out, but a red-garbed RINO wants to take the hot chick and deny the Tea Party the fruits of good conservative hotness, in a spirit of pure Cornyn-ism.
The Tea Party throws the Sword of the Constitution at the red coated RINO (for the words of the Constitution are written on his heart; the blade can be replaced, the chick, not so much) cleaving the RINO’s arm asunder, leaving him to fall into the Chasm of Progressivism.
Remember, Allahpundit: The Other McCain has always got your back.

Category: Hot Air

ALASKA SENATE COUNTDOWN TODAY UPDATE: MURKOWSKI CONCEDES!

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 159 Comments

ANCHORAGE, Alaska
UPDATE Midnight ET (4 p.m. local) — The AOSHQ flaming skull dipped in pudding? Where’s Norah O’Donnell now that we need her?

UPDATE 11 p.m. ET (7 p.m. local) — It’s over. I just returned to Joe Miller campaign HQ after attending Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s concession speech on the other side of town. I fed live audio to Melissa Clouthier via cell phone, so she Tweeted the speech as it happened:

“Based where we are right now, I don’t see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor. . . . For the good of the state of [Alaska], I’m conceding the race for Senator. . . . We stayed on the high road.”

I’m now racing deadline for The American Spectator, so that should be it for now.

Celebrate, America: IT’S MILLER TIME!

UPDATE 11:25 p.m. ET (7:25 p.m. local): MALKIN-LANCHE!

And let me ask readers: After I spent last night in a fleabag motel near the airport, don’t you think I deserve a night in the Sheraton downtown? Hit the freaking tip jar!

UPDATE 8:50 p.m. ET (4:50 p.m. local) — Absenttes in Fairbanks are reported to be good news for Joe Miller. Anchorage talk-radio host Dan Fagan on 750 KFQD just said that the votes remaining to be counted would have to break 55% for Lisa Murkowski in order for her to win: “That’s not going to happen . . . . It’s over.”

Joe Miller campaign headquarters, where a delivery of pudding is expected to arrive momentarily.

Momma O’s is famed for its fried halibut sandwiches.

Miller volunteer SemperVigilo drives the “JoeMobile.”

UPDATE 8 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local) — Dan Riehl and Big Government were first to break this, and other sources here in Anchorage are also reporting that Lisa Murkowski is expected to concede the GOP nomination to Joe Miller in a few hours.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m. ET (4:25 p.m. local) — More numbers reporting, now the margin is 1,210 votes.

7:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. local) — Joe Miller is now being interviewed live on the Mark Levin show.

UPDATE 7:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. local) — OK, it turns out that that folks at Joe Miller campaign HQ had been misinformed about the count in districts 13-16. I just interviewed Gail Fenumiai of the Alaska Division of Elections, who explained that absentee ballots (and early votes) were counted in those Mat-Su districts today. It was the questioned ballots that weren’t counted, and those will be counted Friday.

As of now, Miller leads by 1,292 votes. We don’t know if numbers from Juneau are included in this total. They’ve just started counting in Fairbanks. Fenumiai said she expects the online totals for today’s votes to be more or less complete by “six-ish” — i.e., 10 p.m. ET.

The summary at this point: Chill out. At this point, we’re still about three hours away from knowing what the complete picture is today. However, if there are any Ace of Spades readers in Anchorage, please drop off a six-pack of Jello vanilla pudding cups at the Miller campaign HQ on Northern Lights Boulevard.

UPDATE 5:55 p.m. ET (1:55 p.m. local) — While we were at lunch, the margin shifted again. Now, Joe Miller leads by 1,294 votes. I’m told that this reflects early votes and questioned ballots from the Wasilla-Palmer area.

I’m told that districts 13 through 16  will only count questioned and early ballots today, while absentees there won’t be counted until tomorrow.

