Electability

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Photo Credit: The Daily Signal

Photo Credit: The Daily Signal

What about “Electability”? There’s been talk about this lately in regard to candidates on a federal and state level, and now local Kenai Peninsula Borough assembly members down to local City Councilmembers in Homer. Electability is defined as “capable of, or having a reasonable chance of, being elected, as to public office.” Electability is a well used strategy in the political world. It is used in both the Republican and Democrat Parties.

The Party or Establishment (Establishment is defined as a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation or organization) often comes out and backs a candidate as “Electable”. And when threatened by a candidate, the Establishment will often portray a candidate as having a lack of “Electability”, using that as a reason to not vote for someone. This is often done before the primary election, claiming that a particular candidate will not be electable against whom they will run against in the general election.

But the Establishment does not have a great track record of determining “Electability”, or lack thereof. In previous races, Mitt Romney, John McCain and John Kerry were all deemed as being highly electable. But yet, they lost.

In my opinion, “Electability” sounds like the Establishment’s excuse for trying to persuade voters when a candidate’s positions on issues is threatening to the existing and often corrupt governments. For me personally, I choose not to be persuaded by other forces. Instead, I choose to vote my conscience and vote for candidates who stand for my individual rights and freedoms, and not more big government.

For more information, I encourage you to do your own research on this political strategy.

Miller: US Should Stop Benefits, Like Health Care, for People in Country Illegally

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Photo Credit: AP / Mark Thiessen

Photo Credit: AP / Mark Thiessen

By The Associated Press.

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Joe Miller says the U.S. should bill the governments of people who enter this country illegally for policing, housing, food and transportation.

Miller’s campaign Wednesday released a seven-point plan for addressing illegal immigration.

The proposal also calls for immediate completion of a fence along the southern border of the U.S. and stopping benefits, like health care, for people who are in this country illegally.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Miller Outlines Seven-Step Plan to Address Border/Illegal Alien Crisis

Joe Miller outlined a seven-step plan today to address the growing crisis on our nation’s southern border.

“The crisis of illegal immigration we’re facing is not only unnecessary, it is being instigated by the Obama Administration,” said Miller. “It’s time we take some simple steps to ensure the integrity of our borders and the security of the American people.”

The seven-step plan consists of the following policies:

1. End all foreign aid to countries encouraging illegals to cross our borders.
2. Finish the border fence now.
3. Stop encouraging illegal entry with birthright citizenship.
4. Bill the governments of illegals for policing, housing, feeding, and transporting their citizens.
5. Implement E-verify now and fine companies for employing illegals.
6. End the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) lottery that gives citizenship to 55,000 random people every year.
7. Stop the endless benefits to illegals – healthcare, schooling, social services, etc. – which are a form of taxation on American citizens.

Earlier this week, Miller called on his Republican opponents to join him in calling for the President’s impeachment, in part due to Obama’s lawlessness on the amnesty issue. So far, his call has elicited no response.

Miller concluded, “With these seven, simple, common sense steps we could fix this problem once and for all. The crisis that the President and this Congress have essentially created is unconscionable. Promising a safe haven with many of the same benefits as citizens is unacceptable. It’s time for Congress not only to act with respect to fixing the problem, but also to hold Barrack Obama accountable.”

Fight Heats Up Over EPA Sabotage of Alaska Gold Mine

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Photo credit: NPCA Photos

Photo credit: NPCA Photos

The Environmental Protection Agency is under fire for a preemptive strike against a massive copper and gold mine in Alaska, where hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are at stake.

The controversy centers on Pebble Mine, located 200 miles southeast of Anchorage. It is the largest deposit of copper and gold in North America.

But environmental groups and fishermen, worried about the impact to the world’s most abundant salmon run in Bristol Bay, fought the mine from the beginning.

“It was people from Alaska that requested the EPA come in and take action,” said Tim Bristol, of Trout Unlimited in Anchorage. “We just don’t feel like we’re getting our concerns heard by the state of Alaska.”

The EPA did act, using the 1972 Clean Water Act for the first time ever to stop a mine before the owners even came out with a detailed plan.

Read more from this story HERE.

Yet Another High-Profile Conservative Demands Obama’s Impeachment

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Photo Credit: Western Journalism

Photo Credit: Western Journalism

By B. Christopher Agee.

As calls for impeachment proceedings against Barack Obama increase among prominent Republicans, it is clear the proposition is one that resonates with a large number of Americans. A pair of polls this week shows that at least one-third of the public wants to see him removed from office.

The trend is so obvious that even the White House has admitted that the pursuit of impeachment hearings is a distinct possibility.

Alaska Senate hopeful Joe Miller added his name to the growing list of impeachment proponents in a statement released earlier this week. Echoing the sentiment of fellow Alaskan Sarah Palin, he suggested that the inaction of the Obama administration regarding the ongoing border crisis is an issue that must be addressed swiftly and decisively.

