Monday, January 19, 2009

Alaska's Big Obama Sign To Grace the Smithsonian

Gene Horner, family and friends created this 8-foot-by-12-foot Obama sign for the Alaska State Fair. They placed it on a corner of Inner Springer Loop, where everyone had to slow down, on their way from Anchorage, to park at the fair. It was torn down once, defaced twice. Fixed three times.

Gene and his wife Priscilla brought it in to Anchorage for election night. Down in the basement of the Egan Center - Anchorage's election night central - hundreds of people started signing the sign. It quickly filled up.

Here it is on display on MLK Day 2009. It is at Mat-Su Democrats' chairman Kevin Brown's office. Tuesday morning, the office will be open for people to come in and watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Judy and I went over today to help some other Mat-Su Democrats get the place ready for the big screen viewing Tuesday. Gene and Priscilla brought the sign over, and we hauled its three sections in. Kevin and I took a lot of maps, signs and other stuff off the office walls today. But we agreed to keep Howard Dean up. He needs to be seen.

Our new U.S. Senator, Mark Begich, ran one of the best campaigns in Alaska history in 2008. But if it hadn't been for Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, and the inspiration some of the early summer Obama kids brought to our Alaska Democrats, Mark might have lost to Ted Stevens.

Judy and I are glad to embrace Dr. Dean:

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where and when is the viewing?

Philip Munger said...

I'm not sure - as far as the Smithsonian is concerned. It will be in Palmer Alaska tomorrow and for a few more days. We have to figure out how to pack it.

I'll certainly do a post when I know when it will be at the Smithsonian.

Anonymous said...

Will Judy be there too? She's hot! =)

Philip Munger said...

baja --- She IS a babe!

Anonymous said...

Hah...if Ted Stevens hadn't been convicted Begich would have lost.

He barely beat a convicted felon. Seems to me he will be lucky to get more than 6 years.

Hopefully he and his buddies don't completely wreck things in 6 years.

ThinkAlaska said...

My blog is up and running again.

By the way, how was the shindig this morning?

Philip Munger said...

independent Alaskan - Judy was there. I was driving to work. She says almost 50 people having a GREAT time!

clark said...

anon at 5: you are plotting a republican revolution?
the reagan era is finished, brother. you don't have enough white people anymore. just forget it. this time the pendulum isn't going to swing back.

Anonymous said...

Hi Clark

I don't have to plot a revolution in Alaska. Begich's election was an abberation.

As far as white people goes, it's not a racial thing, it's a values thing. Black and hispanic values are more conservative than their votes suggest. That is the liberal's achilles heel.

clark said...

alaska tends to follow along, sometimes a few years behind the national trend. but the changing demographics are surely not in the repubs' favor here or anyplace else.
nationwide the dems got, what? -- 90%+ of the african american vote, two thirds of hispanics, 80% of jews? i think those figures are about right. but these people are really conservatives, you think?
sure, whatever.

Anonymous said...

Delighted to hear the sign will be at the Smithsonian. Is there a possibility that high res pic of entire sign could be taken now, to preserve and share on line? I want to see where my family signed...

As for Anon at 5 saying, "Hopefully he and his buddies don't completely wreck things in 6 years", what the hell do you think the republicans and their buddies have done to our country the past 8 years? I don't think they could have fucked up this country more if they had openly fostered "fuck up the country" competitions. Their party is now in shambles; good riddance to bad rubbish. Go get 'em, Senator Begich! (ooh, that sounds nice) Do us Alaskan's proud!