Friday, April 16, 2010

The Mat-Su Democrats Will Host a Matanuska Electrical Association Candidate Forum Friday Evening in Wasilla

As part of our continuing series of candidate forums in local non-partisan elections, the Mat-Su Democrats will host a candidate forum this evening.

The upcoming election for members of the Board of Directors for the customer-owned Matanuska Electrical Association co-op will test the bipartisan takeover of the utility's board last year. The Alaska Republican Party is shoveling a lot of money and a lot of dirt into the contest. They are providing direct financial and personnel support to anti-union, pro-illegal alien hiring candidate Bob Doyle. The Alaska Democratic Party has prohibited the Mat-Su Democrats from providing direct support to Alaska political and feminist icon, Katie Hurley, who is the incumbent for the Wasilla seat.

Here's the announcement for tonight's forum:

Join fellow Democrats and independent thinkers at the Egan Dinner on April 16th for fun, food and camaraderie.

Candidates for election to the MEA Board have been invited to let us in on what is happening with our electrical cooperative and how they will help MEA ensure that the lights continue to come on in the years ahead.

The "new" Board majority has made tremendous progress in opening up MEA's decision making process for public scrutiny and participation.

As advocates for open government, we should help ensure that MEA remains on this new path.

Dinner begins promptly at 6 p.m. in the Glacier Canyon Grill, 2900 Parks Highway. The $20 dinner is optional.

4 comments:

freeper said...

Phil, how is it exactly that the Alaska Democratic Party has prohibited the Mat-Su Democrats from providing direct support to Katie Hurley?

Can you document this ? Is it legally defensible or permissible under the constraints the state party imposes on the Mat-Su Democrats ?

Methinks there's more to this than just to say the state party is solely responsible.

I would think if the Mat-Su Democrats were actually inclined to give their full support to Hurley they'd find a way to do so.

If the state party leaders do wield such control and it isn't an accepted power freely granted by the Mat-Su Dems, then the Mat-Su Dems ought to be pursuing independence of control of their operations, or change in the state party rules.

If the state party can't or won't support the will of it's own members, they have no business being granted the power to thwart the will of it's own members.

You can argue solidarity all you want, but if solidarity doesn't serve the best interest of those who solidify, solidarity isn't what happened, subjugation is what happened.

freeper said...

Going to the Egan to see the candidates and becoming informed as to the candidates views on the issues is a good thing.

Partaking of any 'fun, food and camaraderie' might be a good thing too.

But throwing unqualified support behind the Alaska Democratic Party, especially if they work against your best interests, probably shouldn't be at all suggested or promoted, especially if the state party and regional segments of the party are as dysfunctional to the point of impotence as you infer.

freeper said...

Maybe more emphasis should be directed towards the marginal effectiveness of the state Democratic party and less time spent inflating the sensationalism and spectacle of the tea-baggers.

Continual exposure being granted to the tea-baggers doesn't address the need to repair the fractured divisions, and basic incompetence of the Democratic leaders in our state.

(a fracturing, a basic incompetence and a lack of effort on the part of the so-called 'leaders' of the Alaska Democratic Party that I've witnessed and wondered about for decades)

If we're going to make gains, and if we're going to become more effective, it's not going to happen by constantly being distracted by focusing on irrelevance and ignoring the need to get our own house in order.

.

freeper said...

Phil, is it your association with the party that causes you to remain silent here ?

What's up with that ? You made some allegations and I've asked if you could elaborate.

.... ?