Congratulations to Ethan Berkowitz and Mark Begich.

[Lucky 13]

Former Alaskan here. I want to congratulate Ethan and Mark on their primary victories.

They both ran great campaigns and are very accomplished public servants. I know that they have the message and the experience to take Young down in the fall.

Go Berkowitz!
Go Begich!

[Blue_In_AK]

1. We shall see, Lucky.

My guess is that neither will win in November. The Republicans turned out in droves and seriously outvoted all of the Democrats, despite Ted's imminent trial and Don's upcoming indictment (he is currently basically tied with uber-Conservative Sean Parnell). Rumor on the street is that Mark Begich has ethical problems of his own that could very well come back to bite him in the next couple of years. I am and will always be a Benson supporter -- I'm sick of white male lawyers representing me in Congress. Democratic and Republican candidates in this state are mostly all for sale to the highest bidder. Diane Benson and Gabrielle LeDoux on the Republican side were the exceptions. Money trumps real people every time.

[Lucky 13]

2. Well, Ethan won the primary and is our shot to get Don Young out.

Has Diane conceeded yet? As of last night she said she was holding out for the villages to be counted.

Diane would have won last time, but they don't know how to fundraise. And that's the honest truth.

This time I think we have an ever better shot of beating Don. Here's why...

1) Ethan's a good FUNDRAISER. We'll finally have a campaign spend close to what Young spends.
2) EXPERIENCED. He's been a lawmaker and a prosecutor. Don Young could make the argument that Diane is not qualified enough. He can't claim the same about Ethan.
3) The DNC is actually paying attention to Alaska this year. Barack has put it all in play. Begich and Berkowitz are going to see a LOT more support.


Anyway. As always, it sucks when your candidate loses. But Ethan is a good guy and on point with most of the issues.

Whatever you do, you need to get that crazy old man out of Congress. He's an embarrasment to the state. Turn that red state blue!

[Blue_In_AK]

3. It may be hard for you to understand

but for some of us Diane's unique appeal is that she is NOT a fundraiser of the Ethan Berkowitz variety. Her firmly stated policy all along, in both campaigns, has been that she will not seek out nor accept corporate PAC money or lobbyist contributions. Ethan has no problem with this apparently, which is his prerogative, but Diane would not be true to herself if she took money from sources that she doesn't trust. She is the candidate of the forgotten people, the ones who don't have huge sums of money to contribute, and that is why we love her so much.

As far as fundraising last time, she was affirmatively undercut by the state Democratic party which chose to throw all of its financial support to the Knowles/Berkowitz ticket in the governor's race because, as they told Diane, Don couldn't be beat. It is interesting to note that Knowles/Berkowitz spent vast sums of money, far more than Diane and far more than Sarah Palin, but Sarah won the governorship, and Diane got more votes in the House race than Tony did in the governor's race. So money can't always buy you love.

Begich and Berkowitz can spend all the money they want, but it's not going to make a bit of difference to the die-hard Republicans and conservatives in this state. You lived here, you should know that. I think Mark will have an easier time than Ethan because of Ted's troubles, and because he grew up here and his family is known. Ethan is still seen by many as an "Outsider," a San Francisco liberal of the Nancy Pelosi variety. You know how people hate that up here.

And as for experience, I daresay Diane's "experience" in overcoming the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that have stood before her throughout her life, her "experience" in daring to accomplish things people have assured her she shouldn't even attempt, is just as legitimate as Ethan's experience prosecuting cases in the courtroom and debating in the legislature. I myself am tired of being represented in Congress by white male lawyers who have absolutely nothing in common with my life.

I met Ethan Berkowitz on several occasions many years ago before he was in the state house. He was working as a DA at the time and was friends with the two lawyers for whom I worked as a paralegal. What I remember most about him is that the legal secretary and myself, the two staff people, may as well have been invisible to him. He never spoke to us or acknowledged our presence, not even a hi, how's it goin'. We were just the "help."

I have a lot of thinking to do about this election. I have worked closely with Diane for over two years now, and I know her very well. To me she was the superior candidate. There are already enough lawyers in DC, why do we need to send another one? It's the people's house after all. Let's get some real people in there.

[Lucky 13]

6. I understand quite well the passion Diane's supporters have for her.

I respect you for your love and support for Diane, but there are some pretty specific reasons she lost the governor race, and the congressional race, and now the congressional primary. Let's take emotion out of it for a moment...

Even if you took away Ethan's PAC money, he still way out raised Diane in terms of regular citizens contributing. Now, one way to look at it is Diane's supporters are poor and Ethan's supporters are rich. The other way to look at it is Diane knows how to get people to vote for her, but not to invest in her campaign financially. Yet another way to look at it is she did not develop a strong fundraising committee or lead her team to raise the money needed to do well.

