As an officer of The Alaska Democratic Party, I am disgusted!Back during the primary race, I was constantly chastised here by Ethan Berkowitz supporters for going over their line in my support of his opponent in that race, Diane Benson. In over 160 anonymous comments here, his supporters took one angle after another to attack me for not being a loyal Democrat.
They challenged my claim before the primary, that I would publicly offer my help to Berkowitz the morning after the primary, should Berkowitz prevail.
At the Egan Center, as the primary results scrolled out on the big screen, I asked Ethan's wife to pin a Berkowitz campaign button on my lapel. I walked out of the center, arm-in-arm with Diane Benson, as Diane saw the button.
The next morning, I called Kevin Brown and David Shurtleff, both paid Berkowitz staff, offering my help.
I haven't heard back from Ethan, Kevin or David. Like every other Democrat in Alaska, though, I've heard both Ethan and Mark claim Sarah Palin's weird elevation to a job she couldn't possibly handle, is a good thing. That wasn't merely disloyal, it was plain fucking stupid, guys.
I hope some readers out there now more fully understand why I have been so concerned about Ethan's inability to discern what is truly at stake here.
I refuse, as an Alaska Democrat, trying to build this Party back up to dominance in Alaska politics, to hide, when the shit starts to hit the fan.
How's the vote counting going, Sean.....?
17 comments:
Nice photo.
;-)
I still think they're comparing barbers.
Ish
AH yes....who will watch the watchers? Curious indeed. Parnell is the fox guarding the hen house...
Phil,
why do you justify victimization of a young Alaskan woman?
It makes one wonder if you are one of those closet abusers of women.
So are you going to delete my message? Because it rings a bit of truth?
Odd that you would repost that photo remake and not have a single word about it in the associated thread. Actually it is quite revealing about your inner abusive tendencies towards young Alaskan women.
Good grief go ahead and attack the parents, and find it within yourself to step back from further victimizion of the child.
Nobody has victimized the child except Sarah Palin, who apparently didn't teach her about birth control. If Sarah was concerned about her children, she wouldn't use them for campaign props. She invited this scrutiny by accepting John McCain's ridiculous offer. Yes, the poster is tasteless, but it's out there. If the Palins want to play with the big boys, they're going to have to get used to it.
Phil, I don't always agree with you, but I admire that your moral compass always works. (Moral does not always mean that we agree.) You have your guidelines that do not waiver, on LGBT rights, rights of "other" classes (dare I say underclass?) and you speak out. I am saddened that Ethan has not accepted your support-- that to me sounds like he is thinking, "You supported my opponent! Therefore you were against ME and I will never EVER forget it." You are of the same party and share principles. You are sharp and articulate, perhaps possessing a forked tongue, but you use it well.
You don't seem to carry grudges-- if someone comes around to your way of thinking, you won't be slamming them, you'll praise them for having learned something.
Sarah being nominated makes me very happy-- but we are having to sift through a lot of gnus to get to the real stuff now and this is annoying. Everything seems to be how it relates to the GNC!
Hey, I just heard JMcsomething say that sarah the fish sold murkys jet for a profit. A profit? really? I sort of remember that it was sold for a loss. I don't rightly remember for sure but sure enough John McCain just said live that she sold the jet for a profit and I sort of think not.
anony MOUSE @ #3 -
The poster prepared for Howe Klein, to which you refer (see Chapter 24), parodies the movie "Juno." Have you seen it?
It is a heart-warming movie about how a young woman who finds herself pregnant, grows up, as she brings her baby to term. She takes total responsibility for the issue herself, deciding herself how to deal with something that will inevitably become public.
The young woman, Juno, is able to decide each new issue that comes up during the pregnancy, herself. The movie is quite pro-life, and is family and values affirming.
The publicity and propagandizing of Bristol Palin's pregnancy is 100% the product of two people, as far as I've been able to tell - Sarah Palin and John McCain. These two have agreed to a policy that has produced millions upon millions of images of the young woman all over the internet, in ways that young woman has no control over whatsoever, a far as I can determine.
Palin and McCain have now drawn a young man into their publicity campaign, which has to be one of the strangest, most child manipulative in American history.
The poster produced for Mr. Klein, and reproduced here, is merely an observation upon that level of manipulation. The poster treats the manipulation of Bristol Palin by the McCain campaign with humor.
To equate this with victimization of a young Alaska woman, is absurd, after what her mom is dragging her through. If you don't get that, I pity you.
Keep posting your humorous observations about my views, anony MOUSE.
I'm a republican but I enjoy your blog.
I can see the quandry of Berky and Marky.
Unless Palin is driven from the ticket the R's will swamp this Alaskan election. Marky and Berky will be swept aside unless they say "me too" I think Palin is great!
So they are going to be very careful about getting assistance from an anti-sarah blogger.