“The truth is, what we are facing with respect to the massive influx of illegals is not only a rule of law issue,” he said; “it is a public health risk and a threat to our national security.”

Miller asserted that Obama must be held accountable, suggesting that impeachment would be the most effective solution.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: AP / Mark Thiessen

Photo Credit: AP / Mark Thiessen

Senate Hopeful Joe Miller Calls For Obama’s Impeachment, Blasts Mark Begich Over Border

By David McCabe.

Joe Miller, who is running in the Republican primary for the opportunity to challenge Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), has called for President Barack Obama’s impeachment, his campaign said this week.

“Sarah Palin is right; it’s time to impeach this President for dereliction of duty, selectively enforcing the law, and usurping powers that the Constitution does not authorize,” he said in a press release. “He is willfully undermining the rule of law and creating chaos.”

Palin, the former Alaska governor who shot to prominence as Sen. John McCain’s presidential running mate in 2008, has repeatedly called for Obama’s impeachment this summer.

Earlier this month, Palin penned an op-ed for Breitbart.com, saying that the crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border was “the last straw” and should be cause for Congress to bring articles of impeachment against the president. But the rhetoric around impeachment has also incorporated many of the issues conservatives have used to attack Obama throughout his two terms, including questions about the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Read more from this story HERE.

Ohio Business Could Cause Headache for Alaska Senate Candidate

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Photo Credit: US News

Photo Credit: US News

By David Catanese.

An Ohio business accused of overcharging the federal government for contract work could pose a headache for Alaska Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan.

Sullivan, who is in the midst of a primary fight for the opportunity to challenge Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, this fall, has family ties to RPM International, a Medina, Ohio, paint company that paid a $65 million settlement to the federal government last year to resolve charges it didn’t provide the government with price discounts it gave to other customers.

According to the Justice Department, RPM, and its subsidiary, Tremco Inc., failed to provide “current, accurate and complete information” about “changes in discounts … and to pass those discounts on to government customers” between January 2002 and March 2011.

“In addition, Tremco allegedly improperly marketed generic products as a superior line of the same product and used a defective adhesive formula in its roofing systems,” the Justice Department charged.

RPM was founded by Sullivan’s grandfather and is now operated by his brother.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Facebook / Dan Sullivan

Photo Credit: Facebook / Dan Sullivan

Will A Scandal Surrounding This Company Bring Down A U.S. Senate Candidate?

By B. Christopher Agee.

RPM International, a corporation that owns paint supplier Tremco, recently reached a settlement with the federal government that resulted in the Ohio-based company parting with $65 million.

Among the charges levied against RPM and its subsidiary company is the allegation that it charged the government one price for products and services while offering significant discounts for other clients. The corporation was also accused of portraying “generic products as a superior line of the same product” and using “defective adhesive formula,” the Department of Justice explained.

The government entered into a contract with the company to complete jobs including roofing work on hospitals and prisons.

Though he is seeking a U.S. Senate seat thousands of miles away in Alaska, Republican Dan Sullivan is now facing scrutiny as a result of RPM’s actions. Not only is his brother now in charge of the company his grandfather started; RPM is also a heavy donor to Sullivan’s campaign.

According to reports published earlier this year, RPM started a political action committee to support the candidate; and several high-ranking officials within the corporation have donated significantly to his reserves.

Read more from this story HERE.

Earthquakes Occur in 4 Parts of Alaska

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Photo Credit: Arthur Chapman

Photo Credit: Arthur Chapman

Seismologists in Alaska say earthquakes have jolted four different parts of the state in the last 12 hours.

A magnitude-5.9 quake was among several that occurred around the same location early Friday in southeast Alaska. The U.S. Geological Survey says people in Juneau, about 100 miles east, felt light shaking.

Read more from this story HERE.

Sullivan SuperPAC Funded by His Ohio Family, Run by Karl Rove Associate, Goes Negative

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Memorial Day 13Joe Miller sounded off today on the latest Sullivan scheme to smear his primary opponents. Sullivan has long claimed to be a uniter who would not engage in mudslinging. However, his surrogates have begun the assault.

“The latest coming from Team Sullivan should surprise no one,” said Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto. “Dan Sullivan is proving to be just another dishonest establishment politician who takes credit for other folks’ work, talks a big game, and delivers only empty promises.”

The ad features a young woman from Anchorage saying, “Joe Miller troubles me,” a clear attempt to build on Lisa Murkowski’s smear campaign from 2010. It then proceeds to accuse a second establishment candidate in the race, Mead Treadwell, of “attacking Dan Sullivan.”