I can't speak to this year's run, but I KNOW what happened in 2006. Her campaign definitely did NOT do all the things they needed to do to raise money. They were disorganized and lacked leadership. What's more, Diane has a problem asking people for money. Working the phones is near torture for her, so she avoided it. It was completely undisciplined... and you just can't do that and expect to win. That's not the way campaigns work.

Regarding the experience question, I understand that Diane has overcome obstacles, but I don't think that overcoming obstacles inherently qualifies you to be a lawmaker over someone with educations, qualifications, and experience. I've overcome MANY obstacles in my life and I'm sure you have too.

Many people inside and outside the party have given her the advice to attempt to win a local race - state house, state senate, city council, etc. Get at least one win under your belt after some hard losses. Put in a couple years service then make your case for governor or congress or Senate. But she won't consider it. It's as if it's beneath her. Instead she suffers high level loss after loss after loss, losing credibility and impact each time. People begin to view her as a perennial loser.

I can't walk in and demand a job as, just for a random example, a police chief. I don't have any schooling remotely related to criminal justice, and zero experience with it. I could just keep applying over and over and over again and getting rejected each time. It's certainly my right to do so. And it's certainly the city's right to deem me not qualified and hire someone with education and experience. If I were smart, I would try to get into the force at a lower level, put in some time working my way up the ladder, demonstrate that I had the ability and judgment to be a good public servant and a leader, expand my resume by volunteering for committees and councils, build coalitions, win respect, and EARN advancement.

But Diane wants to go straight from unemployed writer/poet/actress to Congresswoman with no record, no experience, and no money. To me, it comes off as arrogant.

Ethan has a solid record of service behind him. People wary of how he will represent us in Congress need only look at what he's done in the State House. Look at the bills he's sponsored. Look at his voting record. Look back on how he performed as a DA. It tells us all we need to know. I understand that you may be tired of lawyers representing us, but the thing about lawyers is they have extensively studied the law and the constitution... a pretty impressive qualification for a potential LAWMAKER.

Ethan is a good Dem. He's a strong, proven leader. He's an effective campaigner and fundraiser. He is not an empty suit. He has years of experience behind him and can command a leadership role in Congress.

I know it's the knee jerk reaction in Alaska to label anyone an "outsider" that wasn't born and raised there. But damn. The man has put in decades of service in Alaska on so many levels. It's a silly argument to make in his case and I think people will see right through it... especially considering the high level of transplanted residents.


It's a bitter pill to swallow when your candidate loses. I know this well. But just like Hillary said, it wasn't HER that inspired people's support, but the issues that she was fighting for. Compare Don Young and Ethan on those issues and it's no contest. Ethan blows Don out of the water. If the Dem convention has inspired me to believe anything, it's that regardless of your personal feelings towards them, it's CRITICAL we elect more dems at all levels. Otherwise we are in for a world of hurt and more dead/disabled/traumatized troops. And we have people like Don Young to thank for it.

Just things to consider, IMHO.

[Ken Burch]

14. My God your post is arrogant.

1)Diane has only run for Congress twice. The governor's race was a whole different matter. She didn't expect to win that one, she was in it to raise issues and speak for those(Natives, the workers, the poor)that neither major candidate gave a damn about.

2)Ethan is an ok guy, but there's no way in hell that the heavy pressure from the national party to impose him and stop Diane could possibly have been justified. Being on the losing end of an endless series of 27-13 votes(which was basically all he did as minority leader, having no political influence or effectiveness whatsoever in that job)doesn't go near to validating the "Ethan's the REAL candidate" attitude that his supporters had, or the sense of entitlement they and you shared about him.

I'm going to support the guy. It may be through gritted teeth, but I'll do it. But you and I both know Diane didn't deserve having the party go hardball to stop her.

We'd be in an even stronger position against Don if the party had got behind Diane the way it got behind Ethan.

Victory would be assured, in fact.

But no, it had to be the white trustifarian who pees standing up.

[Lucky 13]

21. Just because you disagree with my opinion doesn't make it "arrogant"

1) I understand that Diane has run for Congress twice and governor once. But that's three high profile losses under her belt. All I'm saying is that when ANYONE loses three elections in a row, the public begins to view you as a perinneal candidate and you lose cred little by little.