It's sometimes a lonely existence. I remember the Kertulla days thinking that the only way we were going to get a republican in was to run him as a D. Right now you are in the same boat.
anon @ #8,
The problem with this dilemma, and especially the candidate for the AK-AL US House seat, is that by supporting Palin, they are depressing the Democratic Party vote in November, and giving material support to Alaska GHOP candidates. That appears to me to be a violation of Section 6A of the current Alaska Democratic Party Plan.
Phil, you don't like Berkowitz, just admit it and move on. Begich also made a "We're proud" statement, before Berkowitz btw, and yet you call out Berkowitz. As in your last comment, "especially the candidate for the AK-AL US House seat".
And they are in no way suppressing Dem turnout, nor are they violating Section 6A because they are not providing support to Sarah and you know it.
As an Alaskan, I am proud of Sarah's accomplishments. As an American, I am sure as hell voting for Obama because the idea of a McCain presidency is unimaginably bad. The only thing worse would be handing the keys to the kingdom to Palin. But I can still be proud of her accomplishments.
I'll withhold judgment for the time being, although I too thought that Ethan's press release was a little on the smarmy side. But as long as he and Mark ACTIVELY campaign for Obama and don't do any more than congratulate Sarah on the nomination, I'll be mollified.
I think Sarah's in way over her head. I only hope the voters have more common sense than John McCain did.
it makes me feel more than i did already that berkowitz is really bush league, and he isn't engaged enough to win a statewide contest. he should be aggressively pursuing every thread and every offer of help, flattening his organizational pyramid and spereading the word as far as possible. if the R-D split in the general is the same as the primary, ethan has to close an apparent 14 point or greater gap, right? this isn't the same effort at all, compared to what it takes to win a house seat in a downtown, midtown or east anchorage district. and i don't think he can count on don young self-destructing before november. he's probably downloading a lot of advice from national organizers that isn't relevant to alaska.
Phil, anony MOUSE here...
Dude you don't get it..
Govenor Palin's views on creation are the problem here. DO YOU HEAR ME? GOV PALIN VIEWS IS THE PROBLEM ! Not Bristol and her situation.
Yes the Gov brought the kid out on stage. But hell you are acting like you wanted too, via stating she (the gov.) did it, so you are going to as well (with that reposting of the remake photo).
You are revictimizing the teen mother with your actions and you actually justify them. Sad.
As for the movie Juno, saw it and wasn't impressed. As a teen mother in Alaska, I felt the movie had lots of real life flaws.
Since you seem to relate to movies, I'm sure you were impressed with how the teen goes about making decisions. Actually the movie protrays it quite well. Most humans, like you, feel teens don't have such depth of thought. Hence your ability to relate to the Juno movie. Was it 'trendy' for you? Were you enlightened and joyed to see it across the movie screen? Duh. And you pity me?
Yet you continue to victimize Bristol with posting the remake of the photo. Hell in my eyes, you are victimizing Bristol in the same manner that the GOP is.
Yeah, I know it is difficult to talk about the present GOP values and pro-life issues and then see a preggo teenager up on their stage. But do try.
Yours truly
anony MOUSE
once a teen mother, always a teen mother, who by the way does not need your pity, the present GOP does. Leave the teens out of it.
"Yet you continue to victimize Bristol with posting the remake of the photo. Hell in my eyes, you are victimizing Bristol in the same manner that the GOP is."
When Hell is in your eyes, there is no hope, Mouse. ;)
Have you been to What Do I Know, Mudflats and several other blogs? The cincher in this for who I will vote for is reading that Track was one of the miscreants who severed the break lines with three of his chums on the buses that one day.
Damn, if she can't keep her brood in order, she really isn't ready for the White House. She should be promoting stronger punishments for youthful offenders or something.
anony MOUSE - thanks. The whole package of Palin is what people are being shown by McCain. We're learning a lot here.
Aspects of the family thing are a big, shiny object, perhaps. And - as you may have noticed - I've been highly critical about Palin's anti-science stance and the implicit anti-Semitism of millenialist Christian Zionist sects like the Assembly of God and the Bible Church.
If you would are to write a guest post here about aspects of Palin's shortcomings, please be my guest. I'll welcome you, even if you want to specifically address your concerns about my treatment of this that you are upset over.
@Phil -- That was mighty nice of you to offer your help to Berkowitz. But tell me: what exactly do you do besides write music and blogs?
Hey Phil,
Gee thanks for the invite to be a guest.
I've a better idea. How about me writing the prologue to all your Saradise Lost chapters? It is rather simple and to the point.
Just because the GOP (i.e. Palin) desires to eliminate female rights and responsibilities with thier pro-life views, does not give licence for others to victimize teen mothers.
Yours truly,
anony Mouse
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