UPDATE 6:10 p.m. ET (2:10 p.m. local) — Just confirmed with Miller campaign manager Robert Campbell: Absentee ballots in districts 13-16 — Miller-Palmer area, aka the Mat-Su Valley — will not be counted until Wednesday. So today’s totals, with Lisa Murkowski gaining slightly, do not reflect the final outcome in those districts, generally considered a Miller stronghold.

4:35 p.m. ET (12:35 p.m. local) — Joe Miller has just increased his lead over Lisa Murkowski to 1,460 after further counting of absentee ballots in the GOP Senate primary.

Now linked at Conservatives for Palin — thanks! — and also at Riehl World View, where Dan also reports further accusations of shenanigans.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m. ET (12:25 p.m. local time) — “We’re thinking it will be a good day at the end of the day,” Joe Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto says in reaction to preliminary absentee ballot count from Anchorage:

UPDATE 4:05 p.m. (12:05 p.m. local) — Things are very busy at Miller campaign HQ, about three blocks away from the Elections Division office. Spoke briefly to campaign manager Robert Campbell and interviewed campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto and hope to have video in a few minutes.

Thanks for the Ace-o-Lanche — don’t panic, Ace. “So far, it looks pretty good for us,” as one source close to the campaign just said. The Anchorage Daily News is also blogging the results live.

Two friendly ladies named Mary staff the front desk at Joe Miller campaign HQ.

Linked by Brian O’Connor at Red Dog Report. Thanks!

UPDATE 3:25 p.m. ET (11:25 a.m. local) — After preliminary count of absentee ballots from Anchorage division, Joe Miller leads by a 1,325-vote margin, with 48,051 votes to 46726 for Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

Although this narrows Miller’s lead from 1,668 in Election Day results, it is being interpreted as good news by the Miller campaign, because Anchorage had generally leaned toward Murkowski. Miller’s stronghold is in the Mat-Su Valley, where preliminary results of the absentee ballot count will be reported later today.

UPDATE 3:10 p.m. ET (11:10 a.m. local time) — Preliminary totals for absentee ballots from Anchorage should be available within the hour, according to Gail Fenumiai, director of the Alaska Division of Elections.

The absentee count began at 9 a.m. in Anchorage, where five clerks were operating Accu-Vote optical scanners at the Election Divisions headquarters. On the other side of the same room, separated by a partition wall, five more clerks were reviewing “questioned” ballots. Officials and volunteers representing both candidates in the GOP primary — Sen. Lisa Murkowski and challenger Joe Miller — were observing the count.

Meanwhile, the absentee count began at 10 a.m. local time in the Mat-Su Valley district office, while Juneau is scheduled to begin counting at 1 p.m. and the count begins in Fairbanks at 3 p.m.

Soon to be the World’s Most Famous Ballot-Counters operate the Accu-Vote optical scanners at the Elections Division office in Anchorage.

Gail Fenumiai of the Alaska Division of Elections briefs reporters covering the absentee ballot count in Anchorage.

PREVIOUSLY: OK, I just checked. It’s 2.7 miles from my cheap motel near the airport to the Division of Elections office downtown. where they start counting absentee ballots at 9 a.m. (1 p.m. ET). The Division of Elections is less than half a mile from the Joe Miller campaign headquarters. Expect updates throughout the day.

According to the Associated Press, they’ll only be counting about half the remaining ballots today:

Nearly 11,000 absentee ballots are scheduled to be counted Tuesday in Alaska with the outcome of the Republican primary in the U.S. Senate race in the balance.
The Alaska Division of Elections lists 10,850 absentee ballots for the count starting Tuesday morning in Anchorage and Wasilla and Tuesday afternoon in Fairbanks and Juneau.
Another 14,000 ballots still outstanding presumably will be counted Friday and Sept. 8.

Got to take a quick shower and pack. Here’s the front page of today’s Anchorage Daily News:

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Alaska, Election, Joe Miller, Senate

Taking Care Of A Great Lady

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 7 Comments

by Smitty

Baldilocks is a great blogger, author, veteran and Christian.