2) The party did not "impose" him. Diane did not have claim to the primary. She is not owed it since she ran and lost last time. Competition is a good thing in the party, especially in Alaska where often we can barely find ANYONE to run for various seats. The party itself did not give money or resources to either in the primary. So at the beginning of the primary season, as far as I'm concerned, they were on an even playing field. If anything Diane had a leg up since she essentially just carried her campaign over from 2006.

The fact of the matter is that Diane does not know how to fundraise. She hates doing it and she avoids it.

And you can slam Berkowitz for being the MINORITY leader and not being able to overcome the Republican majority. (I don't know who you think could have done BETTER in that tough position...) But being minority leader, state legislator, and DA at least APPEARS to many people to make him much more qualified than a poet/writer/actress. Could you at least see how some people might feel that way?

[Ken Burch]

25. It would have been a waste of Diane's time and energy to be in the state legislature.

Her main issue was veterans. You can't do anything that matters for veterans at the state level.

And if she had run for the state house in the district that Kay Brown wanted her to run in, she'd have lost so badly it would've guaranteed she could never run for anything again. No one ever had a successful political career after losing overwhemingly in a state legislative race. No one anywhere. The point of the recruitment was to destroy her.

[Lucky 13]

27. You think the Democratic Party and Kay Brown deliberately tried to "destroy" Diane... in 2006?!?

That is utterly ridiculous. Especially back in 2006. She wasn't even a threat to anyone then. At the beginning no one even took her seriously! The party had NO ONE to run against Don. Diane stepped up and filled the void.

All I can tell you what Kay Brown and Diane herself told me themselves. What you are suggesting is not what happened. I suggest you ask Kay Brown directly and get the party's side of things, because someone ain't telling you the truth.

You know, it's fun to believe conspiracy theories and it can make you feel better to blame your favorite candidate's loss on someone else's secret vendetta, but come on. This is getting ridiculous. The truth is usually more simple than we make it out to be.

[liberalaska]

4. People voted on the R ballot in droves

As I'm sure you know there aren't a ton of registered D's up here. I personally know 7 or 8 people who voted on the R ballot yesterday who have no intention of voting for a republican in November. The number of ballots cast doesn't mean much to me.

And Begich's rumored ethical problems you mention are crap, the ramblings of a self important buffoon. He may have done some things that Metcalfe or you wouldn't have done, but from what I have seen he didn't do anything illegal, or even unethical. I think his biggest problem is forgetting something on his APOC report, but I believe him that it was an honest mistake.

I agree with you on Diane, I voted for her yesterday and am no fan of Berkowitz. But he'll get my vote in November, and I think he has a damn good chance. The ongoing Republican primary for that seat shows that they are split, and to be honest I think Parnell won it easily if not for a lot of people who thought Don would be easier to beat in November. Don doesn't have the support from over half of the republican ballot voters, and I think the Benson voters will all (or 99% at least) be voting for Berkowitz. Don't underestimate our chances, and don't give up yet. Even a Democrat white male lawyer is better than Don.

[snowbear]

5. Same here..

I also know several Democrats who switched over for this primary only just to try and ensure Don wins. Not because they like the old fart, but evidently polling shows he's easier for the Democrat to beat than Parnell.

The way it's looking though.. if they've counted most of the rural bush vote and still have approximately 6K absentee ballots, that could fair well for Parnell. He's kind of a weasle (if you know him personally) and I actually hope it's Young that is up against Ethan.

The entire other race will depend on the outcome of the trial. If old man Ted is found inoccent, we know who wins...

If he's found guilty on any of the -- what is it--- 7 felony charges.. he's FINALLY history!

Blue-- Big hig to you for working so hard for Diane. You should talk her into running for the mayor's race next spring!

[Blue_In_AK]

7. I don't think mayor would be a good fit, personally,

as she is much more an advocate than an administrator. Diane doesn't have any definite plans at the moment, of course, but my guess is she will continue her work for the wounded veterans and sexual assault survivors, and continue to push rural Alaskan issues, and the issues of the poor and the working class. I know she had a good talk with Lisa Murkowski at Election Central Tuesday night about their common interest in the fate of the returning troops, and Lisa mentioned that she knows the two of them will be working closely together in the future, so it's possible that there could be an appointment of some sort or a staff position where she could put her talents to work. She is so passionate about this issue and could really make a difference, I think, given the right opportunities. Some of her strongest supporters have been Iraq war veterans, Jon Soltz, etc.

