Has Alaska received more attention than ever before in the past two years?

[Keystone Phil]

It's amazing if you think about it: a state with only about 700,000 people physically separated from the rest of the country has become one of the most talked about places over the past two years.

Obviously, political reasons explain why Alaska has been so frequently in the news...

Mike Gravel (2008 Presidential campaign)
Sarah Palin (2008 Presidential campaign, resignation as Governor and future in politics)
Don Young (2008 Congressional campaigns and scandal)
Ted Stevens (2008 Senate campaign and scandal)
Lisa Murkowski (Historic 2010 Senate write in campaign)
The Bridge to Nowhere
Series of Tubes*

*Actually from 2006 but still noteworthy.


...but some of those political stories have helped the state step into the national and even international spotlight in non-political ways. Palin's non-political show obviously highlights life there while the totally political stories (Murkowski's write in campaign, for example) have done the same.

I think this is clearly the most attention it has experienced since gaining statehood and it probably won't experience anything like this again for a long time (if ever).

[Joe Republic]

The Proposal, that stupid Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds movie from last year that my wife made me watch was mostly set in Sitka.  I would have said that it was a decent showcase for the scenery in that part of the world, but amusingly it was filmed in Massachusetts.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Of course, but I think they'd like to rid themselves of the attention whores in chief

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Definitely.

[Keystone Phil]

Of course, but I think they'd like to rid themselves of the attention whores in chief

I knew this would turn into that but without demonizing them, can we at least accept the fact that they have made this state a major attention grabber (for better or worse)? You almost hear about Alaska as much as (or, at some times, even more so than) New York, California, Florida and Texas these days. It's pretty amazing. Again, not saying it is necessarily a positive but it's certainly noteworthy for such a small state that barely received attention before 2008 and that's not just thank to the Palin's.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Of course, but I think they'd like to rid themselves of the attention whores in chief

I knew this would turn into that but without demonizing them, can we at least accept the fact that they have made this state a major attention grabber (for better or worse)?'

Absolutely no question of that, Phil.

Whether that's a good thing or not we'll save for a Palin bashing thread

[patrick1]

Non politically, you have also had Ice Road Truckers, Tougher in Alaska and The Deadliest Catch. 

[Keystone Phil]

Non politically, you have also had Ice Road Truckers, Tougher in Alaska and The Deadliest Catch. 

There you go. Those too.

[LBJ Revivalist]

I think we should let Alaska secede like Todd Palin's party wanted to.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Non politically, you have also had Ice Road Truckers, Tougher in Alaska and The Deadliest Catch. 

There you go. Those too.

Plus the hot Senate race, as well as Ted Stevens.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

What's your basis for saying that?

[Ban my account ffs!]

I don't care what people think of the state politically.  It's still the most beautiful place on earth.

[Keystone Phil]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

Not the question.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

19th in unemployment (7.9%).  Positive changes in real GDP (+3.5%).  Seems to be doing pretty decent to me.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

I think we should let Alaska secede like Todd Palin's party wanted to.

Good idea, along with the other 49 states.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Texas v. White says otherwise.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

19th in unemployment (7.9%).  Positive changes in real GDP (+3.5%).  Seems to be doing pretty decent to me.

We're talking in terms of the attention that it is getting now which is not for that. It is for Sarah Palin who is seen as a joke. And people like Ted Stevens, Don Young and Joe Miller aren't exactly great faces to put on your state either.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

19th in unemployment (7.9%).  Positive changes in real GDP (+3.5%).  Seems to be doing pretty decent to me.

We're talking in terms of the attention that it is getting now which is not for that. It is for Sarah Palin who is seen as a joke. And people like Ted Stevens, Don Young and Joe Miller aren't exactly great faces to put on your state either.

Palin left a while ago... I don't think people really connect her to Alaska as much anymore.

And, for what it's worth, Stevens conviction was voided.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Not in a good way. It's kind of seen as the laughingstock of the country now.

19th in unemployment (7.9%).  Positive changes in real GDP (+3.5%).  Seems to be doing pretty decent to me.

We're talking in terms of the attention that it is getting now which is not for that. It is for Sarah Palin who is seen as a joke. And people like Ted Stevens, Don Young and Joe Miller aren't exactly great faces to put on your state either.

Palin left a while ago... I don't think people really connect her to Alaska as much anymore.

She is still the main reason for the premise in the OP.

And, for what it's worth, Stevens conviction was voided.

Well I doubt most people care anymore than that OJ Simpson legally is not guilty of murder. Plus being voided on a technicality doesn't change much for one's actual guilt.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

OJ was found not guilty because of prosecutorial incompetence.  This was an extreme case of prosecutorial misconduct.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

But does the average person care? Especially since it remains obvious that Stevens was a corrupt scumbag regardless.

[LBJ Revivalist]

I think we should let Alaska secede like Todd Palin's party wanted to.

Good idea, along with the other 49 states.

No, just Alaska.
It's not part of the "Real America" as Sarah Palin said of certain parts of the country.
I would imagine she considers her homeland the "Real America", so let her and her little snowmobile riding friends have it. Cut it off from the Union if need be.
See, two can play the "Real America" game.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I think we should let Alaska secede like Todd Palin's party wanted to.

Good idea, along with the other 49 states.

No, just Alaska.
It's not part of the "Real America" as Sarah Palin said of certain parts of the country.
I would imagine she considers her homeland the "Real America", so let her and her little snowmobile riding friends have it. Cut it off from the Union if need be.
See, two can play the "Real America" game.

Alaska is certainly not the State America most needs to get rid of. Texas is on the top of the list of course, followed by the rest of the South.

[LBJ Revivalist]

I think we should let Alaska secede like Todd Palin's party wanted to.

Good idea, along with the other 49 states.

No, just Alaska.
It's not part of the "Real America" as Sarah Palin said of certain parts of the country.
I would imagine she considers her homeland the "Real America", so let her and her little snowmobile riding friends have it. Cut it off from the Union if need be.
See, two can play the "Real America" game.

Alaska is certainly not the State America most needs to get rid of. Texas is on the top of the list of course, followed by the rest of the South.

In retrospect, Lincoln should've let the Confederacy be.
They could've had their slaves and their Bible thumping and we in the North would've been a better country for it in the long run.