What a Time to be an Alaskan

Oh, the politicians!

Just a few days ago, Alaskans overwhelmingly voted for Ted Stevens for US Senator in Alaska’s primary, a man who has just recently been indicted by a federal grand jury in DC. His trial starts on September 22.

And now this.

I am still in shock.

I was eating my cereal listening to KSTK as I always do in the morning. Steve Heimel on APRN was reporting on continued rumors that Sarah Palin, Alaska’s current governor (who is known throughout the state as the GILF), would be chosen as John McCain’s running mate. He said the AP had confirmed that a private plane from Alaska had just touched down in Ohio, where McCain was going to make his announcement, with a woman inside. But Heimel’s tone was speculative; it didn’t seem like there was any chance. Heimel’s morning news continued and Scott walked downstairs. I asked if he heard and he hadn’t – I repeated what Heimel was just saying about Sarah, and we both laughed it off. I said to Scott, if McCain chooses Sarah as his running mate, “I will throw up.”

The morning routine continues – I finish my cereal, start making my tea and packing lunch. KSTK’s news broadcast goes on with Washington state news and whatever else. And then NPR news comes on and that’s when I hear it. A reporter is going on about the qualifications of Sarah Palin, and I start to feel sick. Then Korva Coleman’s voice comes on and she says it – John McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. It’s real. All the speculation, for months, leading up to that precise moment. All the blogs about Sarah being the VP – they were all right.

The Stevens’ news was expected. This was not, not to me. Sarah Palin has not even been governor for two full years. The thing is, during the 2006 Alaska primary, I chose the republican ballot (undeclared voters get to choose either the republican ballot or the democratic one) and voted for Sarah. I just didn’t want Frank Murkowski to win and I thought, hey a woman leading Alaska wouldn’t be so bad. And my effort was fruitful; she won the primary and inevitably the general race for governor. But then, five months later, I heard her speak in Petersburg during Little Norway, and I instantly hated her, the way one hates politicians. I hated her for the fur collar she was wearing around her neck, for the stupid speech she was making about southeast Alaska being important (she, like others before her, has made every effort to move the capital from southeast’s Juneau to the Anchorage area, where she is from; and never really made the Juneau governor’s house her home).

And for even shallower reasons, I hated her for her hair and her sickly sweet smile. The smile that now adorns every major news website.

From the Guardian: “Today is John McCain's 72nd birthday, and the youthful Palin is a welcome contrast. She is three years younger than Obama. In addition, she was a runner-up to the Miss Alaska beauty pageant.”

Ted Stevens Just Called Me

Like the man himself, not any of his campaign people, just a couple days after the US district court denied his request to move his trial to Alaska. He said he was in Juneau in between some meetings and called to see if I wanted an interview (the primary is on Tuesday). I passed. I told him what the station's policy (as in my boss's policy) was on elections - that I'd have to interview all of the candidates running in the US senate primary in Alaska, of which there are twelve of them, to make it fair and even. He understood (phew). I told him KSTK would be interested after the primary when it would just be two people running for US senate (is that right?). I've met the guy and all and interviewed him before, but for some reason, the fact that he's been indicted makes him so much more of a celebrity.