As for Don and Parnell, I agree with you that it works to our advantage to have Don be the nominee, particularly since he's likely to be indicted soon anyway. I'm still pondering the Berkowitz thing, though. It angers me that the power people inside the Democratic Party don't take Diane seriously, that they so completely withheld their support in 2006 when she could have won, and then undermined her from the beginning in this cycle. Many of her supporters think why should she (and we) actively support Ethan when she got nada from him and Tony in 2006. They could have helped her so much, but they didn't -- and it's probably because they foresaw this opportunity in 2008. Let Diane weaken Don, show that a Democrat could bloody him up a bit, and then push her aside and swoop in for the kill. Before they get our full backing, I think Ethan and the party officials owe us an explanation for why this happened, when she was the only one with the balls, frankly, to take Don on in 2006, when she was really way out ahead of Don's corruption, his ties to Abramoff, DeLay, VECO, etc., and already had strong support among independents and many Republicans.

Also, I still question why Ethan would accept lobbyist money from people who have been indicted (Weimar, Reed) and then not return it when called on it by Diane. To me, it just doesn't look good. The donations weren't all that large, it wouldn't have hurt him that much to give the money back, and it would have shown that he is serious about his ethics. His 45-second speech on the legislative floor in 2006 or 2005, whenever it was, was good and all that, but where was he the previous 10 years when the corruption was going on all around him? Why wasn't he loudly voicing his outrage all along? It seems like political posturing right before an election, and it bothers me.

I'm sure he would be better than Don or Sean, of course -- anybody would be -- but I'm worried that once he gets to Washington, he too will assume that sense of entitlement and will settle in to become just another fat-cat congressman-for-life, out of touch with the needs of his constituents at home. Would he commit to a maximum of six terms maybe, as Diane did? I just don't know.

[Lucky 13]

8. "I'm sure he would be better than Don or Sean, of course -- anybody would be." AMEN.

A couple things though...

You said... "Many of her supporters think why should she (and we) actively support Ethan when she got nada from him and Tony in 2006."

Because it's not about her or you it's about the greater good and what is best for the state and the nation. Sometimes you lose, but the choice between your Democratic primary opponent and and evil Republican is an easy one! And we can't wait until next time. We need this change NOW. Can you imagine the good that could be done if we have Barack Obama as President AND we can give him a decent majority in Congress. Things might actually get DONE!

Regarding their lack of help... they were running their own difficult campaign. It was their decision to focus on their fight. Diane was supposed to have been a HUGE long shot and it would have been pretty risky to devote limited time and resources to her. No one expected her to do as well as she did. She surprised a lot of people and earned a lot of respect.

***

You said... "I'm worried that once he gets to Washington, he too will assume that sense of entitlement and will settle in to become just another fat-cat congressman-for-life, out of touch with the needs of his constituents at home."

This is the risk you run electing ANYONE to office. Some of the most ethical people around have gone to Washington and have done shockingly unethical things. So you pay attention, call them out when they do wrong, and vote them out if they become corrupt. But don't project misdeeds onto Ethan he hasn't committed yet. There's plenty of CRIMINALS in Washington we should take down before we start attacking good Democrats for something they might do.

***

You said... "Let Diane weaken Don, show that a Democrat could bloody him up a bit, and then push her aside and swoop in for the kill. Before they get our full backing, I think Ethan and the party officials owe us an explanation for why this happened, when she was the only one with the balls, frankly, to take Don on in 2006, when she was really way out ahead of Don's corruption, his ties to Abramoff, DeLay, VECO, etc., and already had strong support among independents and many Republicans."

That's not really the way it happened. Kay Brown of the Democratic Party asked her to switch from Green to Dem to run in 2006 because, like many races in Alaska, they had NO ONE to put up against the Republicans. It's not that they didn't have "balls"... Eric Croft and Ethan Berkowitz had already decided to run for Governor. Ethan might have run against Don Young then had he known Tony was going to declare a run at the last minute, but who could have predicted it? It sucked for both Ethan and Eric that it happened that way.

But just because she ran against Don in 2006 and lost doesn't mean she is ENTITLED to be the Democrat that runs against him in 2008. Ethan was available. Ethan is vastly qualified. And Ethan wanted to run. And he has every right to do so. The Democratic Party couldn't tell him NO even if they wanted to... IT'S HIS RIGHT.

The real question is, if Diane were poised to actually go the distance and defeat Don once and for all this year, why couldn't she beat Ethan in the primary? If she still had the support she did in 2006, she SHOULD have beaten Ethan easily. But Ethan beat her... and it wasn't close. He had strong campaign and fundraising plans and implemented them effectively. He got more votes than her. The stronger candidate prevails and goes on to the general.

The Democratic Party in Alaska is wicked disorganized and poorly funded. Even if they really did favor Ethan somehow over Diane, the help they provided couldn't have helped that much. And compared to the other things Diane has overcome in her life, overcoming that bit of help was definitely doable.