The Sullivan SuperPAC, Alaska’s Energy, America’s Values, is largely funded by Sullivan’s own family from Ohio, and run by Art Hackney, a longtime associate of Karl Rove. While the latest FEC report is not yet posted, information currently available reveals that almost half of its funding comes from just two individuals: Tom and Frank Sullivan. Frank, Dan’s brother, sits on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (a pro-amnesty, anti-tea party organization). Sullivan money combined with funds from another large donor from Connecticut named Donald Miller comprises more than eighty percent of the funding for this faux “local PAC,” as it is described by local blogger Amanda Coyne.

Joe Miller stated, “This is just business as usual for the Republican establishment. This is what they do. If they can’t stand on issues and arguments, they seek to smear the competition. Alaskans deserve an honest debate about the issues facing our great state, and the country, not more sleazy smear campaigns from the likes of Karl Rove and his friends.”

'The Record Speaks for Itself': Murkowski-Begich Tension Looms Over Senate Race

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140723_lisa_murkowsk_mark_begich_gty_compy_328In Mark Begich’s view, fellow Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is a valuable member of his “team” on issues ranging from fisheries to fighter jets.

But in the heat of Begich’s bruising reelection bid, Murkowski wants off that team…

When asked to characterize their relationship, Murkowski added: “He’s running for office, and I want a Republican partner.”

Begich brushed off Murkowski’s criticism.

“The record speaks for itself,” he said on Wednesday. “The votes that we have been taking are showing clearly that we’re one of the few delegations in this whole chaotic dysfunctional Washington, D.C., that actually vote together more often than anyone. That’s a fact.”

Read more from this story HERE.

See How Changing Your Gender In Alaska Is As Easy As Counting To Three

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK / Flickr)

Photo Credit: U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK / Flickr)

Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, a Republican candidate in the state’s upcoming U.S. Senate race, recently received praise from a group not often solicited by members of his party. The Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union issued a press release celebrating his decision to allow citizens to pick whichever gender they wish when applying for a driver’s license.

ACLU of Alaska Executive Director Jeffrey Mittman offered a glowing endorsement of the recent regulation.

“We appreciate the work of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Lt. Governor’s office in crafting a regulation that recognizes the importance and legitimate needs of transgender Alaskans,” he said.

According to the new rule, any Alaskan – without surgery – may choose whichever gender he or she wishes. Mittman and Treadwell apparently agree that extending this courtesy to the transgender community is worth any potential abuse and confusion that may result.

“All Alaskans must be able to obtain a driver’s license that accurately reflects their gender and avoids disclosure of sensitive personal information unrelated to their ability to safely drive a motor vehicle,” Mittman asserted. “The government should never needlessly intrude into mandating specific medical procedures.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Miller Blasts Begich on Border Crisis, Says Palin Right on Impeachment

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Photo Credit: Jesse / Creative Commons

Photo Credit: Jesse / Creative Commons

Today Joe Miller blasted Alaska’s junior senator, Mark Begich, for his leadership failure relating to the illegal immigration crisis.

“Silence is consent,” said Miller. “Mark Begich has not even deemed the crisis on our southern border worthy of a press release. There is no doubt that he is complicit with the President in encouraging and empowering this illegal invasion, both from a policy perspective by voting for amnesty, and by virtue of his refusal to hold Barack Obama accountable for dereliction of duty and usurpation of Congressional authority.”

Joe Miller is the only candidate in the race for US Senate to take an unequivocal stand on amnesty and border security. Mead Treadwell has embraced limited amnesty for illegals, and Dan Sullivan has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from numerous big-monied pro-amnesty donors, including Paul Singer’s Friends for an American Majority, John McCain’s America First PAC, and Lindsey Graham’s Fund for America’s Future. He is also backed with independent expenditures from Karl Rove’s American Crossroads and the US Chamber of Commerce. Both favor amnesty for illegals.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, ten thousand illegal aliens reside in Alaska, costing the state more than $138 million per year in public services.

Joe Miller is the only candidate to fill out the NumbersUSA candidate questionnaire. He has also been named a “True Reformer” for his strong stand for the rule of law and against amnesty for illegals.

While the illegal immigration crisis has very serious implications for the rule of law in America, other concerns exist as well, including public health–given recent reports of illness and disease among those crossing the border illegally–and national security. Many the Administration describes as “children” are actually teens who are affiliated with gang activity, and are connected to the Mexican drug cartels. The confirmed cases of Middle Eastern terrorists and Chinese nationals coming through our porous southern border are alarming.

Miller concluded: “The truth is, what we are facing with respect to the massive influx of illegals is not only a rule of law issue, it is a public health risk and a threat to our national security. There is no doubt President Obama and enablers like Mark Begich are responsible. Sarah Palin is right; it’s time to impeach this President for dereliction of duty, selectively enforcing the law, and usurping powers that the Constitution does not authorize. He is willfully undermining the rule of law and creating chaos.”