I’ll admit to being only a couple of chapters into her book, as I’ve mostly been reading non-fiction of late, but I can vouch that it’s well written.

Do lend consideration as you’re able.

Blessings, lady.

Category: Blogging

Somebody Has To Stand Up For The SEIU

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 11 Comments

by Smitty (h/t Nice Deb)

Everyone is giving the SEIU the Dan Quayle treatment for inability to spell ‘American’. Joke’s on you. SEIU representative Jessica Jacksonville* reveals the full sign should be understood as:

Standing Up For The
Actual
Majoritarian
Equal
Redistribution
Community
Activist
Neo-socialist
Dream

For certain ‘nightmare’ values of ‘dream’, of course.

And, yes, we can be confident that the Secretary of ‘Edumacation’ approved this message.

*Not a real person.

Category: Uncategorized

Coburn Over Gingrich, Sure, But How Do We Do Redemption?

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 41 Comments

by Smitty (h/t The Corner)

I don’t disagree with what Senator Coburn says in Politico:

In explaining why he wouldn’t support Gingrich, Coburn specifically targeted the ex-speaker’s three marriages as proof that Gingrich “doesn’t know anything about commitment to marriage.”

“His life indicates he does not have a commitment to the character traits necessary to be a great president,” said Coburn, who also noted that Gingrich is a “super-smart man.”

Coburn’s comments follow criticism of Gingrich from his second wife, Marianne, who recently told Esquire that there is “no way” her ex-husband could become president.

Furthermore, Gingrich’s opportunism on NY-23 and the GZM seem to put him somewhere around Pat Buchanan in the realm of hit-or-miss talking heads.

Still, how do we deal with a guy who’s been married three times? That’s not immoral under Sharia law, and we shouldn’t have religious litmus tests for elected leaders, am I correct? Fred Thompson is rather high mileage, yet I voted for him in the VA primary in 2008. Am I inconsistent in apply moral tests for leadership capacity?

Let me say that (a) we all screw up, and (b) actions subsequent to the screw up, i.e. repentance, are crucial to ‘redeeming’ the figure. Or ‘restoring honor’, if you will. Sure, we blow it, but patterns of indiscretion should diminish sharply over time, or we’re not learning.

How is leadership compartmentalized? Can a man be an overgrown teenager (Bill Clinton) and still be of use in public office? Does non-command of the wedding tackle make a lousy Commander-in-Chief? What about alcoholism or other addiction? I want to say that the best leaders limit their major flaws to hubris.

Having served in the military, I recall being offended that uniformed officers are held to higher standards of conduct that elected officials. To what degree does the act of winning an election constitute a publicly issued pardon (Alcee Hastings)?

Here is something of a conclusion: let us be as forgiving as genuine repentance allows, but, more importantly, strive to diminish the importance of individuals in running the government, so that the negative impact of personal failings is reduced.  Oh, and Senator Coburn would make a far better President than His Newtness.

Category: Politics

Bolton 2012? Bring Him On!

Posted on | August 31, 2010 | 23 Comments

by Smitty

Hot Air casts the bread on the water, quoting the Daily Caller:

Not shy about his position on a wide range of issues, would this critic-in-chief consider a run for commander-in-chief in 2012? Bolton didn’t reject the idea out of hand.

“[I]t is a very great honor that anybody would even think of asking. I’m obviously not a politician. I’ve never run for any federal elective office at all and, you know, it is something that would obviously require a great deal of effort,” he said. “What I do think, though, and what concerns me, is the lack of focus generally in the national debate about national security issues.

I’ve been a tremendous fan of the man since he was the US Ambassador to the UN.

Now that I’m almost nearly sort of rather a small time blogger, I’ve even had the pleasure of meeting the man:

Ambassador John Bolton and some common riff-raff, Army and Navy Club, 30Mar10

I thought it a bit too silly to point out the John Bolton for SecState group on FaceBook to the Ambassador, as that seemed just a bit too ‘groupy’ of a move.

Category: Politics
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