Flip that argument on it's head for a second. She had a campaign established and working on this since 2006. She had earned thousands of votes in the previous election. She was becoming an even larger name in Alaska as time went on. One COULD make the argument that ETHAN overcame a lot by being able to begin a new campaign just a few months ago and defeat last election's primary winner.

It's all in how you look at it...

[Blue_In_AK]

9. Are you on his payroll?

[Lucky 13]

10. Certainly not, since I live in Vermont

But I was involved in Alaska politics and know all the players well.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. Obviously.

[hibiscusNAK]

12. berkowitz

Perhaps Diane should consider running as an independent in the general. She hasnt gotten the respect or support she deserves from the Dems, so what does she have to lose? She has so many supporters from all over Alaska and has great name recognition. Highly doubtful Ethan will win unless Don is indicted... and even that may not help.

[Ken Burch]

13. No, that would be a terrible choice.

Yes, Diane was treated horribly by the regular Dems, but going independent would give those creeps the ammunition to justify their abuse of her. Also, that would give them the chance to blame her if Ethan blows it.

Finally, she'd have no way to get the money together to make a credible run.

I feel the same anger you do about the way the party did her dirty, but going independent now would simply subject Diane to more hatred from the same bastards that muscled her out of the way this Tuesday.

I say she and those of us who support her should stay together and try to build something new for the future, rise from the ashes of this and fight another day.

[snowbear]

16. Why would she hand the election to a rTHUG?

.
.

She already firmly stated during her primary that she would NOT run as an Independent if she didn't win the nomination.

Do you really think Diane would hand Idiot Don or Pathetic Parnell the election?????



---- NO WAY.

[Ken Burch]

17. No one thinks Diane would actually do it, Larissa.

The responsibility for the independent candidacy suggestion was solely that of the poster who made it, not Diane herself. That poster may be a paid Republican troublemaker for all we know.

Could you tell me, for the record, why YOU think it was so important to stop Diane and put the rich white guy in instead? It really bothers me that a good person was pushed aside by so many supposedly progressive people.

[snowbear]

19. Say what?

Ken said....

"Could you tell me, for the record, why YOU think it was so important to stop Diane and put the rich white guy in instead?"

When did I ever say anything about Diane ever being stopped by anyone?

I always would have and will vote for the DEMOCRATIC candidate in each race, regardless of which Dem it was.

I don't know anything about Ethan and McSame's new sidekick.

Dayum guys!

It's not like I donated to the guy or have ever done ANYTHING for his campaign!! NADA.

But he won.

And if he's attempting to lean right in order to win enough votes to beat Corrupt Young and Ditzwad Parnell, hey - it's better than weasle-face "Club for Growth" Parnell getting in!!

YES- I think can easily win if corrupt Don gets the nod.

But with the votes left to be counted .. I'm guessing that they're more urbanites than rural residents who vote by early ballot, which leads me to at least think that Parnell may benefit from that.

I hope I'm wrong.

YES, I want Don to win that nomination! I'm sorry - but he's a much easier target in the General.

I can't tell you how many Ugly Thuglies I see at the rink daily who tend to vote Republican. They all (and it's a LOT of them) want to see Alaska's Congressional seat go to a Democrat and will be voting against lowly Sean and homely Don.

Will Diane consider running in any other more local elections until something she'd prefer opens up?

I think Blue was right that she been imcredible if she was appointment to head up military affairs for Lisa in DC (is that what you meant Blue?) or in ANY other political path she wishes to take.

Let me know what she decides to do next. I promise, I will pitch in BIG TIME in any way you all see fit!!!

[Ken Burch]

20. Sorry, Larissa, I went too far with that.

My understanding was that you backed Ethan in the primary. I'm feeling bitter at the moment(if we can use the "b-word" again, that is), and I unfairly lashed out at you.

I guess I don't understand why so many D's, not including yourself, seemed to think that preventing Diane from being renominated was more important than actually winning the Congressional race. $600,000 was pissed away in his campaign that is now permanently lost to us for the fall. Ethan simply isn't inherently superior enough to justify such a pointless misuse of Democratic money.

I never thought I'd hope that Don pulled out a close win, but that's what I'm hoping now...in the primary. Ethan beats a kick in the head.

[Lucky 13]

29. She couldn't beat Ethan in the primary!

But you think she has a prayer as an independent in a 3-way race for Congress against Berkowitz and Young???

All it would do is play the spoiler for Ethan and ostracize her from the party. Her career in Alaskan politics would be over before it began.

[Ken Burch]

15. They couldn't tell him no, but they did have a moral obligation to be neutral in the primary

It's never acceptable for the national party to try to impose one candidate as the nominee. That's what the DCCC did. You know as well as I that it was indefensible.

And it's bullshit to say Kay Brown recruited her. For one thing, why would the Dems recruit a candidate and then refuse to do anything to help her? As they put it on STAR TREK "Does not compute". For another, if the Dems were going to recruit a candidate, why would the recruit a former Green, when otherwise sane regular Dems across the country have an irrational hatred of anyone who was ever in the Green Party? For some reason, it's perfectly ok for Rahm Emmanuel to have recruited tons of former Republicans, most of whom worked hard to defeat tons of Democratic candidates, but Greens, even if(as was the case with Diane)they had never caused a single Democrat to lose an election, are anathema.

And you still haven't offered a rational explanation of why the party would think it makes more sense to recruit a whole new candidate, one who had no meaningful statewide name familiarity before his campaign this year, to start from scratch rather than get behind the person who was solely responsible, despite the party's best efforts to sandbag her in '06, for the Congressional seat being in play at all? This is sort of like the office where a woman who works there loses the management job to a new younger man and is then expected to TRAIN the punk in his job.

Diane was abused and misused by the party, and all Berkowitz supporters owe her both thanks(for their candidate having a chance to beat Don)and an apology(for not giving her the chance she had earned).

A progressive woman was ousted for a lame, bland, passionaless centrist hack who has never had a firm conviction about anything. Y'know, the kind of choice we make that always results in us losing?

[Blue_In_AK]

18. And we're going to lose again, Ken,

although it would appear that Ethan is tacking to the right already with his support of Sarah Palin for VP. Maybe he can pick up enough Republicans to pull it off, but I fear that the Democrats will stay home in droves -- particularly in the Bush, where Diane did exceptionally well. I'm just so sick about this. Even if he wins, we won't have a progressive Democratic congressman -- just more business as usual.

[Lucky 13]

22. Back up one step...

You said.. "And it's bullshit to say Kay Brown recruited her."

Kay Brown absolutely recruited her to run in 2006. She specifically asked her to switch her party affiliation from Green to Dem to run against Don. Why did she do this? 1) The Dems had NO ONE else to run against Don that was viable; and 2) Kay saw a lot of potential in Diane.

How do I know this happened? Because I was there. I've heard it both from their own mouths together and independently. And if you ask them yourself, and they are honest, they will tell you the same thing.

The Alaska Democratic Party did not have the resources to financially support Diane like you would have liked in 2006. It's pathetic, I know, but it's the truth. It was eye-opening to me to see how financially pathetic and disorganized they were.

I personally don't know where they spent their limited funds in 2006, but I guess they chose to focus on the governors race, which was a smart decision at the time. It was, in theory, a much more "winnable" race than Benson vs. Young. NO ONE had any idea Diane would be as competitive as she was.

This time around, I suspect that the Dems didn't have to talk Ethan into running. I suspect Ethan made that decision on his own. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure they completely encouraged him and were excited about his candidacy. But they didn't actively seek to oust Diane. Just put up the strongest candidates possible. Arguments can be made for both about why each is stronger. So that's why we have primaries.

And think about this from Ethan's perspective. He wants to hold elected office. He's already been minority leader in Juneau. There was no gov race. Mark was going to run against Uncle Ted. That means the next logical move in his career was to run for Congress. The Democratic Party couldn't tell him NOT to run the same way they couldn't tell Diane NOT to run. It's open access. As long as you fill out your paperwork correctly and meet the requirements ANYONE can run! Expecting the party to block other candidates from campaigning for that office, especially a experienced Alaskan lawmaker like Ethan, just because Diane ran and lost last time is ludicrous and undemocratic.

If you recall, Diane had primary opponents in 2006 too, it's just that none of them were actually viable. This time she actually had some competition and needed to step up her game - especially on the fundraising front. I think last time she ran against Don, she only raised about $200,000! That ain't gonna cut it!

I can tell you that the policy of the Alaska Democratic party is that pre-primary they take no sides and offer none of the candidates any additional funding or support over their primary opponents. It's up to the candidates at that time to raise the money, do the ground work, and win the votes. Once the primary has been decided, they then can move to further support that candidate.

Now, whatever role the DCCC played in this race, I honestly don't know much about. But let's focus our anger and disappointment in the right place! If DCCC really wronged Diane in some way, take it up with them, but I just don't see how Diane's primary loss is the fault of Ethan or the Alaska Democratic Party. No one ever has the right to expect to run unopposed in a primary. And if you can't take on a primary opponent and win how the hell do you expect to take on the Republicans and win?

[Blue_In_AK]

23. It appears opinions differ on this.

From what I understand, Kay Brown attempted to recruit Diane to run against an unopposed Republican incumbent in her state House district in 2006. I have this from Diane's campaign treasurer, whom, if you know everyone involved, you must know.

1. The Dems didn't ask Diane to run, they practically begged her. They wanted her to run in one of the State races where Republicans were unopposed (Eagle River). This would have been a complete joke given how red Eagle River is. Diane had very specific reasons for running against Don, not the least of which was his record with Veterans.

2. It took a lot of courage to take Don on and the Dems were not happy about it. I look back at a video of Diane's speech to the Democratic Convention in Anchorage in 2006. And there is Jake Metcalfe sitting there with his arms crossed for most of her speech. We later found out that Rahm Emanuel specifically told Jake not to support Diane. I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that Rahm had plans for Ethan even then. All this while Diane was revitalizing the party with her energy and promise.

3. When Tony entered the Governor's race, Ethan could have then run against Young. Instead he chose what he thought was the more likely win by running with Tony. Again, my personal opinion, but I think that he weighed that one pretty carefully and decided to go with the odds- how inspiring.

4. Yes, Ethan has a lot of political know how and he knows how to get elected. But he is more of a politician than a legislator. How many bills did he introduce and how many were passed? What are the distinguishing features of his time in office other than his last minute grandstanding in front of the cameras trying to pull a "Palin" with his belated protestations. Juneau is a very small town and everyone there knows what goes on down there. Why not speak out sooner? Why not act on the ton of evidence that was presented by Ray Metcalfe and others? I am really tired of rich kids playing with our lives when they have little skin in the game.

The whole conservative Democratic culture of making change by adopting the tactics of the Republicans is a cop out. To me, it is just Dems trying to take power away from R's, not for the benefit of the people but to have power themselves. An honest person, trying to truly represent the people has little chance of winning this game.

[Ken Burch]

24. hear, hear, Blue.

And, since Blue has discredited your claim about Kay Brown recruiting Diane for the '06 Congressional race and instead shown that what they actually wanted was for Diane to end her political career then and there by running as a sacrificial lamb in Eagle River, I hope you'll do the decent thing and admit you were wrong on that.

It would have been a lot easier for Ethan to get unified party support if his whole campaign hadn't had such an overpowering tone of arrogance and entitlement. His supporters didn't have to take such an overbearing "Ethan's the REAL candidate" attitude.

[Blue_In_AK]

26. Thank TV for this.

Those are all his words, and he would know.

[Lucky 13]

28. I know Diane's treasurer well.

And I can tell you that he wasn't there for the conversations between Diane and Kay. Tony is a nice guy and, being Diane's ex-husband, is extremely protective of her, but he's wrong about the party trying to "ruin" her. That's emotion and hurt feelings talking.

1) Lots of people have told Diane to run for state house first... not to destroy her, but to allow her to gain SOME measure of experience before trying to unseat a congressman who's been there for 30+ years. She is a "writer/poet/actress"! How does that remotely qualify her for Governor or Congress? If you were talking to a new Alaskan voter who knows nothing about Diane, what can you say to sway them to believe she's a better candidate than Ethan? Because you have a good feeling about her? Because she's nice? Because her son was injured in Iraq? Because she thinks like you on the issues? All those things are nice, but when you compare her meager resume, with no leadership, legislative, business, or legal experience to Ethan's she is at a BIG disadvantage!

People have given her the advice to start at state house or legislature. Serve even just ONE term and THEN run for congress or senate or governor or whatever. 1) It buys you increased name recognition. 2) Gives you an opportunity to fight for causes Alaskans care about and therefore they will take note of you. 3) Shows that she's not some unknown, unqualified perinneal candidate.... it shows she can run a campaign, get elected, serve in office, and develop a record. If she did that for only ONE TERM, THEN ran for higher office, she'd have much better results. But she, and apparently you, don't want to hear that. It's as if it's "beneath" her.

2) I don't know a thing about Rahm Emmanuel or any directives to Jake Metcalfe. Can't speak to that. I know a lot of Democrats don't like Diane because of when she ran as a green against Fran and Frank. They believe her to be the "Nader" of that race and blame her for the loss - right or wrong, that's how some people FEEL. (Please note that this is not at all how I feel about it. I think her presence in the race was a positive thing.)

3) When Tony entered the Governor's race, Ethan couldn't just switch over and run for Congress! That would look utterly ridiculous. A PR disaster. His whole campaign system had been geared towards running for governor! Plus I believe there are campaign finance laws that would have been broken. You can't accept donations with the intention of running for governor then just switch over to run for congress. I think some of this was circumvented by switching to Lt. Gov. and getting donor's permission to use those funds for this different purpose. I'd have to do some research on that. But don't be naive and think he could easily have stopped his governor campaign at that point and switch to the Congressional race. That's ridiculous!

The truth is Tony entering the race threw both him and Eric Croft for a loop. Those two couldn't compete against the recognition Knowles has built up in the state, so he decided to defer to Tony and take take the consolation prize of Lt. Gov. What's wrong with that? I found it a respectable move.

4) It's hard to pass legislation when you are the minority party. But say, how much legislation has Diane gotten passed? What has SHE done for Alaskans?

Ray Metcalfe, while he has some good information SOMETIMES, is a regarded by most people as a NUT. KIMO and KTUU would continuously get emails and phone calls from him, follow-up on the info, and have it turn out to be a non-troversy. Eventually they just started tuning him out. It's hard to take anything that man says seriously. One day he's a republican, the next a democrat, the next an independent... all depending on what suits his interests. Not exactly a reliable source. He's one of those perennial candidates that has lost a lot of cred.


Again, it's tempting to want to blame your candidate's loss on some massive conspiracy designed to "ruin" her, but as is typical, the truth is much more simple. No one ruined Diane. No one sabotaged her campaign. She doesn't know how to fundraise and she runs an undisciplined campaign - and she doesn't want to take anyone's advice about anything. That is why she's lost every race she's been in.

[AK-tlife]

30. Addressing a few items

Just to set the record straight: The fact is Diane Benson ran a business promoting Alaska talent nationally and internationally, for over ten years. That's business experience. Diane worked as a paralegal, representing clients in administrative hearings, and she won almost every case. She probably has more hours of actual courtroom time defending clients than Ethan does prosecuting folks. That's legal experience. Diane did legal research and advocacy work throughout her life in areas of employment rights, subsistence rights, and justice for victims of crime. Diane even helped the Berger Commission with summarizations of village hearings. She has testified before Congressional hearings on several Alaskan issues. Diane wrote and successfully pushed resolutions to state and national organizations regarding Veterans, as well as testifying to the state legislature on behalf of Veterans bills that both passed.

Furthermore, Diane has made presentations and served as a keynote speaker statewide and nationally on issues of violence and recovery and has written extensively on these subjects. Including writing and editing for a textbook used at UCLA in their law department. Diane serves and has served on numerous boards and committees in her life, including, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Military Committee, Healing Racism in Anchorage and a myriad of other committees. (you are welcome to look at the lists posted on her website). Being an "actor" has been such a minor part of her life. And even in that, she pushed for better treatment of workers, and better work conditions on film sites.

Diane has inspired many young Alaskan leaders through inspirational presentations; has lectured many a high school and university classroom on Alaska history, on women in leadership, and on cultural awareness and Alaskan politics. Virtually ALL of her work and volunteering has been to help others. She even, on her own time and dollar, arranged for the burial of a homeless Vietnam war veteran left unattended. I doubt that Ethan has ever done anything even remotely like that.

In regard to money: Diane did a phenomenal job of making calls to raise money for her campaign. She raised just about as much as Palin did in her Primary race for Governor. Unfortunately (for Diane, but fortunately for Ethan) the DCCC said they would stay out of the Primary, but then turned around and backed Ethan from day one. In the 2006 race, Jake Metcalfe, the head of the Alaska Democratic Party, was ordered by Rahm Emanuel to NOT support Diane in any way.

Diane stuck to her guns in not accepting corporate PAC money, but she did raise money - from people, and thousands of them. And she raised a respectable $252,000 for this Primary alone. She did that. So it is incorrect to say that she was unwilling to raise money. She out raised Jake Metcalfe in two quarters in a row - when he was in the race. And he had the gall to claim she wouldn't and couldn't raise money.
continued

[AK-tlife]

31. continued

I don’t know much about Ethan and it seems like he has managed to keep his past out of the limelight pretty effectively. He obviously comes from a privileged background- I doubt that he ever has had to worry about the next rent payment, or paying off a student loan. He easily sets up “businesses” with no apparent clients but a nice downtown office. In reality, Diane has had more business and work experience.

Just as Obama is prepared to lead this country based on his character, wisdom and experience, so too Diane Benson was prepared to represent Alaska in Congress. Diane is the true choice for change: she cares, she is brave, she has more relevant experience than Don did, and mostly because she has the backbone and character to always do the right and honorable thing. Alaska missed a chance for a true Stateswoman.